Smelly Front Load Washer? I Know the Feeling…

Over the last few months, there has been a funky smell lurking in the laundry room. And, no matter how quickly I switched the laundry from the washer to the dryer, it wouldn’t go away.

I am diligent about letting it air out after a load, and then running it through the clean cycle as needed, but upon a deeper inspection, I realized that it was MUCH dirtier than I ever thought. So, I stopped the laundry cycle for a day to take time for a much-needed scrub down on the washer.

I learned A LOT along the way, and I’m excited to share with you some tips and tricks! Below I’ll show you how to clean your front load washer inside and out with some simple supplies and a DIY washing machine cleaner.

How to Clean a Front Load Washing Machine Quickly!

While the process of a deep clean is never really something I enjoy, I truly appreciate the outcome and that’s what I love about these three main parts to cleaning a front load washer for a fresh, clean look and smell.

Tip: This can be done as often as needed, but should be done every few months to keep the gunk build-up to a minimum.

Step 1. Cleaning the Outside of the Machine:

To start with, grab a few old towels or some Lysol Wipes. I chose to use Lysol wipes to disinfect as well, but you could also use a rag and an all-purpose cleaner or these DIY cleaning wipes.

Whatever your tool of choice may be, scrub down the outside of the machine nice and thoroughly. Between baskets being on top of the laundry machine along with piling laundry on top of the machine before or after a wash, I was surprised at how DIRTY this really was.

Step 2. Cleaning the Front Door:

Once you have the outside looking nice and tidy, open up the front door and give that a good scrub too. There was a lot of build-up all around the plastic window part on the inside of the door.

We have hard water in our home, so if you have soft water this might not be as noticeable for you. If it is noticeable, try this DIY soap scum remover or this DIY hard water stain remover to really clean it up.

Step 3. Cleaning the Front Load Washer Gasket:

Now comes the gross part…at least for my washer (I have children and a dog).

Have you ever really looked in between the door and drum of the washer down in the gasket? I quickly peel it back when I notice a sock stuck in there, but for the most part, that is part of the washer I skip over. Why? Well, because I didn’t really notice how much build-up and funk came from this one location of the machine.

If your washer gasket has a lot of build-up too, grab a heavy-duty scrubbing sponge and some vinegar. Pour vinegar on the sponge and then start scrubbing the inside of the gasket. You’ll be glad you did! In just doing this, I could already notice a difference with the washer.

Step 4. Cleaning the Drawers and Trays:

The next part of the machine you’ll want to scrub is the drawer where you put detergent, bleach, or fabric softener. Different machines may have a different setup, but the trays are usually removable by lifting up or a lever of some sort.

If needed, use a toothbrush to scrub the area of the detergent drawer as well as the detergent drawer itself with vinegar. Once this area was clean, I also noticed a huge difference. Now you’re one step closer (and done with the elbow greasing part of the clean up) to a clean washer!

Step 5. Cleaning the Inside of the Machine:

To clean the inside of your front load washer you’ll need to grab a few things from the kitchen to make a DIY washing machine cleaner. This is a VERY simple recipe, easy to follow, and super FRUGAL! I always love that! 🙂

Homemade Front Load Washing Machine Cleaner (scroll down for a printable version!)

You’ll Need:

2 cups vinegar

1/4 cup baking soda

1/4 cup water

How to use the DIY washing machine cleaner:

Mix together the water and baking soda to make your detergent, then pour the mixture into the detergent area. Pour the two cups of vinegar directly into the drum of the washer. Set the load to the “Wash” cycle, or if yours doesn’t have a wash cycle, select the highest water temperature setting. Now you can walk away for a bit while the washer does the next part for you.

There you have it! With those three steps done, the inside of your washer will soon be smooth, shiny, and CLEAN sailing from here on out!

Final Thoughts

If you go through the easy 5-step process above and clean your front load washer at least every few months, you should never have to deal with a smelly washing machine again! Check out the additional tips below to keep that clean, fresh smell maintained 🙂

A few tips to remember:

Wipe down the glass door after every load of laundry, and give the gasket crevice a quick wipe down as well. I now have a stack of old rags I keep handy just for this purpose, and then I toss it in with the next load of towels.

When you are not using the washer, leave it propped open. This will help with keeping it dry inside and will prevent mildew from building up.

Always try to move the clothes over before the funk sinks in!

Have any questions or tips to share? Leave a comment below!

Thanks PopSugar, PrettyHandyGirl

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