Short answer: To clean a washing machine, empty it and pull hair and gunk from the seal or tub rim. Clean the detergent drawer too. Then run the clean washer cycle, or the hottest, longest cycle, with one cleaner your manual allows.
Clear the drain filter, wipe the drum, and leave the door open to dry. Do it about once a month, and sooner after a run of dog bedding.
We sell washer cleaner tablets and a printable puppy schedule kit, and we link to them below.
The dog blankets came out of the wash smelling like the dog. There’s a ring of fur stuck in the door seal. And the towels you just folded have hair on them too.
That’s what weeks of dog beds, crate pads, pee mats and muddy towels do to one washer. Every load leaves a little hair, soap and damp behind. Left alone, the machine starts to smell, and the towels pick it up.
Cleaning a washer is easy. Home Depot rates it beginner level, under 2 hours. Most of that is the machine running while you do something else.
✓ Built on guidance from Consumer Reports, Maytag, Home Depot, American Home Shield and the New Jersey Department of Health.
Before you start, three rules.
- Look up your manual’s clean cycle and which cleaners it allows. Brands differ.
- Use one cleaner per cycle. Never mix bleach with vinegar, ammonia or other cleaners.
- Keep the puppy out of the laundry room, and keep every cleaner closed and up high.
How do you deep clean a washing machine, step by step?
Clear the hair, wipe the seal and drawer, and run one hot clean cycle. Then empty the filter and let it dry.
What you need
- Your washer’s manual, or the online version for your model number
- One cleaner your manual allows: a washer cleaner tablet, bleach, or vinegar and baking soda
- A microfiber cloth or damp paper towels, and an old toothbrush
- A towel and a shallow pan for the drain filter
1. Empty it and pull out the hair
Take everything out, then wipe the drum with a damp paper towel. Check the bottom for socks, hair ties and fur balls, and pull out any fur you can see.
Don’t skip it. Consumer Reports warns that wet pet hair forms clumps that clog drain pumps and stress the machine.
2. Wipe the door seal or the tub rim
On a front loader, Consumer Reports says to pull the gasket back carefully, wipe it and let it dry. Use an old toothbrush in the folds. On a top loader, the same guide says to wipe the tub’s upper rim and the agitator.
3. Clean the detergent drawer
Pull out the drawer and any softener or bleach cups. Home Depot says to soak them in hot water and scrub with a brush. Rinse, dry and slide them back in.
4. Run one clean cycle with one cleaner
Use your washer’s self clean cycle if it has one. The name varies by brand, so check the manual. No clean cycle? Run the hottest, longest cycle with the drum empty.
Add one cleaner only. That can be a washer cleaner tablet in the drum, or bleach if your manual allows it. For top loaders, Maytag suggests a rinse and spin cycle afterward to clear what’s left.
Tip: Set a phone reminder for next month’s clean before you close the lid.
5. Clear the drain filter
Many front loaders have a drain pump filter behind a small panel at the bottom. Home Depot says to check your manual and unplug the machine before removing parts. Keep a towel and a shallow pan ready, since water can spill out.
With a shedding dog, expect fur here. This little trap catches the clumps that would otherwise sit in the pump.
6. Wipe it down and prop the door open
Wipe the drum, the door glass and the seal one last time. Then prop the door or lid open so the drum and seal dry. Consumer Reports says to leave it ajar between loads, too.
How do you clean a front load vs a top load washer?
Same six steps. The difference is where the gunk hides and how each machine dries.
| Part | Front load | Top load |
|---|---|---|
| Where grime hides | The rubber door seal and its folds | The upper tub rim, lid and agitator |
| Clean cycle | Run the clean cycle with one cleaner | Clean cycle, then a rinse and spin, per Maytag |
| Filter | Often behind a small front panel | Check the manual for the filter and agitator |
| Drying | Door ajar between loads | Lid up until the tub is dry |
Cleaning a top loader, step by step
- Pull out the softener and bleach dispensers. Home Depot says to soak them in hot water and scrub.
- Wipe the top and underside of the lid. Home Depot adds the inside lip, where old soap and lint get trapped.
- Run the hottest, longest cycle with one cleaner. American Home Shield lets the tub fill, stops it, and soaks for an hour.
- Using a second cleaner? Run it in a separate cycle, with an empty rinse in between.
- Wipe the tub, its upper rim and the agitator with a cloth.
- For a deeper clean, check the manual for removing the agitator and filter. Unplug the washer first.
- Leave the lid up until the tub is dry.
How do you get dog hair out of the washer?
Get most of the fur off before the wash, then wipe the drum and run an empty cycle after.
With a dog in the house, hair is half the job. Consumer Reports and the American Cleaning Institute give these steps.
- Dry it first. Run hairy bedding through a 10-minute, no-heat dryer cycle with a dryer sheet. The hair lands in the lint trap.
- Shake it out. Give each blanket a good shake before it goes in the washer.
- Use a damp rubber glove. Run it over blankets and covers. The fur clings to the glove.
- Add the extra rinse. The American Cleaning Institute says it usually does the best job on stubborn pet hair.
- Wipe the drum after. A damp paper towel picks up what’s left on the walls and seal.
- Still hairy after the wash? Let the bed air-dry, then vacuum it with the soft attachment, as Consumer Reports suggests.
Then, every so often, run an empty wash or self clean cycle and wipe the drum, door and gasket.
“This will help remove any residual pet hair from the machine…”
Rich Handel, laundry expert at Consumer Reports
Washing the bed itself next? Our guide on how to wash a dog bed walks through covers, foam and accidents.
A story from Michael Northcutt, our founder: The couch was gray when we bought it. By the time our puppy was five months old, it was a fuzzy gray with a soft layer of fur on every cushion.
I’d tried the lint roller. I went through a whole roll in one afternoon and the couch looked about the same.
So I stopped fighting the couch and started covering it. Two washable throw blankets, the same size, folded over her favorite spot on the left cushion. One on the couch, one in the wash. Every Sunday, I swapped them.
A lint roller now hangs on a hook by the front door, not to clean the couch, but for my clothes on the way out. One quick roll, and I’m out the door.
It’s not fur-free. I’ve made peace with that. But when someone sits down, they sit on a clean blanket, and when I fold it up for company, the couch underneath is actually gray.
A blanket full of fur every Sunday adds up. That hair and damp collect in the seal and filter, so the washer needs its own clean. For the clothes side, see our lint roller for pet hair guide.
Can you clean a washing machine with vinegar and baking soda?
Many guides say yes. Maytag says keep vinegar out of the drum. Your manual breaks the tie.
American Home Shield’s front load method uses two cups of vinegar and a quarter cup of baking soda. It runs on the hottest, longest setting. Home Depot’s method soaks the vinegar and baking soda for up to an hour. If you’re rushed, it says half an hour.
Maytag disagrees. Its parent company, Whirlpool, also owns the affresh cleaner brand. Maytag says vinegar’s acidity can damage rubber seals, hoses and other parts over time. It suggests vinegar only for drawers and outside surfaces. Consumer Reports adds that repeated vinegar use can damage a washer.
So check your manual first. If it allows a vinegar or baking soda clean, it’s a cheap DIY washing machine cleaner. If it says no, use the cleaner it names.
Is bleach safe to clean a washer, and what about mold?
Bleach is a common mold fix if your manual allows it. Use it alone, and never mix it.
Maytag suggests one cup of liquid chlorine bleach as an option. It also notes bleach shouldn’t be used in certain front load models, so check first.
The New Jersey Department of Health says bleach and vinegar produce harmful vapors, including chlorine and chloramine. Bleach and ammonia create chloramine gases. Hydrogen peroxide and vinegar form peracetic acid, which irritates eyes, skin and lungs.
So run one product per cycle. If you switch products, run an empty rinse cycle in between.
For black mold in the seal, scrub it by hand. In Consumer Reports’ washer cleaner test, most of the products tried struggled with black gasket buildup. Our best washing machine cleaner guide compares the options.
Black mold in the seal, step by step
- Pull the gasket back gently. Consumer Reports says to look for socks and lint stuck in the fold.
- Scrub the black spots by hand, then wipe the fold dry.
- Run the tub clean cycle. No such cycle? Consumer Reports says a hot cycle with a bleach washer cleaner works, once a month.
- Leave the door open between loads so the seal dries out.
- Spots still there after a few cleans? Mold can damage rubber gaskets, Consumer Reports notes. Ask an appliance tech about the seal.
How often should you clean a washing machine?
About once a month is the most common advice. A dog house often needs it sooner.
Longest gap between washer cleans, by source
Bar length shows the gap in months.
Loads matter as much as the calendar. Consumer Reports cites Energy Star’s figure that the average family does 300 loads of laundry a year. That’s about 25 a month before any dog bedding goes in.
With a puppy, the extra blankets, towels and accident loads add up fast. Clean after a run of them, or as soon as it smells.
Why does my washer still smell after cleaning it?
Often it’s damp, leftover detergent or softener, or a drain hose pushed in too deep.
Need a fix for one smell in particular? Our guide to why your washing machine smells matches each smell to its cause.
It’s common. In a Consumer Reports survey, 16 percent of front-load owners reported mold, mildew or odor problems.
- Skip the fabric softener. It can leave residue behind.
- Use less HE detergent. Extra soap builds up in the dispenser.
- Move wet loads right away. That keeps moisture from lingering in the drum.
- Check the drain hose. It should sit only 6 to 8 inches into the drain pipe. Deeper can pull foul water back.
Tip: Wash dog bedding as its own load, and keep a second set. One is always dry and ready while the other washes.
When to call a pro. A sewer smell that stays after the hose check is a job for a plumber. Water that won’t drain after you’ve cleared the filter needs an appliance repair visit.
Washing machine cleaning FAQ
What is the best thing to clean the inside of a washing machine?
The cleaner your manual names. Maytag points to a washer cleaner tablet. One cup of chlorine bleach is its backup, if your model allows it. Whatever you run, finish with a hand wipe of the seal.
What can I put in my washing machine to self clean it?
An empty drum and one cleaner, such as a washer cleaner tablet. Never add a second product to the same cycle. If the washer has never been cleaned, or not in over six months, affresh says to repeat the cycle. Heavy buildup can take up to three cycles in a row.
How do I run the clean washer cycle on a Samsung or LG washer?
The cycle name and steps vary by model. Look up your model number in the brand’s online manual and follow it exactly, including which cleaners it allows.
Can you use hydrogen peroxide to clean a washer?
Home Depot suggests 2 cups in an empty drum on the hottest setting. The New Jersey Department of Health warns that peroxide and vinegar form peracetic acid, so never combine them.
My washer won’t drain after I washed the dog bed. What now?
Wet hair can clog the drain pump, Consumer Reports warns. Unplug the washer and clear the drain filter the way your manual shows. Still won’t drain? Call an appliance tech.
Is washer cleaner safe around a puppy?
Treat every cleaner as off limits for her. Keep boxes and bottles closed and up high, since puppies chew packaging. Keep her out of the laundry room while bleach is running.
How we put this together: We read the page-one guides from Home Depot, American Home Shield, NBC Select and affresh. We checked them against Consumer Reports, Maytag and the New Jersey Department of Health. Then we read what dog owners say about hair and smell in their washers.
Sources
- Consumer Reports: Don’t Let Pet Hair Ruin Your Washer, by Kimberly Janeway, updated by Keith Flamer
- Consumer Reports: How to Minimize Mold in Your Washing Machine
- Maytag: Stop Using Vinegar to Clean Your Washing Machine
- New Jersey Department of Health: Hazard Alert, Mixing Bleach with Other Cleaning Products Can Be Deadly
- The Home Depot: How to Clean a Washing Machine