How to clean a top load washer: the hot soak method

Step by step: how to clean a top load washer

Safety first. Use one cleaner per cycle. Chlorine bleach plus vinegar or ammonia gives off toxic gas, so if you want to use both, run a full plain rinse cycle between them. Wear gloves, keep the room ventilated, and keep the lid closed while the bleach water agitates.

1. 1

   Empty the tub and clear debris

   Take out any laundry and pick lint, hair and coins off the bottom of the tub and around the agitator or wash plate. Wipe loose lint from under the rim with a dry cloth so it does not just swirl around.

2. 2

   Set the hottest, longest cycle

   Choose the hottest water setting, the largest load size and the longest or heaviest cycle. If your washer has a Clean Washer or Tub Clean cycle, use that instead and follow the manual for what to add.

3. 3

   Add one cleaner

   Drop in a washer cleaner tablet, or pour about 1 cup of liquid chlorine bleach or about 2 cups of white vinegar into the water as it fills. Bleach is better for a mildew smell; vinegar is better for mineral and soap film. Do not combine them.

4. 4

   Agitate, then pause to soak

   Once the tub is full, let it agitate for about a minute to mix, then pause the cycle or lift the lid (on models that allow it) and leave it to soak for about an hour. The soak softens old fabric softener and soap scum. Close the lid and let the cycle finish.

5. 5

   Scrub the dispensers

   While it soaks, lift out the fabric softener cup (often on top of the agitator) and any bleach or detergent trays. Soak them in hot soapy water for 15 to 20 minutes, then scrub the slime off with a toothbrush. If they do not come out, pour hot soapy water into them, wait 15 minutes, then scrub.

6. 6

   Wipe under the rim and the lid

   With a damp cloth and a toothbrush, scrub the underside of the tub rim, the lid’s inner face, the lid hinge and the top edge of the cabinet. This is where the grey, slimy film and the smell often come from.

7. 7

   Clean the lint filter if there is one

   Many older top loaders have a lint filter in the agitator or along the tub rim; newer HE models usually do not. Check your manual, then rinse it and scrub off any buildup with a toothbrush.

8. 8

   Run a final rinse and wipe the outside

   Run one more hot cycle with nothing in it to flush out loosened residue. Wipe the control panel and cabinet, then leave the lid open until the tub is dry.

Agitator vs HE top loader: how the method changes

The soak method works best on traditional agitator washers that fill the tub with water; HE top loaders with a low wash plate use little water and often lock the lid, so you rely on the built-in cleaning cycle instead.

Samsung says its Self Clean cycle takes about one hour on a top loader, needs no cleaner for routine use, and lights a reminder after 20 washes. It also notes that top loaders, unlike front loaders, have no drain pump filter to clean.

Vinegar or bleach for a top loader?

Use bleach for a musty or mildew smell and vinegar for white mineral film and soap scum; a dedicated washer cleaner handles both. affresh says white vinegar is generally safe in a top loader for dissolving mineral deposits and detergent buildup, and that manufacturers recommend a washer cleaner for the most thorough result.

If your machine needs both, do them on different days, or run a full plain rinse in between. And check your manual first: affresh advises confirming that any cleaning product is safe for your specific washer before you use it.

Why top loaders get grimy under the rim

Fabric softener, cold washes and overdosed detergent leave a waxy film that collects where the water splashes but never rinses: under the rim, on the lid and in the softener cup. Over time it turns grey, holds lint and starts to smell.

• Use the dose line on the cap, not a full cap, especially with concentrated or HE detergent.
• Run a hot wash now and then if you usually wash cold.
• Clean monthly or about every 30 cycles, the schedule affresh recommends.
• If the washer is clean but laundry still smells, the problem may be the towels themselves; see our guide to mildew smell in towels.

Mistakes to avoid

• Pouring bleach and vinegar into the same soak, which releases chlorine gas.
• Skipping the soak on an agitator washer; a single pass does little against old softener buildup.
• Forcing the lid of an HE top loader open mid-cycle instead of using its cleaning cycle.
• Ignoring the underside of the rim and the lid, where most of the visible grime sits.
• Prying out an agitator that is not designed to come out, and breaking the coupling.