How to Clean a Clothes Washer to Help Reduce Odors

Give the cleaner the right job

If freshly washed clothes have lost that fresh smell, we'd start with the washer's cleaning routine because removing soap scum and buildup helps clothes come out clean. We'd include the dispenser in that job, since cleaning it thoroughly can also help relieve odors.

Before choosing a product or touching a removable part, check your model's use and care instructions. Methods and products vary between front-load and top-load machines. The Maytag front-load example below follows the brand's general cleaning guidance, with a separate Whirlpool branch for its different cycle options.

Washing laundry doesn't keep the washer itself free of soap scum and grime. Regular cleaning helps prevent that buildup, including mold, while drying the interior between washes helps prevent odors. Cleaning away residue and letting moisture dry address different parts of keeping the washer fresh.

Choose the cleaner before you begin

Gather an affresh washing machine cleaner tablet for the tub, a damp cloth for the dispenser and door, and a towel for drying the dispenser. A soft cloth or sponge suits the exterior. These supplies cover the tablet cycle and the surfaces you'll clean by hand.

Keep your choice of cleaner tied to your washer's instructions. Whirlpool's cleaner guidance (opens in a new tab) allows other products in some machines when the use and care guide permits them. Compatibility with your washer is the deciding factor when choosing a substitute.

Don't put dish soap in the tub for a cleaning cycle. It creates significantly more suds than detergents designed for washing machines, and leftover soap can make a mess during the next wash. Use a washing machine cleaner that your model's instructions allow.

Bleach has a model limit, too. Maytag warns that certain front-load models must not use it, so check your owner's instructions before choosing it as a substitute if you're out of tablets.

Maytag front-load example

For a Maytag front loader, use this general Maytag tablet routine (opens in a new tab), subject to your model's cleaning instructions. The cleaner goes directly into the tub to work on dirt and residue, so you won't be putting the tablet in the detergent drawer.

1. Remove all laundry and any other items left inside. Check that the tub is empty.
2. Place one affresh washing machine cleaner tablet at the bottom of the tub. You should see it sitting in the tub itself.
3. Close the door and select your washer's cleaning cycle. Check that you've selected that setting before running the cycle.

Some Maytag washers have a cycle named Clean Washer. Use your model's instructions to identify its cleaning setting and controls, because Maytag describes that named feature as available on select washers. The setting you use should match the machine in front of you.

Whirlpool's cycle options differ

Whirlpool's tablet routine (opens in a new tab) also starts with an empty tub and a tablet at the bottom, but offers two cycle choices. You can use the washer's cleaning cycle or a normal cycle with hot water, provided that choice fits your washer's own cleaning instructions.

Whirlpool also allows an optional rinse and spin after the cleaning cycle to clear excess cleanser. That extra rinse is an option in its general routine, not a required finishing step for the Maytag front-load example. Keep both the cycle choice and any extra rinse matched to your machine's instructions.

The drawer needs hands-on cleaning

If your machine has a dispenser drawer, give its surfaces their own cleanup. Thorough cleaning of the soap and detergent dispensers can help alleviate washer odors, so this part deserves attention even when you're already using a tub cleaner.

Pull the drawer out only until you feel resistance, then stop pulling. Complete removal depends on the washer, as Maytag's dispenser guidance (opens in a new tab) explains. Follow your model's removal instructions if it has a removable drawer.

Wipe the surfaces with a damp cloth, using an all-purpose cleaner if needed. A machine cleaning wipe is another option in Whirlpool's guidance, and Maytag suggests a toothbrush for thoroughly cleaning dispensers. Finish by towel drying the surfaces you've cleaned.

For removable dispensers, Whirlpool allows a hot-water soak or washing with mild detergent (opens in a new tab), followed by rinsing and drying. Keep that separate washing option limited to parts your washer allows you to remove.

Wash the dispenser by hand unless your model's instructions specifically allow the dishwasher. Maytag says dispensers generally aren't dishwasher safe, and Whirlpool also flags that limit. A drawer that comes out still needs the cleaning method approved for that part.

Reach inside the door seal

With the washer still free of clothing and other objects, open the door or lid and wipe its inside glass or metal with a damp cloth. Follow this Maytag door-cleaning method (opens in a new tab) for the inside surface exposed when you open it.

On a front loader, wipe the outside of the rubber door seal first. Then lift its edge and wipe the interior surfaces as well. Keep the seal in place for this work; lifting the edge lets you reach the surfaces underneath.

A damp cloth works for the seal. If you're following Whirlpool's wipe-based method, use the textured side of a machine cleaning wipe on both the inside and outside of the rubber seal. Either way, include both surfaces in the cleanup.

Wipe up the outside spills

Use a soft, damp cloth or sponge to wipe exterior spills, dirt, dust and residue. Whirlpool's exterior-cleaning instructions (opens in a new tab) specify only mild soaps or cleaners for these surfaces, and Maytag gives the same mild-cleaner limit. Choose your product for the outside surfaces you're wiping.

Let it dry and keep a cleaning rhythm

After the cleaning cycle ends, leave the washer door open so the tub can dry. Continue leaving the door or lid open between washes, too. This drying habit helps prevent odors and belongs alongside the cleaning routine.

Maytag recommends cleaning around every 30 loads (opens in a new tab). Whirlpool gives its interval as every 30 days or 30 wash cycles, and separately calls for cleaning a dispenser drawer every 30 days where one is fitted.

If you normally wash exclusively with cold water, Maytag and Whirlpool recommend an occasional warm or hot cycle to help slow soil and detergent buildup. Work that into your washing habits alongside the regular cleaning interval.