How to Clean a Top Loader Washing Machine, Step by Step

Gather a few supplies first

Nothing special is needed, and most of the time involved is the machine running by itself. Before you begin, empty the tub completely, unplug the washer if you plan to reach under the rim or around the agitator, and open the owner's manual to its cleaning page, because some machines have a dedicated clean setting and a few warn against particular products. Having everything within reach keeps you from leaving a half-scrubbed lid dripping while you hunt for a brush.

• an old toothbrush and a soft nylon scrub brush
• microfiber cloths and a bucket of hot water with a squeeze of dish soap
• a washer cleaning tablet or powder, or plain chlorine bleach
• distilled white vinegar for a later, separate cycle
• baking soda for a scrubbing paste
• rubber gloves and a flashlight

Scrub what the cleaning cycle never reaches

A cleaning cycle by itself leaves the worst of the grime in place, because the dirtiest surfaces on a top loader sit above the waterline. Lift the lid and look at its underside, the hinge area and the flat ledge around the tub opening: splashed detergent and fabric softener dry there into a tacky layer that feeds mildew. Pull out every removable dispenser and cup, plus the agitator cap if yours lifts off, and leave them soaking in hot soapy water while you work. Run the toothbrush along the narrow gap between the top of the basket and the outer cabinet, and shine the flashlight under the tub ring to find buildup you would otherwise miss. A paste of baking soda and a splash of water softens crusted softener without scratching. Wipe each area with a damp cloth so the loosened gunk comes away instead of dropping into the tub.

• the underside of the lid and the area around the lid switch
• the tub rim and the lip just inside it
• the bleach, softener and detergent dispensers
• the agitator cap, or the center of the wash plate on models without an agitator
• the control panel and knobs, which collect grime from wet hands

Run a hot cleaning cycle the right way

With the scrubbing finished, put the soaked parts back and set the washer to its hottest water, largest load size and longest cycle; if it has a tub clean or clean washer setting, choose that instead. Add a cleaning tablet or powder according to its package, or pour chlorine bleach into the bleach dispenser in the amount your manual lists for a cleaning cycle. On an older agitator machine, a lot of owners pause the cycle once the tub has filled and let the solution sit for a while before letting it continue, which gives it time to work on the outside of the inner basket, the hidden surface where most of the smell actually lives. High-efficiency top loaders use far less water and often will not let you pause mid-cycle, so let their built-in clean program run exactly as designed. When it ends, run one more rinse or a short cycle with plain water to carry away any bleach left in the lines.

Vinegar and baking soda: useful, just not together

You can absolutely clean a top loader with vinegar and baking soda, but they earn their keep in separate steps rather than mixed in one tub. Vinegar is mildly acidic, so it softens the hard-water scale that coats the basket and the inside of the hoses. Baking soda is mildly alkaline and works best as a gentle scrubbing agent and deodorizer. Dump them in together and they foam, neutralize each other and leave you with little more than salty water. A sensible order is the bleach or cleaner cycle first, a plain rinse, then a hot fill with a few cups of white vinegar on its own, then a final rinse. Never put bleach and vinegar in the same load, or run one straight after the other without rinsing, because the mix gives off chlorine gas. Strong vinegar used constantly can also be hard on rubber seals and hoses in some machines, so treat it as an occasional descaler, not a weekly ritual.

Does a top loader have a filter that needs cleaning?

Some do and plenty do not, so the real answer depends on the age and design of your washer. Older agitator machines often caught lint in a removable cup at the top of the agitator or in a screen tucked along the tub rim, and those need rinsing out regularly. Many newer top loaders have no lint filter an owner can reach at all; the drain pump breaks up lint and flushes it away, and a handful hide a pump trap behind a small panel at the bottom front of the cabinet. The diagram in your manual will settle it in a minute. Every washer, though, has small mesh screens where the hot and cold hoses connect at the back, and they slowly clog with sediment and scale, which makes the machine fill sluggishly.

• shut off both supply valves behind the washer
• unscrew the hoses at the machine end with a towel underneath to catch drips
• look into each inlet for a small cone-shaped mesh screen
• brush the grit off in place with a soft toothbrush; if a screen is caked solid or torn, leave it for a technician
• check each hose for bulges, cracks or rust at the fittings before reconnecting

A routine that stops the smell coming back

Most odor in a top loader comes from trapped moisture and leftover soap, so small habits matter more than any single deep clean. Leave the lid up after the last load of the day so the basket can air out, and move wet laundry to the dryer promptly instead of letting it sit overnight. Measure detergent to the load rather than filling the cap, and if your machine is a high-efficiency model, use detergent labeled HE, since ordinary suds hang around and coat the basket. Fabric softener causes most of the sticky film, so go easy with it. In homes close to the water in Ocean Beach, La Playa and Sunset Cliffs, the air stays humid for much of the year, which makes the open-lid habit even more worthwhile.

• after each laundry day: lid open and a quick wipe of the rim
• roughly once a month: the hot cleaning cycle described above
• every few months: a vinegar descaling cycle and a look at the inlet screens
• once a year: check the hoses, level the machine and look underneath for drips

When cleaning is not enough

A healthy washer drains completely, spins without banging and leaves clothes smelling of nothing in particular. If you keep finding standing water in the basket after a cycle, black flakes that return within days of a thorough clean, water on the floor, or a harsh grinding noise during spin, the trouble has moved past cleaning and into parts: a partly blocked drain pump, a worn tub seal, a weak inlet valve or worn suspension. Corrosion is another coastal factor, since salt air is tough on steel cabinets, lid hinges and hose fittings, something our page on Point Loma's coastal conditions explains in more depth. Our washer repair service handles those faults in Point Loma, Loma Portal, Liberty Station and the Midway District. A preventative maintenance visit adds the checks a homeowner cannot easily do alone, such as inspecting the drain pump and hoses from underneath, testing the inlet valve, checking the suspension and leveling the cabinet. Call (858) 375-1585 to set one up.