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Did You Clean That? · No. 01

Your Washing Machine: the one-page checklist

Things everybody uses. Almost nobody cleans.

Check these parts

  • Rubber gasket
  • Detergent drawer
  • Drum
  • Filter, if yours has one

What you need

  • Your machine's manual, or the model number so you can look it up
  • A washing-machine cleaner made for your machine type
  • Microfiber cloths
  • An old toothbrush or a soft gasket brush
  • A shallow pan and a towel, if your machine has a drain filter

Do it in this order

  1. 01. Read the manual first. Every manufacturer has cleaning instructions, and they are not the same. Two minutes here saves you a warranty argument later.
  2. 02. Run the self-clean or tub-clean cycle. Most machines built in the last fifteen years have one. Use an appropriate washing-machine cleaner and follow the dosage on the package.
  3. 03. Pull back the gasket and wipe. Front-loaders only. Fold the rubber lip back gently, wipe the channel with a damp microfiber cloth, then dry it. This is where the smell lives.
  4. 04. Take out the detergent drawer. Most slide out with a tab or a press. Soak it in warm water, brush the corners, dry it and put it back.
  5. 05. Check the drain filter. Usually a small hatch behind a panel at the bottom front. Put a pan and towel down first, because water comes out. Clear the lint, coins and one sock.
  6. 06. Leave the door open. After every load, when it's safe to do so. A machine that dries out does not smell. If small children or pets are around, prop it only when you're in the room.

Don't do this

  • · Don't make vinegar your routine cleaner. Some manufacturers warn that repeated acid exposure may damage certain rubber components.
  • · Don't use bleach and other cleaners together, ever.
  • · Don't overdose detergent. More soap is the most common cause of the smell you're trying to fix.
  • · Don't scrub a gasket with anything abrasive. You'll cut it.

Know when to stop

If water is standing in the drum after a cycle, leaking onto the floor, or the machine trips a breaker, stop cleaning and call an appliance tech. Water where water should not be is not a cleaning problem anymore.

LaLa says

“If your clean clothes are coming out smelling less than clean, before we blame the detergent, let's clean the thing doing the cleaning.”