Short answer: In Uproot vs Active, pick Active if test results matter most, since its standard tablets were Real Simple’s Best Tablets pick. Pick Uproot instead if you want the full ingredient list and a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Both pet versions also use enzymes, go in the empty drum and are meant for about two cleans a month.
Our pick for a home with a puppy or dog is LoveMyPuppy Washer Cleaner Tablets. Ours needs one tablet a month, so twelve cover the year.
The crate pad came out of the wash smelling faintly of old towel. As long as the drum stays musty, the towels you wash pick that smell back up every week.
Uproot and Active each sell a pet tablet you run in an empty washer to clear drum grime.
We also sell washer cleaner tablets, a pet hair glove bundle and a printable puppy kit, so you’ll see links to them below.
✓ Built on guidance from Real Simple’s tests, Uproot, Active, LG and the Washington State Department of Health.
Uproot vs Active: which washing machine cleaner should you buy?
Active’s standard tablets won Best Tablets in Real Simple‘s home tests. However, its pet version wasn’t in that test.
Uproot wasn’t in it either, but its page lists eleven ingredients.
A story from Michael Northcutt, our founder: Her first snow, she put one paw down and pulled it back like it had bitten her.
Ten minutes later, she was standing still and holding up a front foot. Little balls of ice had packed between her toes.
So I carried her in and warmed her feet with a towel. After that, a back-door basket got a towel and a little dish of pet-safe paw balm our vet suggested. It also got a reminder card: “Check between the toes.”
I just check her feet now when she comes in.
Of course, every towel from that basket goes through one washer, and that drum is what Uproot and Active clean.
What is Uproot Washing Machine Cleaner Pro?
Uproot’s product page sells it for washer odor and pet hair, with 24 tabs a pack.
What’s in Uproot washing machine cleaner?
The maker lists eleven ingredients, such as sodium percarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium silicate and citric acid. Four are enzymes, for example protease and lipase. The Pro tablet also has no fragrance.
- Good for: label readers, HE machines, and anyone who wants a 60-day money-back guarantee.
- Watch out for: citric acid, if you own an LG front loader. Also, its 99.9% odor-bacteria claim shows no test method.
Uproot washing machine cleaner reviews
Uproot’s product page shows 4.9 out of 5 stars from 623 of its own customers’ reviews in October 2026.
That feed also mixes in other Uproot products, such as Laundry Cycle Pro. So the score isn’t for the Pro tablet alone.
Also, Uproot isn’t among Real Simple’s nine picks, and we found no other hands-on test.
If Affresh is on your list too, our Affresh vs Uproot breakdown covers that pair. For Affresh against Active, see our Affresh vs Active comparison.
What is Active Washing Machine Cleaner for Pet Owners?
Active’s pet version is sold as a 24-tablet, one-year supply, per Active’s pet page.
However, the page lists no ingredients and no money-back guarantee. The pet version also adds a 5-in-1 enzyme blend for pet hair.
Did anyone test Active washing machine cleaner?
Real Simple tested the standard Active tablets in editors’ homes. They left no residue and cleared gunk and strong odors. Still, downsides were individually wrapped tablets and no scent option. OxiClean, meanwhile, won Best Overall.
- Good for: test-minded owners, any washer type including HE, and fragrance-free homes.
- Watch out for: the pet formula itself has no published test we could find.
Uproot vs Active vs LoveMyPuppy tablets: how do they stack up?
| What to check | Uproot Pro | Active for Pet Owners | LoveMyPuppy tablets |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the maker lists inside | Sodium percarbonate, citric acid, four enzymes and 5 more | Not listed. Names a 5-in-1 enzyme blend. | Baking soda and citric acid. Full list on the box. |
| Machine types and HE | Front, top and HE | Front, top and HE | Front and top. Box labeled for HE. |
Uproot vs Active: how often should you use each?
However, one of Real Simple’s experts leans slower than either maker.
“It is recommended that you use a washing machine cleaner every month or so.”
Jen Stark, founder of Happy DIY Home, in Real Simple
Cleaning cycles a year, at each maker’s pace
Bars show cleans per year. The longest bar is 26 cleans.
On a musty LG, LG’s washer page suggests its Tub Clean cycle once a week for three weeks instead.
Uproot vs Active: does either remove dog hair from the washer?
In short, neither one is a hair remover for your blankets. Both go in an empty drum, so they only work on hair stuck inside the machine.
Uproot’s page says its blend is designed to dissolve pet hair. Its FAQ, however, says the tabs don’t completely dissolve it, only loosen it.
Active credits its enzymes with flushing pet hair clumps out of the drum, with no test we could find. Similarly, our supplier confirms the tablets dissolve loose hair left in the drum. We haven’t independently verified it either.
So heavy fur comes off the bedding first. Our tested cleaner roundup also covers the wider field. Meanwhile, for fur on the couch, our free Pet Hair Removal Finder suggests a remover type in three questions.
How do you get dog hair out of a washing machine?
- Take the fur off first. Shake blankets outside, then swipe a pet hair glove over them.
- Check the door seal. On a front loader, pull back the gasket, then wipe out hair. LG also says to clear the groove at six o’clock.
- Run an empty cleaning cycle. Use one tablet, as in the steps below.
- Clean the drain pump filter. LG calls this very important, since it keeps the unit from leaking.
The gasket step comes from Active’s pet page and LG’s washer page.
Why we’d pick LoveMyPuppy tablets for a puppy house
Our Washer Cleaner Tablets are made for puppy homes and that musty bedding smell. You haven’t done anything wrong if the washer smells. Why we’d choose them:
- Once a month. Real Simple’s editors write that a washer should be cleaned monthly.
- 45 days to change your mind. Full refund, and you still keep the box. Active’s pet page, however, states no guarantee.
- Ingredients on the page. Ours lists baking soda and citric acid, and the box also has the full list.
- For pet hair, fur off first. Shake or brush heavy fur off the bedding, then run the tablet clean.
Our tablets haven’t had an outside test yet, and they carry citric acid too. Also, our supplier lists no enzymes, and no cleaning cycle fixes a drain or sewer smell.
Delivery usually takes 1 to 2 weeks, so a local store is faster. Still, for the once-a-month habit in a dog house, we’d choose ours.
Uproot vs Active: how do you use these or any cleaner tablet?
These steps blend Uproot’s, Active’s and our directions. Still, where your manual or label differs, follow it.
- Empty the washer. No laundry or other cleaners.
- Drop one tablet in the drum, not the detergent drawer.
- Pick the cycle. Use “clean washer” if offered. Otherwise, run normal with hot water at the largest load size.
- Wipe afterward. Then go over the drum and door seal.
- Air it out. On a front loader, also leave the door open to dry.
Never add bleach, vinegar or another cleaner to that cycle. LG names vinegar for the door gasket wipe instead of bleach. Mixing chlorine bleach with an acid releases chlorine gas, according to the Washington State Department of Health. Citric acid is in Uproot’s tablets and ours.
Also, urine carries ammonia, and ammonia with bleach forms toxic chloramines. Rinse and enzyme-treat a pee-soaked blanket before any chlorine bleach.
Tip: Store the box closed and up high, away from a chewing puppy.
Is a citric acid tablet safe in an LG front loader?
LG’s front loader tub cleaning page warns against chlorine-based or acidic cleaners. It cites discoloration or corrosion, and instead suggests an oxygen bleach tub cleaner.
That covers Uproot and our tablets. Active lists no ingredients, so ask Active first.
Uproot vs Active aside, what if the smell isn’t the washer at all?
If the drum smells clean after a cycle but the laundry room still stinks, look at the drain. Our washing machine smells guide covers sewer and drain smells.
If it still smells after you clean the drain pump filter, ask the washer’s maker or an appliance tech.
Uproot vs Active FAQ
What’s the difference between Uproot Pro and Ultra?
Uproot steers one small or medium pet to Pro, an unscented 11 gram tablet. Several or large pets get Ultra, lightly scented at 15 grams. Uproot calls Ultra “40% More Powerful” with no test shown.
Is Uproot or Active safe for septic systems?
Both makers call their tablets septic safe. Our product page makes no septic claim, so read the box label or email us first.
Can you use two washer cleaner tablets for a really smelly machine?
Uproot’s steps call for one tablet, and Active’s pet page says to put “the tablet” in the drum. For an extra smelly washer, Real Simple suggests two to three cycles in a row instead.
How we put this together: In October 2026 we read every source below. Nobody on our team is an appliance technician, and we haven’t tested Uproot or Active.
Sources
- Uproot Clean: Washing Machine Cleaner Pro product page and FAQ
- ACTIVE: Washing Machine Cleaner for Pet Owners, plus its standard Washing Machine Cleaner and Descaler
- Real Simple: The 9 Best Washing Machine Cleaners We’ve Ever Tested (updated August 2026)
- LG USA Support: How to Clean the Tub (front loader), plus its washer tub cleaning page
- Washington State Department of Health: Dangers of Mixing Bleach with Cleaners