How to Clean Your Top-Loading Washing Machine
Step 1 - With your machine empty, run it full of hot water to the largest load setting. When the tub is full and begins to agitate, add 3 to 4 cups of distilled white vinegar to the water. Then add ½ cup of baking soda. Allow the machine to agitate for a few moments, then turn off the machine. Let the water sit for thirty minutes to one hour.
Step 2 - After allowing the vinegar/baking soda mixture to penetrate the grime in the washing machine tub, restart the machine, allowing it to complete the wash cycle. At the end of the wash cycle, as the tub begins to drain, advance the washing machine to the spin cycle. On many washing machines, this will cause the washing machine to spin as it drains, which can help to further loosen any residue. If yours doesn't do this, simply allow it to drain. Turn off the machine.
Step 3 - Wipe the inside of the washing machine tub with a wet cloth. If desired, use a cloth soaked in a solution of half hot water and half white vinegar. Be sure to wipe all inside surfaces, including the bottom and blades of the agitator and the top of the tub just under the lid. (It is sometimes helpful to use a wire toilet brush around the top rim and in hard-to-reach places.) If the washing machine has a fabric softener and/or a bleach dispenser, remove these and clean thoroughly before replacing.
If after following these steps the odor remains, the washing machine may have build-up in some of the inner parts. If your washing machine is still under warranty, contact the manufacturer for a repair person to check it out. If not, contact your local appliance repair shop, and they should be able to clean the machine for you.
How to prevent build-up in your washing machine
To keep your washing machine looking and smelling cleaner for longer, follow these simple steps to reduce build-up:
- Use less detergent. What detergent manufacturers don't tell you is that you can often get away with using half the recommended amount (or possibly even less), and your clothes will come out just as clean. The amount you need to use depends on your local water - those with hard water may need to use more detergent, while those with soft water may be able to use extremely small amounts. Experiment to find the optimal detergent amount for your washing machine.
- Use vinegar instead of commercial fabric softener. Adding ¼ cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle is as effective as using commercial fabric softener, and won't leave oily residue on your washing machine. As an added bonus, vinegar is much less expensive than fabric softener, and will help to remove stains and brighten whites and colors. Don't worry about your clothing smelling like vinegar - any odor will be removed in the rinse and during drying.
- Rinse clothing thoroughly after washing. If you find that your rinse cycle produces a lot of suds, your clothes are not being rinsed thoroughly, and therefore neither is your washing machine. Run an extra rinse cycle, and in the future, try to use less detergent.
Published by Amy Weekley
I'm a stay-at-home mother of two, loving every minute of it. Writing has long been my hobby, and I figure it's time to share my work with the rest of the world. Enjoy! View profile
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29 Comments
Post a CommentHmm....I have since found that if your clothes are smelling foul and/or you see bits of black stuff floating now and again, no amount of additive will clean it out.
At least not in a top loader.
I have gone through 6 wash cycles now. All on the absolute hottest water temp the gas cylinder can put out. :-)
I have used Vinegar (By iteself. Even a litre in 1 wash! :-D ), Vinegar with Baking Soda and then tried CLR ( which gave the best results). I haven't tried the Citric Acid wash though. None of those methods worked though. We could still smell a strange odour coming from somwhere/
But just by chance I had to pull apart the washing machine because I couldn't get a filter casing back in without removing the top part of the drum. How did I get it out in the first place I wonder. But once I did have the top off, O-M-G!!!
I could not bring myself to think that we were washing our clothes with all of that gunk linning the drums and machine all over the place. It looked like a very thick chocolate/Vanilla milkshake all around the top edges of the drums and also up under the rims of the upper part of the machine cover. You cannot get your hands to these areas without removing the top of the machine.
The problem with the top loader is that as the water splashes around the placeit also splashes upwards. So even though the water level may be on maximum it doesn't actually wash the areas above the water line. It just splashes the gunk. Therefore the gunk cannot be removed by this method. I mean, really, stlictites of gunk had even formed under the rims edging. It was an appalling sight. Removing the inner drum was and is the only option as far as I can tell to truly remove the slime.
Logic also tells me that even the citric acid method is not going to try and climb up there to get at this grime. Its just too scary.
ok.....I have the washing machine soaking with the vinegar/baking soda mixture. not sure how to clean all the parts that the water doesnt touch.....any ideas?
The vinegar & baking soda sounds good, but make sure it is thoroughly rinsed out before adding any bleach. Those 3 ingredients together can cause problem. I've never noticed my washer getting dirty until this year! But this is the first I've lived in where my machine is in the garage. I always leave the lid open to avoid odors and rust..but now I am wondering if this is where my dirt is coming from! Sheesh! Thanks for the article.
Will this work using cold water only as I dont have a hot water tap in my laundry..
Perfect!! Exactly what I was looking for! Will see if it works!
Those are Google ads, Phil. I didn't choose them. Google thought they were relevant. Google was wrong.
All of the illustrations are of front loading machines
National repair guy told me to try using dishwaher detergent by itself...makes sense.
What do one do if their washing machine doesn't have a hot water temperature botton?
I never knew my washing machine had so much gunk built up in it! How gross! I will never use fabric softener again, only vinegar. It works great and is a whitener and brightener too! I have also started making and using my own laundry soap. All natural!!! I love it!