Short answer: Choose Affresh if you want a monthly tablet and your washer manual recommends it. Consider OxiClean Washing Machine Cleaner if you prefer a powder pouch for odor-causing residue.
Neither choice repairs a drain problem or replaces cleaning the seal. The comparison below covers their directions, ingredients and limitations, alongside our own tablets.
The beach towels and Sunday’s crate pad come out of the dryer smelling like a damp basement.
Grime and buildup in the washer can leave a musty smell on your clothes, Affresh explains. So if you leave it, every rewash goes back into the machine that caused the smell.
Disclosure: we sell the washer cleaner tablets and the printable puppy kit linked in this guide.
✓ Built on guidance from Real Simple, The Spruce, Reader’s Digest, Affresh, OxiClean and LG.
Affresh vs OxiClean: which washing machine cleaner is better?
Still weighing other options? Our guide to choosing the best washing machine cleaner covers cleaner types and their limits.
- Real Simple tested 10 cleaners in its editors’ own homes. OxiClean came out Best Overall, cleaning the machine well and leaving a shine. Untested Affresh still made the list as Best for Septic Systems.
- The Spruce surveyed its team instead of testing. Affresh came out Best Overall, and OxiClean took Best Powder.
- Reader’s Digest built its list from expert advice and user reviews instead of testing. It also named Affresh best overall and OxiClean the best powder.
A story from Michael Northcutt, our founder: Our puppy’s first beach day lasted forty minutes. It ended with sand in her ears, her eyes, her mouth, and somehow inside my wallet.
So the beach bag now has a card in it. Fresh water, bowl, two towels, rinse bucket, shade, and go home before she’s tired.
Towels from a day like Michael’s carry sand and fur into the washer, so shake them out first, as in step 1 below.
What does Affresh contain, and how does it clean?
In short, Affresh is an EPA Safer Choice certified, time-release tablet from Whirlpool. Its ingredient list starts with sodium percarbonate, an oxidizer, then sodium carbonate, processing aids and fragrance.
Good for: a monthly habit with nothing to measure. In fact, a Spruce editor’s washer smelled clean after one cycle.
Watch out for: residue after the cycle. So The Spruce suggests a damp cloth and one extra cycle. Also, a long-neglected washer may need a few rounds, per Real Simple.
What’s in OxiClean Washing Machine Cleaner?
OxiClean Washing Machine Cleaner with Odor Blasters, however, is a powder in pre-measured pouches. Its maker, Church & Dwight, lists sodium carbonate, sodium carbonate peroxide (an oxygen bleach), surfactants, salt and fragrance.
Good for: a washer that already smells. OxiClean’s directions call for one pouch a week for 3 weeks, then monthly.
Watch out for: leftover residue, which The Spruce flagged. Real Simple also felt the single pouches were wasteful.
Affresh vs OxiClean vs LoveMyPuppy tablets, side by side
| Affresh | OxiClean | LoveMyPuppy tablets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | Time-release tablet, 3 to 12 per box | Powder pouch, 4 per box | Pre-measured tablet, 12 per box |
| HE, front load, septic | All makes, top and front load, HE; septic safe | All machines, HE included; won’t harm septic tanks | Top and front load, box labeled for HE; septic not stated |
| Who it’s sold for | Any washer; its page doesn’t mention pets | Any washer; its page doesn’t mention pets | Puppy homes: towels, crate pads, blankets |
| Our take | Easy monthly tablet. Wipe the residue. | The tested pick for a smelly washer | Our pick for puppy houses. LG front loaders, check first. |
Affresh vs OxiClean: how often should you use each?
Both makers say once a month for upkeep, but more often once a smell has set in.
“Every month or so to help keep your machine in good working order.”
Jen Stark, home improvement expert and founder of Happy DIY Home, quoted by Real Simple
Cleaning schedules vary by formula and washer. Follow both labels; a higher cleaning frequency does not prove better performance.
Affresh vs OxiClean: can you use either with pets in the house?
Run either one in an empty drum, never with your dog’s bedding in it at the same time.
Also, keep either box closed and up high, away from a chewing puppy. If any gets in an eye, Affresh says to rinse with water for 15 minutes.
Does Affresh or OxiClean remove dog hair?
Affresh and OxiClean make no pet hair claim on their pages.
Our supplier, however, confirms the tablets dissolve loose hair left in the drum. We haven’t independently verified it, and heavy fur still comes off first. Our Pet Hair Remover Glove helps with that first step.
Meanwhile, for fur on the sofa and in the car, our free Pet Hair Removal Finder suggests a remover type. It asks three questions, with no name or email.
Affresh vs OxiClean: are both safe for HE, front load and septic?
Both makers list HE, top-load, front-load and septic use, too.
If you own an LG front loader, LG’s front loader page asks for an oxygen-based cleaner. It also warns that chlorine-based or acidic cleaners may cause discoloration or corrosion.
Affresh and OxiClean are both oxygen-based.
Black spots or a mildew smell in the front-load door boot?
Buildup can hide behind a front loader’s gasket and create a moldy or mildew smell, Affresh explains.
However, neither maker sells its cleaner as a seal mold remover. Tablets don’t always reach the gasket folds, The Spruce adds, so wipe them by hand.
- Clear the fold. Remove anything stuck in the door boot’s bottom groove.
- Wipe with a mild mix. LG’s gasket mix is ¾ cup of liquid chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of warm water. For this wipe, vinegar can also take the bleach’s place, LG notes. Never use both together.
- Skip straight bleach. That’s because undiluted bleach can wear the gasket down over time, LG warns.
- Let it dry. Leave the door open between loads. After all, a drum that dries out is less likely to grow mold or mildew, per Affresh.
Can you use bleach or vinegar instead?
For the drum cycle, use a cleaner your washer manual allows. Vinegar is where the sources split. The Spruce’s DIY pick is a cleaning vinegar, while LG warns against acidic cleaners. Our washer cleaning guide also covers where Maytag stands on vinegar.
LG’s mix above is for the gasket wipe only. Also, keep bleach away from every other cleaner, vinegar included.
Why our tablets are our pick for a puppy house
- 45-day guarantee. In contrast, neither rival’s page states a guarantee.
- Sold for puppy homes. Made for the musty smell in towels, crate pads and blankets. 12 tablets last a year.
One customer review on our product page reads: “I like that it’s a pre-measured tab.”
If the washer smells tonight, the Affresh vs OxiClean answer is simple: start with OxiClean, Real Simple’s tested winner. Then ours can take over the monthly cleans.
Our tablets haven’t been in any independent test yet. Also, expect the box in about 1 to 2 weeks. LG front-load owners should read the manual first, because the tablets use citric acid. They also won’t fix a drain or sewer smell, and our supplier lists no enzymes.
How do you use OxiClean or Affresh washing machine cleaner?
These steps follow OxiClean’s directions, as well as the fur step from our tablet page.
What you need
- One pouch or one tablet
- A microfiber cloth or old towel
- Your washer’s manual, for the cycle name
- A closed door or gate for the puppy
- Get the heavy fur off first. Shake dog bedding and towels outside, then pull visible hair from the seal.
- Empty the washer. Add no detergent.
- Pour it straight into the drum. Tear the pouch open, then pour in the powder.
- Pick the cycle. Choose Clean Washer, or a normal cycle with hot water.
- Wipe the residue. Then go over the drum, door, rubber gaskets and seals with your cloth.
- Leave the door open. Let the drum air out.
- Repeat if it still smells. Follow OxiClean’s weekly reset above.
Affresh goes in the same way, one tablet per empty cycle. Its full steps are in our Affresh vs Tide guide.
Affresh vs OxiClean aside, when won’t any tablet fix the smell?
A cleaning cycle may not solve every odor. Our washer sewer-smell guide explains safe checks and when to call a plumber.
Also, after heavy bedding loads, check the pump filter if your manual shows one.
If the smell returns right after a clean, see why a washer still smells after cleaning. If it keeps coming back, then call your washer’s maker.
Affresh vs OxiClean FAQ
Can you use OxiClean Versatile instead of the washing machine cleaner?
OxiClean’s washer cleaner page gives steps for its Washing Machine Cleaner pouches only, not the Versatile tub.
Can you use Affresh and OxiClean together?
No. Run one cleaner per empty cycle. Neither maker’s page says to combine them.
Does OxiClean washing machine cleaner smell strong?
Real Simple liked its fresh scent. Emma Ashe, in The Spruce’s review, called the odor very strong, though not necessarily bad.
How we put this together: In October 2026 we read the Affresh, OxiClean and LG pages, plus three roundups. We haven’t tested Affresh or OxiClean ourselves.
Sources
- Real Simple: The 9 Best Washing Machine Cleaners We’ve Ever Tested, updated August 2026
- The Spruce: The 7 Best Washing Machine Cleaners, updated May 2026
- Affresh: Washing Machine Cleaner Tablets, plus its washer cleaning guide
- OxiClean: Washing Machine Cleaner with Odor Blasters, plus maker Church & Dwight’s ingredient disclosure
- LG: How to Clean the Tub of an LG Front Loader, plus its washer tub cleaning page
- Reader’s Digest: The 8 Best Washing Machine Cleaners for Fresh Laundry, by Leah Groth, updated June 15, 2026