Help Desk: How to Clean Your Washer and Dryer

Some things in life are just pure fun, like riding on a roller coaster, taking a beach vacation, and making fun of your friends after beating them in your fantasy league. Other things are not, like waiting in line at the DMV and getting a root canal. Cleaning your laundry appliance isn’t one of the fun things, but it needs to be done—and many people don’t realize it.

We recommend deep cleaning your machine once a month, or as needed, using bleach or vinegar and baking soda. Here’s how:

Bleach 

1. Fill the bleach section of the detergent drawer with bleach.
2. Select the hottest, longest setting. If your washer has a sanitizer option, set it to that. If possible, add an extra rinse cycle.
3. Let the machine cycle through.
4. If your machine doesn’t have an extra rinse cycle, rinse now.

That was easy!

Pro tip: If you’re worried about bleach being left behind in the machine, wash a load of whites after cleaning it.

Vinegar and Baking Soda

This requires a bit more effort, but if you’re not into bleach, it should do the trick! According to nationally acclaimed green cleaning coach Leslie Reichert, this is how it’s done:

1. Add four cups of white cleaning vinegar (six percent acid) to the wash cycle.
2. Start the cycle. After the machine fills with water, pause it and let it sit for an hour.
3. Wipe the top of the machine with a microfiber cloth dipped in the hot vinegar water. Use an old toothbrush (not the one you’re currently using on your teeth!) to clean the detergent drawer.
4. Finish the cycle.
5. Run the machine again, using one cup of baking soda (add it to the detergent drawer).
6. Wipe down the inside of the machine to remove any residue.

Front-loading machines are tougher to keep clean. The gasket at the front of the machine collects hair, mildew, and scum. As with top-loaders, you can clean with bleach or vinegar.

Bleach

1. Add a half cup to one cup of bleach (depending on the size of the machine) directly into the washing machine. Also add a half cup of bleach into the detergent drawer.
2. Run your machine on the hottest cycle. If you have a sanitize or clean setting, select it.
3. Clean the gasket using a mildew cleaner or hot, soapy water.
4. If the gasket is particularly moldy, soak a towel in a mixture of bleach and warm water in a one-to-one ratio. Place it in the gasket and let sit for an hour.
5. Run the machine on the rinse setting.
6. Leave the door open to let the machine dry thoroughly.

Vinegar and Baking Soda

Reichert’s method for cleaning front-loaders with vinegar isn’t much different for top-loaders.

1. Add two cups of white cleaning vinegar (6 percent acid) to the detergent drawer.
2. Run the machine through a complete cycle.
3. Add half a cup of baking soda to the drum.
4. Run another complete cycle.
5. Wipe the machine down with a damp microfiber cloth, including the front of the machine.

Remember:

1. Always leave the door open when you’re not using it! This will prevent mold and mildew.
2. When using bleach, use gloves and leave the windows open for proper ventilation.