Before you buy: An enzyme washing machine cleaner treats residue inside an empty washer. An enzyme laundry detergent treats washable fabrics. They solve different problems.
Choose a washer product whose label names its enzymes and supports your machine. Our LoveMyPuppy tablets are an alternative washer cleaner, not an enzyme formula.
An enzyme washing machine cleaner is a washer cleaner with enzymes such as protease and amylase on its label. You run it in an empty drum to break down residue. Enzymes are natural catalysts that break long molecules into smaller pieces. Wirecutter compares them to a blender crushing tomatoes before the sauce simmers.
You pulled the crate pad out of the washer and sniffed it. Third one this week, and the accident is still faintly there. An enzyme washing machine cleaner went into your cart, in case the machine is the missing piece.
Residue nests in your washer’s moist spots, and affresh warns the buildup can create a moldy or mildew smell. That grime can also end up on your clothes. You can handle both jobs this week with a bottle, a bucket and one empty cycle.
Disclosure: we sell two things linked on this page, our washer cleaner tablets and a printable puppy schedule kit.
✓ Built on guidance from Wirecutter, the American Cleaning Institute, the Washington State Department of Health, affresh and Uproot Clean.
Is an enzyme washing machine cleaner the right product?
Choose by the job you need done. A washer cleaner treats the machine; laundry detergent treats washable fabrics.
We have not independently tested enzyme tablets against non-enzyme tablets. Ingredient lists alone cannot establish which product cleans better.
What should you check on the label?
- Intended use: it should explicitly say washing machine cleaner, rather than carpet spray or laundry additive.
- Formula: check the current ingredient information if enzymes are your reason for buying.
- Compatibility: confirm your washer type and any manufacturer restrictions.
- Directions: check dose, cycle, temperature and whether the drum must be empty.
- Value: compare cost per instructed cleaning cycle, rather than pack size alone.
ACTIVE’s pet-owner washer cleaner is one existing enzyme-marketed option. Its performance statements are manufacturer claims, not our test results.
Our LoveMyPuppy tablets are a non-enzyme alternative. Do not choose them if an enzyme formula is your requirement.
What do enzymes do, and does having more mean better cleaning?
Different enzymes act on different residues. Proteases target proteins, while amylases target starches.
The detergent industry’s enzyme fact sheet explains these roles. It does not establish a winner among washer cleaners.
Do you need a particular number of enzymes?
No simple enzyme count proves performance. The complete formula, instructions and residue being treated matter.
What if the smell is in the bedding instead?
Use a laundry product labeled for the fabric and stain. A tablet running through an empty washer cannot treat bedding.
Follow the fabric care label and product directions. Do not add a carpet enzyme spray unless its label permits laundry use.
Is enzyme detergent the same as washer cleaner?
No. Detergent belongs with a laundry load; washer-cleaning products follow their own empty-machine directions.
Which product belongs where?
| Problem | Product category | Check before use |
|---|---|---|
| Residue inside the machine | Washing machine cleaner | Washer manual, formula and empty-cycle instructions. |
| Soiled washable bedding | Laundry detergent or labeled pretreatment | Fabric care tag and treatment directions. |
| Drain odor, leaks or standing water | Troubleshooting or professional repair | A cleaner is not a repair. |
For related laundry problems, see clothes that smell after washing.
Which cycle and temperature should you use?
Use the cleaner’s directions and your washer manual together. Do not copy another brand’s dose or temperature.
If the instructions conflict, ask the manufacturer before using the product. More tablets or hotter water do not guarantee better results.
Can you use enzymes and bleach together?
Combine products only when their manufacturers explicitly allow it. A detergent formulated with enzymes and oxygen bleach does not make separate cleaners safe to mix.
Urine contains ammonia, and bleach mixed with ammonia makes toxic gases called chloramines, Washington’s health department warns.
Follow the enzyme product’s directions and the fabric care label. Do not apply chlorine bleach to urine-soaked bedding. Never mix bleach with ammonia, acids or other cleaners.
Keep vinegar away from bleach as well. Vinegar is an acid, and chlorine bleach mixed with an acid gives off chlorine gas. Washer cleaners get their own empty cycle, with nothing else added.
Tip: Puppies chew boxes, bottles and pods. Store enzyme products, bleach and washer tablets closed, on a shelf she can’t reach.
How do you keep the washer from smelling after pee loads?
Clean the drum on a schedule and keep it dry between loads. Many washers have a built-in cleaning cycle. LG calls it Tub Clean, and Samsung calls it Self Clean. Affresh suggests a washer cleaner monthly or every 30 wash cycles. If pee pads and towels push you past 30 loads before the month is up, clean sooner.
Between cleans, the same affresh page gives three habits:
- Wipe a front loader’s rubber gasket, inside and out, after each laundry session.
- Wipe out the detergent dispensers weekly.
- Leave the door or lid open between loads.
For a full deep clean, drawer and filter included, follow our washing machine cleaning steps.
Tip: Hang one old towel on a hook by the washer, kept only for the gasket wipe.
When is it time for an appliance tech or the manufacturer?
Start with the troubleshooting page in your washer manual. Then phone the manufacturer, or book an appliance tech, if:
- The musty smell is back within days of a clean cycle and a gasket wipe.
- The smell rises from the drain, not the drum or the seal.
- Water stays in the drum once the cycle is over.
- An error code won’t clear with the manual’s steps.
- Water leaks onto the floor during a wash.
Adding more cleaner won’t fix a mechanical fault. Ask the manufacturer before you double any dose.
Enzyme laundry and washer cleaner FAQ
Should I run an empty cleaning cycle after washing pee bedding?
Affresh and Uproot don’t ask for one after every pee load. Uproot adds a clean whenever musty odors show up, on top of its 2-week schedule.
Does an enzyme washer cleaner dissolve dog hair?
Not fully, by one maker’s own account. Uproot’s tabs loosen stuck hair without completely dissolving it. Our washer cleaner for pet hair guide covers what helps more.
Can I use vinegar or baking soda instead?
Our baking soda washing machine cleaner guide walks through that option. Check your washer manual first. Never let vinegar and chlorine bleach meet in one load or bucket.
About this guide: Sources are linked beside the advice and listed below. This is educational guidance, not an individual assessment or a hands-on product test.
Sources
- Wirecutter: Laundry or Dishes Not Getting Clean Enough? You Might Be Missing Enzymes, by Caroline Mullen
- American Cleaning Institute: Stain Removal Guide, and A.I.S.E., AMFEP, HCPA and ACI: The Role of Enzymes in Detergent Products (2021)
- Washington State Department of Health: Dangers of Mixing Bleach with Cleaners
- affresh: How to Clean Your Washer
- Uproot Clean: Uproot Washing Machine Cleaner Pro, product details and FAQ (uprootclean.com, read October 2026)