How to Clean a Washer with Bleach

If your washer is dirty and needs to be cleaned, bleach is a great cleaning product to use. Bleach is a very powerful disinfectant and will remove any mold and bacteria from your appliance.

To help make the cleaning process as easy as possible for you, we have put together this step-by-step guide. Simply follow each step and your washer will be sparkling clean in no time!

If you don’t want to use bleach, we have also included a couple of alternative methods for cleaning a washing machine using natural ingredients in this guide.

Steps to clean your washer with bleach

1. Get prepared. The first step is to get together all of the supplies you’ll need to clean your washer. These include a bottle of color-safe bleach, a clean cloth, a sponge, rubber gloves, and a bucket. Once you have these supplies, make sure your washing machine is empty.
2. Make the bleach mixture. The next step is to mix half a cup of bleach in a bucket with about one gallon of water. You don’t want to put undiluted bleach in your washing machine as it can damage it.
3. Clean the drum. Once you have the bleach mixture ready, put on a pair of rubber gloves. Soak a sponge in the bleach mixture and clean the detergent drawer out. This is important because the detergent drawer is a magnet for bacteria and mold. 

Once the drawer is clean, pour the bucket of bleach mixture into the washer drum. Use your sponge to give the inside of the drum a clean—making sure you remove any visible stains and other grime.

4. Leave the washer to soak. Shut the lid of the washer and leave the mixture to soak in the drum for an hour or more. Turn your washing machine onto a wash cycle (if it has one) and pause it once it starts up. 

If you don’t have a wash cycle, turn it onto a regular wash cycle and pause the machine once it starts up. After 60 minutes, turn your washer back on so the wash cycle can continue.

5. Wipe down the drum. Once the cleaning cycle ends, open the lid and use a clean cloth to wipe the inside of the drum out. You can then clean the door gaskets/seals and the exterior of the machine using hot soapy water or a commercial cleaning spray.
6. Run a rinse cycle. To finish the cleaning process, turn your machine on to an extra rinse cycle. This will help remove any bleach particles remaining in your washer. Once the rinse cycle ends, open the lid and let your machine dry out before you start using your washer again.

Can I clean a washer with natural ingredients?

Yes. If you don’t want to use bleach, there are several natural ingredients you can use to clean your washing machine. Two of the most common ingredients to use are white vinegar and lemon juice.

Steps to clean your washing machine with vinegar

White vinegar is a powerful cleaning ingredient that will remove mold and bacteria from your washing machine. It also happens to be a product most people have in their pantry already.

Follow these steps to clean your washer with white vinegar:

1. Empty your washer. Make sure your washer is empty.
2. Turn your washer on. Pour three to four cups of white vinegar into the washing machine drum. You can then close the lid and turn your machine onto a wash cycle or, if you don’t have a wash cycle, turn it onto a regular wash cycle.
3. Leave the washer to soak. When the cycle is half finished, pause the machine and leave it to soak. The water and vinegar in the drum will have time to attack any stubborn stains in the drum while it soaks.
4. Finish the cycle. After 60 minutes, press start and let the washer finish the cleaning cycle.
5. Clean the lid and seals. Once the wash cycle ends, the next step is to clean the door seals/gaskets using hot soapy water and a cloth. You can also clean the exterior panels of the machine if you wish.
6. Run a rinse cycle. Once you’ve cleaned the door seals/gaskets, it’s a good idea to run your machine through an extra rinse cycle to remove any vinegar particles remaining in your machine.
7. Let the washer dry out. Once the rinse cycle ends, open the lid and wipe the machine out with a clean cloth. You can then leave the lid open so the machine dries out before using it again.

Steps to clean your washing machine with lemon juice

Lemon juice is another powerful natural ingredient you can use to clean your washer if you don’t want to use bleach. Once you go through the steps below, your washer will come out sparkling clean and completely free of mold and bacteria.

Follow these steps to clean your washer with lemon juice:

1. Empty your washer. Make sure your washer is empty.
2. Turn your washer on. Pour one cup of lemon juice into the washing machine drum. You can then close the lid and turn your machine onto a wash cycle or, if you don’t have a wash cycle, turn it onto a regular wash cycle.
3. Leave the washer to soak. When the cycle is half finished, pause the machine and leave it to soak. The water and lemon juice in the drum will have time to attack any stubborn stains in the drum while it soaks.
4. Finish the cycle. After 60 minutes, press start and let the washer finish the cleaning cycle.
5. Clean the lid and seals. Once the wash cycle ends, the next step is to clean the door seals/gaskets using hot soapy water and a cloth. You can also clean the exterior panels of the machine if you wish.
6. Run a rinse cycle. Once you’ve cleaned the door seals/gaskets, it’s a good idea to run your machine through an extra rinse cycle to remove any lemon juice particles remaining in your machine.

Let the washer dry out. Once the rinse cycle ends, open the lid and wipe the machine out with a clean cloth. You can then leave the lid open so the machine dries out before using it again.