How to Clean a Washing Machine: The Complete Guide Based on Manufacturers' Instructions

To clean a washing machine, run a drum-clean program with an empty drum once a month, clean the pump filter every two months, rinse the detergent drawer, wipe the door seal, and once or twice a year clean the water inlet filter.

This is the order, per the manufacturers' instructions we read:

• Drum: a drum-clean program, with an empty drum. Samsung: Eco Drum Clean at ⁦60–70⁩°C without products, with a reminder every 40 washes on some models; its Australian support site recommends once a month. LG: Tub Clean every 30 washes or when the tcL message appears. Miele: a maintenance program or a program at 75°C or higher regularly.
• Pump filter: Samsung recommends ⁦5–6⁩ times a year.
• Detergent drawer: regularly; Miele stresses that this applies even on machines with automatic dosing.
• Door seal: check and wipe regularly, and dry.
• Water inlet filter: Samsung recommends once or twice a year.
• Limescale: Bosch recommends a dedicated descaler about once a year, and its cleaner every 3 months.

What not to do, per the manufacturers:

• No vinegar: Bosch writes that it is too aggressive and may damage the rubber parts.
• No chlorine-based or acidic products in LG's cleaning program: they may cause discoloration or corrosion, per LG.
• No regular detergent in Samsung's drum-clean program, and no laundry in the drum during the program.
• Do not hose down the machine and do not use solvents or abrasives on the body, per Miele.

If you do not have time for all of this, three habits do most of the work: leave the door and drawer open after every wash, take the laundry out right at the end of the program, and run a drum clean once a month. A machine that gets this will smell much less and suffer less from limescale.

The right way to clean the drum is the machine's dedicated program, with an empty drum; almost every new machine has one, under a different name at each manufacturer.

Program names by manufacturer, per support pages and product pages:

• Samsung: Eco Drum Clean, Eco Drum Clean+ or Drum Clean.
• LG: Tub Clean or Tub Sterilization.
• Bosch: DrumClean (listed in the spec of models like the WAN24170BY).
• Electrolux and AEG: Machine Clean, Tub Clean or Clean Tub.
• Miele: Maintenance program, or a program at 75°C or higher.
• Electra: Drum Clean on models like the EL1015BL.

What each manufacturer says to put in the drum:

• Samsung: nothing. The program heats water to ⁦60–70⁩°C and removes mold and dirt from the drum and door seal without detergent. Samsung warns not to add regular detergent, because chemical residue may damage laundry or the drum.
• LG: an oxygen-based washing machine cleaner, at the manufacturer's dose. No chlorine-based and no acidic products. A product that foams a lot may cause leaking, so use little or a low-foam product. The program holds the water at 60°C.
• Bosch: Bosch's washing machine cleaner, a 200-gram single-use pack, every 3 months. Per Bosch it removes deposits in the drum and pipes, including detergent residue.
• Miele: the drum can be cleaned with a dedicated stainless steel cleaner.

Frequency: Samsung Australia recommends once a month, and on Eco Drum Clean+ models a reminder flashes every 40 washes. LG recommends every 30 washes. In a home that washes ⁦5–7⁩ times a week, both recommendations come to about once a month.

And if your machine has no such program? Run the hottest program (90 or 60°C) with an empty drum, no laundry. This does not replace your manufacturer's instructions, so check your model's manual.

Tip for homes with babies or allergies: if most of your washes are at ⁦30–40⁩°C with liquid detergent, Miele notes this is a situation where bacteria and odors build up faster. In that case, do not skip the monthly drum clean.

The pump filter is behind a small cover at the bottom front of most front loaders; Samsung recommends cleaning it ⁦5–6⁩ times a year, and immediately if water remains in the drum at the end of the program.

The steps, per Samsung's support page (the process is similar on most machines):

• Switch off the machine and unplug it. If there was a hot program, wait for the water to cool.
• Put a towel on the floor and a flat container under the cover.
• Open the cover; Samsung suggests using a coin or key in the slot.
• Pull out the small drain hose (emergency hose), remove the cap and drain the water into the container. This can take a few minutes and fill more than one container.
• When the water stops flowing, turn the filter counterclockwise and pull it out.
• Clean the filter with a soft brush. Remove coins, pins, hair and lint.
• Put the filter back by turning it clockwise until it sits firmly, close the emergency hose cap and replace the cover.

Common mistake: opening the filter without first draining through the emergency hose. All the water in the drum comes out onto the floor at once.

After putting the filter back, run a short rinse and spin and check there is no leak from the cover. A filter that was not screwed in fully is a common cause of a small leak.

When is it a sign of a problem? If even after cleaning the filter the machine does not drain, or the pump hums without water coming out, there may be a blockage in the drain hose or a pump fault. In that case contact service, especially if the machine is under warranty. Most LG models and some Samsung models have phone-based fault diagnosis (Smart Diagnosis, Smart Check), which helps you understand the code before calling a technician.

On top loaders the filter location varies, and on some it is inside the drum or on the side. Check the manual.

Take out the detergent drawer and rinse it under running water with a soft brush; clean the water inlet filter once or twice a year, after closing the tap.

The detergent drawer, per Samsung and Miele:

• Press the release tab (usually in the softener compartment) and pull out the drawer.
• Take apart the removable parts, like the liquid detergent container.
• Rinse under running water with a soft brush. Miele recommends hot water.
• Also clean the cavity the drawer sits in; that is where mold you cannot see builds up.
• Put the drawer back, and per Samsung run a rinse and spin with an empty drum to flush out residue.

Miele stresses that the drawer must be cleaned at regular intervals for hygiene, even when you only use TwinDos automatic dosing. In other words, a self-cleaning drawer (like AutoClean) does not completely exempt you from cleaning.

The water inlet filter, per Samsung:

• Close the water tap.
• Disconnect the hose from the back of the machine.
• Pull out the filter mesh with small pliers.
• Rinse the mesh with water, and clean the thread.
• Put the mesh back and reconnect the hose. Open the tap and check there is no leak.

Why it matters in Israel: an inlet filter clogged with sand or limescale slows water filling, lengthens the program and sometimes causes a fill error message. In older buildings, and after work on the building's plumbing, this happens more.

How do you know the drawer needs cleaning? Wet powder residue in the compartment, a sticky layer in the softener compartment, or black spots. The Standards Institution of Israel also notes that excess powder leaves white marks on clothes, so the right dose also reduces dirt in the drawer.

Most washing machine odors come from the door seal and the drawer, not the drum itself; wipe the seal regularly and leave the door open until it is dry.

Per Samsung:

• Water collects in the gray seal around the door, and that is where mold and dirt develop. Check it regularly.
• Pull the seal back, check for debris or a film, and wipe with a soft brush, paper towel or damp cloth.
• If you need a product, Samsung mentions a solution of liquid bleach diluted in lukewarm water, and wiping with a damp cloth. But it also warns that bleach or other cleaning products may deform the seal. Use gloves and follow the product manufacturer's instructions.
• After cleaning, dry thoroughly and leave the door open until the seal is dry.

Per LG:

• Take the laundry out right at the end of the program.
• Leave the door and detergent drawer open after washing. Some LG models have a magnetic stopper that keeps the door slightly open.
• Use fabric softener in moderation, because excess softener contributes to odor.

What to do if there is already an odor:

• Wipe the seal and its folds, including the bottom part where water remains.
• Clean the drawer and its cavity.
• Run a drum-clean program, or a maintenance program at 75°C or higher as Miele recommends.
• Clean the pump filter; standing water in it is a common source of odor.

If there are black spots on the seal that will not come off, it is usually mold that has penetrated the rubber. Cleaning does not always remove it, and the solution is replacing the seal by a technician. Prevention is better: door open, drawer open and less softener.

Bosch explicitly recommends not cleaning or descaling a washing machine with vinegar, because it is too aggressive and may damage the rubber parts; instead it recommends a dedicated descaler and cleaner.

What Bosch's support pages say:

• On descaling with vinegar: "We recommend not descaling the washing machine with vinegar. It is too aggressive and can damage the rubber parts."
• Instead: Bosch's descaler, tested in Bosch machines, and a sufficient dose of detergent. Descale about once a year.
• On cleaning with vinegar: "Vinegar is not recommended, as it causes too much damage to the rubber parts in the machine." Instead: Bosch's cleaner, every 3 months.

What the others say:

• LG: avoid acidic and chlorine-based products in the drum-clean program, and use an oxygen-based product.
• Samsung: the drum-clean program needs no product at all. The support pages we read do not address vinegar or baking soda.
• Miele: the manual we read does not address vinegar; it prohibits solvents and abrasives on the machine body.

And as for cleaning a washing machine with vinegar and baking soda, the combination that appears in many online guides: we found no manufacturer that recommends it. The only explicit guidance we found is Bosch's, against vinegar. If your machine is under warranty, using a product the manufacturer advises against may complicate things if the seals are damaged. Our recommendation: a drum-clean program per the manufacturer, and a dedicated product when needed.

Limescale in Israel: water in most areas is hard, and limescale builds up on the heating element and in the pump. What helps, per the instructions we read and common practice:

• Wash at ⁦30–40⁩°C most of the time; heating to 60 and 90 increases limescale deposits.
• The right dose of detergent; Bosch notes that a sufficient dose helps.
• A dedicated descaler about once a year, per the manufacturer's instructions.
• If the water in your area is especially hard, consider a whole-house water softener. That is a plumber's decision, and it is also relevant to the dishwasher; see our best dishwasher guide.

A washing machine cleaner should match your machine's manufacturer instructions: on Bosch, Bosch's product, on LG an oxygen-based cleaner, and on Samsung usually no product at all.

Per the manufacturers' support pages:

• Bosch: washing machine cleaner (part no. 00311927, 200 grams for one use, every 3 months) and descaler (part no. 00311920, about once a year). Per Bosch, order through an authorized service center. In Israel, Bosch service is through BSH.
• LG: an oxygen-based washing machine cleaner, at the product manufacturer's dose. Not chlorine-based and not acidic. Prefer a low-foam product.
• Samsung: Eco Drum Clean needs no product. Do not add regular detergent.
• Miele: for the drum, a dedicated stainless steel cleaner; for the body, a mild product or soap and water, without solvents.

How to choose a product off the shelf:

• Check that it says it is intended for washing machines and the drum-clean program.
• Prefer an oxygen-based, low-foam product, if your manufacturer does not recommend a specific one.
• Avoid strong acidic products and bleach in the drum, unless the manufacturer explicitly allows it.
• Read the dose and do not overdo it: heavy foam may cause leaking, per LG.

When do you need a product at all? If there is an odor that does not go away after a product-free drum clean, if you see white deposits in the drum or drawer, or if the water in your area is very hard. Otherwise, a monthly cleaning program and good habits are enough.

On machines of all brands, including Bosch, Samsung and LG washing machines, you will find the program name and exact instructions in your model's manual.

Most dirt and odor in a washing machine are prevented by five simple habits that cost nothing.

• Door and drawer open after every wash, until the seal and compartment are dry. LG and Samsung mention this explicitly.
• Take out the laundry right at the end of the program. Wet laundry left in the drum for hours is a known source of odor.
• The right dose: no more detergent than the package says for the load size and water hardness, and softener in moderation. On machines with automatic dosing this happens by itself.
• A hot program now and then: if most of your washes are at ⁦20–30⁩°C, washing towels at 60°C once a week or two helps. Miele notes that cold washing with liquid detergent increases bacterial buildup.
• Check pockets: coins, pins and keys are the common cause of a clogged filter and scratches in the drum.

Two more things related to choosing a machine: if you are buying a new machine, check that it has a drum-clean program and reminder, and that the filter is accessible from the front. Most machines in our best washing machine guide meet this. And if you have a dryer, it also has filters that need cleaning after every drying cycle; see our best dryer guide.

Signs it is time for a technician, not cleaning: water in the drum even after cleaning the filter, a leak under the machine, a metallic noise during spin, a burning smell or an error code that keeps returning. During the warranty, do not take apart more than the filter and drawer, and contact the importer's service center.