Clean a washing machine by running its own empty cleaning cycle monthly, then cleaning by hand the three places it cannot reach. Empty the drum, put one washer cleaner tablet in the drum — or the cleaner your manual specifies — and run Clean Washer, Tub Clean, Self Clean, Pure Cycle or Basket Clean, whichever your machine calls it. Afterwards wipe the rubber door gasket on a front-loader, remove and scrub the dispenser drawer, and, on a front-loader, drain and clean the pump filter. Finish by leaving the door or lid and drawer open to dry. Whirlpool puts the rhythm plainly: repeat every 30 days or every 30 wash cycles to stop soils and detergent building up.

Two rules govern everything below. Never mix bleach with vinegar, or with any other cleaner. Whirlpool states the reason directly: combining vinegar — or any acid — with bleach creates chlorine gas, which can be toxic. Use one cleaner, in one cycle, and rinse before you use another. And check your manual first: the makers do not agree about vinegar, and some cycles run with no cleaner at all.

Why a machine that washes gets dirty

A washer does not rinse itself clean. Each load leaves a film: undissolved detergent and softener, body oils, lint, and minerals. It collects where water sits longest — the outer tub, the folds of a front-load gasket, the dispenser channels, and around the pump filter. Kept damp, it becomes the musty smell that transfers back onto clean laundry.

Samsung lists the common causes: leaving the door closed after washing, too much detergent or softener, washing in cold water only, and buildup in the gasket or drawer. A closed lid traps moisture in a top-loader the same way.

Front-loaders and top-loaders collect dirt in different places. A front-loader’s gasket folds trap water, and it hides a pump filter behind a bottom-front panel. A top-loader’s traps are the lid rim, tub ring, and agitator or impeller. The cycle is shared; the hand work is not.

1. Run the cleaning cycle — empty, hot, and with one cleaner only

  • Empty the drum completely. Check the gasket folds and tub rim and pull out coins, hair and debris first.
  • Add one cleaner, in the place your manual specifies. LG’s tub-clean guidance is typical: a tablet goes directly into the drum, powder goes in the main wash compartment with the liquid cup insert removed, and liquid goes in that insert. Maytag gives the same rule: one tablet in the empty drum, not the dispenser, then Clean Washer, or a Normal or Heavy hot cycle if your model has no cleaning cycle.
  • If you use bleach instead, follow your brand’s amount and compartment — they differ. Whirlpool allows liquid chlorine bleach only if the guide allows it, followed by a rinse and spin. Samsung’s odor procedure pours it into the detergent compartment to the max line — not into the drum — then runs Self Clean, a wipe-down and Rinse+Spin. GE, for top-load Basket Clean, specifies one cup (250 ml) of liquid bleach, vinegar or a washing machine cleaner in the empty basket. There is no universal dose.
  • Select the cleaning cycle and let it finish. Names vary — Clean Washer, Tub Clean, Self Clean, Pure Cycle, Basket Clean, Drum Clean — but the job is the same. Length varies too; Samsung notes about an hour for top-loaders and up to four hours for front-loaders. Add no detergent, and do not interrupt it to add a second product.
  • If there is no cleaning cycle, run the longest empty hot cycle your manual allows, then a rinse and spin.

Some cycles want nothing added at all. Samsung warns not to use cleaning agents on Drum Clean models, because they can damage the drum, and says no cleaner is usually required for Self Clean either.

If the smell is already established, LG instructs owners to run Tub Clean once a week for three consecutive weeks, and to contact support if it persists. Maytag likewise says to repeat the tablet cycle if the washer has never been cleaned, has gone more than six months, or has heavy buildup — up to three consecutive cycles. Repeat the same single cleaner; do not stack products.

2. Vinegar, baking soda and bleach — what the manufacturers actually say

This is where most online advice goes wrong: it presents vinegar as the universal answer and never mentions that the makers are split — and that two of the largest warn against it in the drum.

Maytag says it without hedging: do not pour vinegar in the drum, because its acidity can damage rubber seals, hoses and other components over time; use a cleaner made for washing machines instead. Whirlpool makes the same point and limits vinegar to soaking a removed dispenser drawer in equal parts vinegar and water, and wiping exterior surfaces. GE is the outlier, allowing one cup of vinegar in a top-load Basket Clean. Samsung and LG, in the guidance linked here, do not offer vinegar as a drum cleaner at all; LG gives it only one narrow job — soaking the small water inlet filters to remove scale.

So: if your manual allows vinegar, it is an allowed option; if your maker warns against it, or your manual is silent, use a washer cleaner instead. Never use vinegar at the same time as bleach, or on a gasket just treated with bleach, without a full rinse in between. The fizz when vinegar meets baking soda is the two neutralizing each other, not extra cleaning power, and no manufacturer procedure linked here calls for combining them in the drum. Baking soda is treated more gently: Whirlpool calls it generally safe, subject to the manual. Dish soap is out — Whirlpool does not recommend it, because it creates far more suds than a washer detergent.

3. Clean the door gasket (front-load) or the lid and agitator (top-load)

The cycle washes the drum, not the seal the door closes against.

Front-load gasket. Pull the gasket back and look inside every fold, especially at the bottom, where water pools, and around the six o’clock position, where LG notes foreign objects collect. Remove lint, hair and trapped items, then wipe with a soft cloth. Samsung’s method is warm water with mild soap; LG gives a stronger option for a stained seal — three-quarters of a cup (177 ml) of liquid chlorine bleach diluted in one gallon (3.8 L) of warm water, wiped on, never undiluted bleach, which LG warns can make the gasket deteriorate, and never together with vinegar. Dry it completely — Samsung stresses it must be dry before the door closes. The same trapped-moisture logic is why grout needs its own routine; see how to clean grout lines.

Top-load lid, rim and agitator. Wipe the underside of the lid, the tub rim and the lid glass with a damp cloth or cleaning wipe. Clean around the agitator’s base; if it has a removable cap, Whirlpool says you may gently remove it and clean inside with a cloth or brush — and if it does not come off easily, do not force it, because not all caps are removable.

4. Remove and scrub the dispenser drawer

Detergent and softener crust in the drawer, blocking the water jets and feeding odor. Samsung puts this on the monthly list.

Pull the drawer out until it stops, then press the release lever inside it to free it; Samsung’s top-load drawers tilt upward to come out at the stop. Remove any inserts, rinse with warm water, and scrub with a soft brush — Samsung and LG both specify cleaning the housing as well as the drawer, including its underside. Whirlpool adds that dispensers are not necessarily dishwasher safe. Dry completely, and leave ajar.

5. Drain and clean the pump filter (front-loaders)

A front-loader’s pump filter catches coins, buttons, lint and hair that would otherwise jam the pump — and a clogged one holds stale water, itself a source of smell and slow draining. It has a required order: drain the water first, then unscrew the filter. Skip the draining and the tub’s water comes out through the filter hole, onto the floor.

Samsung recommends cleaning it at least monthly or about every 40 washes; LG bundles it into the monthly routine. Work with the machine off and unplugged, a towel and shallow container ready, and time for hot water to cool first.

  1. Open the access panel at the bottom front.
  2. Find the small rubber drain hose beside the filter, unclip it, hold it over your container, and remove its cap. Let all remaining water drain out. LG adds: do not pull the hose too far out, or it will kink and stop draining.
  3. Unscrew the filter counterclockwise and pull it out.
  4. Clean it with a soft-bristle brush under warm water, and check the housing behind it — Samsung notes the drain pump impeller inside should be clean as well. Do not put the filter in a dishwasher; LG says so directly.
  5. Reinsert the filter and twist it clockwise until tight — LG stresses it must be threaded correctly and tightened all the way — then recap the hose, clip it back, and close the panel. A loose filter is a leak on the next load.

Top-loaders generally have no equivalent user-cleanable pump filter, so check your manual rather than hunting for a panel that is not there. The same drain-first logic applies to a dishwasher not draining.

6. Inlet filters and the exterior

The water inlet filters — small screens where the hoses meet the back of the machine — clog over time, especially in hard-water areas, and LG warns the washer may show an error if water stops entering properly. LG’s procedure: power off and unplug, turn both taps off, unscrew the hot and cold lines with a bucket underneath, pull the filters out with needle-nose pliers, soak them in white vinegar or a lime scale remover, rinse, and refit. This is the one place a major maker specifies vinegar — on a small removed screen, not poured through the drum. The exterior needs only a soft cloth with warm water and mild soap.

How often

  • After every wash: remove laundry promptly, wipe water from the gasket folds, and leave the door or lid and the drawer open to dry.
  • Weekly: wipe the door, gasket and detergent area — Samsung’s stated interval.
  • Monthly, or every 30 cycles: run the cleaning cycle, and clean the dispenser. Whirlpool, Maytag, GE, Samsung and LG all land on monthly or 30 cycles. GE’s guidance is representative: clean the tub once per month to keep the basket fresh and help with mold and mildew odors.
  • Every one to three months: clean the pump filter, on Samsung’s schedule for front-load models — at least monthly or about every 40 washes.
  • When the smell appears: clean now; if it persists, repeat the cycle weekly for up to three weeks as LG directs, with the gasket, drawer and filter in the same round.

The washer’s monthly cycle and the dryer’s lint and vent routine are the laundry room’s two standing jobs; the second is covered in dryer not heating.

Keeping it clean between cleans

Prevention is mostly dose and dryness. Use the right detergent, in the measured amount — Samsung and GE both name excess detergent or softener as a cause of residue. Do not leave finished laundry sitting in a closed drum. Run a warm or hot cycle occasionally if you normally wash cold, as Whirlpool recommends. And leave everything open to dry.

Frequently asked questions

How often should you clean a washing machine? About once a month or every 30 cycles for the cleaning cycle and dispenser, with the front-load pump filter on the same rhythm — Samsung puts it at least monthly or about every 40 washes.

Can I clean my washing machine with vinegar? It depends on your maker, and they disagree. GE allows one cup in a top-load Basket Clean; Whirlpool and Maytag warn that vinegar’s acidity can damage rubber seals and hoses and advise against pouring it in the drum, allowing it only for soaking a removed drawer and wiping the exterior. Follow your manual — and never combine vinegar with bleach, because the mix creates toxic chlorine gas.

Should I use bleach or a washer cleaner tablet? Either can be right, by model. A cleaner tablet is the option every maker here accepts: one tablet in the empty drum, on the cleaning cycle, no detergent added. Bleach is an alternative on many models, but amount and compartment differ by brand, some models should not use it, and a rinse should follow it.

Why does my washing machine still smell after cleaning? Because the cycle only cleaned the drum. Check, in order: residue and standing water in the gasket folds, crust in the dispenser and its housing, and a pump filter holding stale water. Samsung lists exactly those buildups, plus a closed door and excess detergent, as its odor causes. If the smell remains after repeated weekly cycles, LG’s advice is to request service.

Do top-load washers need cleaning too, or only front-loaders? Both. Top-loaders escape the gasket problem, but detergent and softener still build up in the tub, around the lid rim and agitator, and in the dispenser — hence the same monthly, 30-cycle interval for both types.

Could the drain hose be causing the smell? Yes, sometimes. GE notes that a drain hose pushed too far into the standpipe can siphon water back toward the machine and leave a musty odor behind. If the machine itself is clean and the smell keeps returning, check the hose depth against your manual before cleaning again.

This article is general information, based on the manufacturer support pages linked above. Cycle names, cleaner amounts, compartments and filter access differ by model; your manual governs your machine. Never mix bleach with vinegar or any other cleaner, and if a sewage, burning or electrical smell accompanies the odor, stop and have the machine inspected.