How to Clean a Front-Load Washer and Stop the Musty Smell

Step by step

1. 1

   Empty the drum and check the seal

   Open the door and take everything out. Gently fold back the rubber seal around the door opening and look underneath it.

   Pick out anything caught in there, like socks, coins or hair. LG points to the groove at the bottom of the seal, around six o’clock, as the place things collect.

2. 2

   Wash the seal with soapy water

   Mix a little dish soap into a bowl of warm water. Dip a soft cloth and wipe all the way around the seal, inside the folds too.

   Use an old toothbrush on the creases. Whirlpool calls for warm water, a mild detergent and a toothbrush, and says to skip harsh or scratchy cleaners that could damage the seal.

3. 3

   Treat any stains that stayed

   If stains or buildup are still there, put on rubber gloves and mix 1/3 cup of liquid chlorine bleach into 1 gallon of water. That is the strength Clorox gives for mold stains, and it is the one we use on every page. Wipe it onto the seal with a damp cloth and keep the spot wet for 10 minutes.

   Then rinse with a cloth dipped in warm water and wipe the seal dry. Whirlpool also says to clean the seal with a measured bleach mix, never bleach straight from the jug.

   Open a window while you work, as the CDC advises whenever you use bleach indoors.

1. 4

   Clean the detergent drawer

   Pull the dispenser drawer out of the machine. Rinse it in warm water and scrub the corners with the toothbrush. Then wipe out the opening it sits in, including the top, where drips collect.

   Dry the drawer and slide it back in. These are the steps in affresh’s front-load guide.

2. 5

   Clean the drain filter

   Unplug the washer first. Then find the filter cover (usually low on the front; your manual shows where).

   Take off the cover, pull out the filter and soak it in hot water for 10 minutes. Then put the filter and cover back, as affresh’s guide says.

3. 6

   Run the Clean Washer cycle

   Plug the washer back in. With the drum empty, do one of these two things, never both, and add no detergent. Whirlpool says no other chemicals go in with the clean cycle.

   • Washer cleaner tablet: put 1 affresh tablet in the bottom of the drum, never in the detergent drawer.
   • Chlorine bleach: pour 1 cup of plain liquid chlorine bleach into the bleach compartment. Whirlpool says not to use thickened, easy pour or no splash bleach here, because it can make too many suds. It also says more than 1 cup can damage the washer over time.

   Choose the Clean Washer cycle and let it run all the way through. If your washer has no such cycle, Maytag says a hot water cycle works in its place.

4. 7

   Dry it and leave the door open

   When the cycle ends, wipe the seal and the inside of the door glass with a dry cloth. If any piece of the tablet is left, toss it, as affresh says. Then leave the door open so the drum can air dry.

   What it looks like when it worked: the seal is dry all the way into the folds, and the door is standing open.

The habits that keep the smell away

The monthly clean clears out the smell, and these habits keep it from coming back.

1. Unload right away. Whirlpool says to take the clothes out as soon as the cycle ends.
2. Leave the door open between loads. Whirlpool says so, and LG adds opening the detergent drawer too. Keep small children away from an open drum.
3. Use HE detergent, and never more than the label says. Whirlpool says these machines need high-efficiency (HE) detergent.
4. Use warm or hot water sometimes. Whirlpool’s advice is to use the warm and hot settings now and then, not cold every time.

When it will not work, and what to do instead

Sometimes the smell hangs on after one clean. Here is what to check.

• You used vinegar instead. affresh says vinegar may not remove all the buildup, and Maytag warns its acid can wear down rubber seals and hoses, especially in front loaders. Use a tablet or 1 cup of bleach for the monthly clean.
• The seal still has stains after the bleach wipe. Do the seal steps again next month, and keep the door open in between. If the stains never budge, call your washer maker’s service line.
• The smell is in your clothes, not just the washer. For loads that sat wet too long, see How to get the mildew smell out of clothes left in the washer. For towels, see How to get the sour smell out of towels.
• You see mold on the floor or wall around the washer. That points to a leak or a damp room. The EPA says that if mold covers more than about 10 square feet, or there was a lot of water damage, hire a contractor with mold experience. If you have health concerns, talk to a health professional first.

Why it works

A front loader is built to save water, and that is part of the trouble. The affresh guide explains that with less water moving through, detergent residue builds up under the rubber seal, where mold and mildew can grow.

Think of that rubber seal like the bottom fold of a shower curtain. It holds a little water every time, and if it never dries, it starts to smell.

So the fix has two halves. The monthly clean scrubs out what has built up, and leaving the door open lets the inside dry out between loads.