How to Deep Clean a Washing Machine

If your washing machine smells musty, the machine needs cleaning. Mold and detergent residue build up inside drums and gaskets.

Front-Load Washers

Clean the gasket: Pull back the rubber seal. Spray with 50/50 white vinegar and water. Wipe every fold with a toothbrush. For heavy mold, use 1 tablespoon bleach per cup of water.

Run a vinegar cycle: 2 cups white vinegar in the dispenser, hottest empty cycle.

Run a baking soda cycle: 1/2 cup baking soda in the drum, another hot empty cycle.

Clean the dispensers: Pull out trays, soak in warm soapy water 10 minutes, scrub.

Top-Load Washers

Fill with hot water, add 4 cups vinegar, agitate, pause and soak 1 hour. Wipe lid and rim. Resume. Follow with baking soda cycle.

Preventing the Smell

Leave the door open after washing. Most important habit. Trapped moisture breeds mold.

Wipe the gasket dry after the last load.

Use correct detergent amounts. Excess feeds mold. HE machines need HE detergent.

Monthly maintenance wash: Empty hot cycle with 1 cup vinegar.

Remove wet clothes promptly. Sitting for hours breeds mildew on clothes and machine.

Why Your Washer Smells

The musty smell in washing machines comes from mold, mildew, and detergent residue that accumulate inside the drum, gasket seals, and detergent dispensers. Warm, damp environments with organic matter (leftover detergent and fabric softener) are ideal breeding grounds for bacteria and mold. Front-load washers are especially prone because the rubber door gasket traps moisture in its folds. Top-load washers develop buildup on the agitator and under the rim. Regular deep cleaning every 1 to 2 months eliminates the smell and keeps your clothes actually getting clean rather than cycling through dirty water.

Tools and Supplies

You need white vinegar, baking soda, an old toothbrush, microfiber cloths, and optionally a small amount of bleach (1 tablespoon per cup of water) for heavy mold. Total cost: under 5 dollars if you already have vinegar and baking soda at home.

The Smell Prevention Routine

Leave the door open after every wash. This is the single most important habit. A closed door traps moisture and creates the conditions mold needs to grow. Leave it ajar for at least 2 hours after the last load or permanently if possible.

Wipe the gasket after the last load. Front-load washer gaskets have rubber folds that trap water, lint, and debris. A quick wipe with a dry cloth after each use prevents mold from colonizing these folds.

Use the correct amount of detergent. More detergent does not mean cleaner clothes. Excess detergent leaves residue that feeds mold. HE (high-efficiency) machines require HE detergent and typically need only 1 to 2 tablespoons per load. Measure rather than pouring.

Run a monthly maintenance cycle. One empty hot-water cycle with 1 cup of white vinegar each month prevents buildup from reaching the point where a deep clean is necessary.

Remove wet clothes promptly. Clothes sitting in a finished washer for hours breed mildew on both the clothes and the machine interior. Set a timer when you start a load.

Cleaning the Detergent Dispensers

Pull out the detergent and fabric softener trays (most slide out with a release tab). Soak them in warm soapy water for 10 minutes, then scrub every crevice with a toothbrush. Detergent residue builds up in these trays and can harbor mold that transfers to every load. While the trays are out, use a damp cloth to wipe inside the dispenser cavity where the trays sit. This area is a hidden mold hotspot that most people never clean.

Bottom Line

Run a vinegar hot cycle followed by a baking soda hot cycle quarterly. Clean the gasket folds and dispensers by hand. Leave the door ajar after every load to prevent mold. These three habits eliminate the musty smell and keep your washer cleaning effectively for years.