Day 25. Clean Your Washer and Dryer

Day 25 of “A 30 Day Guide to Spring Cleaning“.

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How often should you clean your washer and dryer? You should be cleaning your washer and dryer about every month, or two months. Sometimes life gets in the way, and we don’t get around to things like spending one day out of every month cleaning our washer… I get it!!! That’s why I have added this to the spring cleaning guide, because it may have been a while since you cleaned yours last.

Why is it important to clean your washer and dryer? Washers and dryers can get a lot of build up inside them. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), washers and dryers account for an average of 15,970 fires per year, with 92% of those fires being related to the dryer specifically. Lint build up in dryers can be an extremely dangerous fire hazard. Washers can build up mildew and mold inside if not cleaned properly or regularly.

How do you clean your washer and dryer? Well… that’s what I am here for!! Don’t fret, I have got you covered with a step by step guide below.

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What to clean:

• Washer Insides
• Washer Outsides
• Dryer Insides
• Dryer Outsides

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Supplies Needed:

• Cloth
• Preferred Cleaner
• Recommended:
  • Bleach and/or Baking Soda and Vinegar, Envirocloth, Lint Trap Cleaning Tool ‘paid link’
• Alternative:
  • Preferred washer cleaner, preferred all purpose cleaner, brush or duster for lint trap

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Cleaning Your Front Load Washer

First off… DO NOT MIX BLEACH AND VINEGAR TOGETHER WHEN CLEANING. I know I have both pictured above, and this is for a reason that I will explain in the instructions.

Front load washers can create a lot of mold and mildew, causing some strong odors, if they are not cleaned properly and regularly. Due to the set up of the machine, and the gaskets to prevent water leakage, the likelihood for mold and mildew in a front load is much higher. So, how do you get rid of this? How do you prevent this moving forward?

Clean Your Washer Gasket

The washer gasket is the seal between the washer drum and the washer door to prevent water from leaking out during washing. This gasket catches a lot of the things that build up in your washer including things left in pockets, dog hair, paper, etc. It’s important to know that there are usually two folds/openings in the washer gasket that collect items, one is larger and not far from the door, and another right up against the drum.

1. I would suggest cleaning your gasket with either the wet envirocloth, or a cloth and bleach water. You can use your preferred all purpose cleaner, but the envirocloth manually picks up bacteria, while bleach will kill the bacteria even if the cloth doesn’t “pick it up”.
2. There are two folds in the gasket typically, one closest to the door and one closest to the drum. You will want to use your cloth and preferred cleaner to clean the gasket outsides, and within both of these folds/openings. Make sure to manually remove any debris that are within these folds before cleaning with a cleaner. Do your best to get out as much debris as possible (although I know that dog hair is a pain to get off this rubber gasket so do what you can).
3. If your washer contains a plastic ring between the gasket and the washer, make sure to wipe this ring well as a lot of build up can happen on and behind this ring.
4. Focus areas would be near the water drain at the bottom of this gasket, and the water dispenser usually near the top of the gasket. These areas are prone to build up and debris.

Clean Your Washer Drum

The washer drum is the inside surroundings of the washer itself. The drum is where your clothes sit. Although there is not a lot of buildup that happens on the surface of the drum, you will still want to wipe it down.

1. Use your cloth, and your preferred cleaner to wipe down the entire surface of the drum.
2. Check near any crevices for wrappers or small items like bobby pins that are stuck. You can remove these with tweezers, being careful not to scratch the drum (as this could cause rusting).
3. Focus areas would be near cracks or crevices (edges and agitators), making sure to wipe into the crevices.

Clean Your Washer Door

Your washer door gets a lot of residue and build up around where it seals to the gasket, and it is important to clean this off. You can clean the door and the area on your washer for the door to seal, but you can also typically remove your washer door with a couple screws if there is a lot of build up near the door hinges.

1. Use a cloth and your preferred cleaner.
2. Wipe around the inside of the door, scrubbing at any residue to fully remove it.
3. If you need to remove your door, you can fully open the door to see the attaching screws and use the appropriate screw driver to remove these.

Clean Your Soap/Bleach/Softener Dispenser Tray

Soap and fabric softener can cause tremendous amounts of build up. You will need to thoroughly clean these dispensers to remove the buildup that has accumulated.

1. Determine how your dispensers are removed from your washer. If you are unsure, you can find this information by looking up the make and model of your washer.
2. Remove the dispenser tray, and take apart the dispensers inside of it.
3. Thoroughly rinse the dispensers with warm to hot water to remove the build up from the softeners and soaps used.
4. You can use soap and water if needed unless your washers manual specifies otherwise.
5. Return the components of the dispenser tray to their proper positions and replace the dispenser tray back into it’s rightful place.

Clean Your Filter

Most front loader washers come with a filter. This filter can look different, and be located in different places depending on the make and model of your washer. You will need to follow your manufacturers directions for cleaning this filter, although I have shared the steps below for my Samsung washer.

1. Determine your filter location and how to access it.
2. My filter door is on the bottom left corner of the washer, and needs a screwdriver to pry it open.
3. Place a towel under the area and get a shallow, but larger, container.
4. Locate the overflow tubing and uncap it, holding it over the container. Allow this to drain fully (WARNING, THIS STINKS).
5. Re-cap the tubing and dispose of the water.
6. Twist the filter out of it’s housing and remove any build up or debris.
7. Rinse the filter in warm to hot water to clean.
8. Replace the filter and overflow tubing and close the door.

Run A Cleaning Cycle

Many newer washers have a cleaning cycle available for regular cleaning. This cleaning cycle is already preset to the best selections on your washer to get the best results possible. Follow your manufacturers instructions for running this cleaning cycle, and it will likely include their recommended cleaner. Most manufacturers typically recommend using bleach for this cycle, although it’s typically safe to use vinegar and baking soda as well. If you have a mold/mildew smell to your washer, there is typically buildup behind the washer drum, and in the internal components. Bleach is a good choice to kill this mold/mildew build up. Baking soda and vinegar can provide a great refresh to your washer, but with the added water, the concentration would likely not be high enough to kill off mold or mildew.

Cleaning Cycle With Bleach

1. Run this cycle according to your manufacturers recommendations.
2. Select the self clean cycle on your washer.
3. Fill the detergent dispenser to the “max” line with bleach.
4. Start the cycle and let it run through.
5. Complete the cleaning with a rinse and spin cycle to remove any residual bleach.
6. NOTE: If your washer does not have a self clean cycle, you will want to select the longest cycle available with the hottest temperature available.

Cleaning Cycle with Vinegar/Baking Soda

1. Run this cycle according to your manufacturers recommendations.
2. Select the self clean cycle on your washer.
3. Put 1 1/2 – 2 cups of baking soda in the drum of the washer.
4. Place 1/2 – 1 cup vinegar in the washer drum with the baking soda.
5. Fill the detergent, bleach, and softener dispensers with vinegar.
6. Start the self clean cycle and let it run through.
7. You can finish this with a rinse and spin, but vinegar and baking soda will not hurt your clothes. NOTE: Vinegar is an alternative for fabric softener.

After either cleaning type, you will want to leave the door of your washer open to allow the insides to fully dry. Give the door and gasket a quick wipe with a dry towel (doing this after washing laundry can prevent mold/mildew build up).

***NOTE: I really prefer the vinegar and baking soda results, but needed the bleach to kill the mold/mildew. In my case, I ran a cycle with the bleach, ran a rinse and spin cycle to remove residual bleach, and ran another cleaning cycle with the vinegar/baking soda. DO NOT MIX VINEGAR AND BLEACH.

Clean the Outsides

While the cleaning cycle is running, you will have quite a bit of time to clean the outsides of the washer. Again, I prefer the Envirocloth, but you can use a cloth and your preferred cleaner. Cleaning the outsides of the washer is simply just wiping down all the outside surfaces. Don’t forget to clean the outside of the door as well!

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Clean Your Top Load Washer

I don’t have any pictures for a top load washer, as my washer is front load, but I can provide steps for you to follow. Top load washers do not tend to accumulate mold/mildew the way that front load washers do. Also, top load washers do not have as many components to wash.

Clean Your Washer Drum

The drum on a top load is still the inside walls of the washer that hold your clothes. You will want to wipe this down well.

1. Use your cloth and preferred cleaner.
2. Wipe down all surface area of the drum.
3. Wipe down the agitator inside the middle of the drum (if you have one).
4. Wipe down the very top edge of your drum, as a lot of buildup can happen here.

Clean Your Dispensers

Soap and fabric softener can cause tremendous amounts of build up. You will need to thoroughly clean these dispensers to remove the buildup that has accumulated.

1. Determine how to remove your soap dispenser based on the make and model of your washer.
2. If your dispenser is not removable, you will want a bucket with water to wipe it down.
3. Remove your dispensers (soap and fabric softener) and rinse them with warm to hot water.
4. Typically you can use dish soap and water to thoroughly clean these unless your washers manual states otherwise.

Run A Cleaning Cycle

Many newer washers have a cleaning cycle available for regular cleaning. This cleaning cycle is already preset to the best selections on your washer to get the best results possible. Follow your manufacturers instructions for running this cleaning cycle, and it will likely include their recommended cleaner. Most manufacturers typically recommend using bleach for this cycle, although it’s typically safe to use vinegar and baking soda as well. If you have a mold/mildew smell to your washer, there is typically buildup behind the washer drum, and in the internal components. Bleach is a good choice to kill this mold/mildew build up. Baking soda and vinegar can provide a great refresh to your washer, but with the added water, the concentration would likely not be high enough to kill off mold or mildew.

Cleaning Cycle With Bleach

1. Run this cycle according to your manufacturers recommendations.
2. Select the self clean cycle on your washer (if it has one).
3. Fill the washer completely with the hottest water setting.
4. Add 4 cups of bleach to the water.
5. Start the cycle and let it run through.
6. Complete the cleaning with a rinse and spin cycle to remove any residual bleach.
7. NOTE: If your washer does not have a self clean cycle, you will want to select the longest cycle available with the hottest temperature available.

Cleaning Cycle with Vinegar/Baking Soda

1. Run this cycle according to your manufacturers recommendations.
2. Select the self clean cycle on your washer (if it has one).
3. Add 2 cups baking soda to the washer drum
4. Fill the washer completely with the hottest water setting.
5. Add 4 cups vinegar to the water.
6. Start the cycle and let it run through.
7. You can finish this with a rinse and spin, but vinegar and baking soda will not hurt your clothes. NOTE: Vinegar is an alternative for fabric softener.

After either cleaning type, you will want to leave the door of your washer open to allow the insides to fully dry.

***NOTE: I really prefer the vinegar and baking soda results, but needed the bleach to kill the mold/mildew. In my case, I ran a cycle with the bleach, ran a rinse and spin cycle to remove residual bleach, and ran another cleaning cycle with the vinegar/baking soda. DO NOT MIX VINEGAR AND BLEACH.

Clean the Outsides

While the cleaning cycle is running, you will have quite a bit of time to clean the outsides of the washer. Again, I prefer the Envirocloth, but you can use a cloth and your preferred cleaner. Cleaning the outsides of the washer is simply just wiping down all the outside surfaces. Don’t forget to clean the outside of the door as well!

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Clean Your Dryer

The most important part about cleaning your dryer is cleaning the lint trap. Yes, after each load you should be cleaning out your lint trap, but what about the housing for the lint trap??? Do you clean that? Because you should! I have that included in the steps below.

Clean Your Dryer Door

1. Use a cloth and your preferred cleaner.
2. Wipe down your dryer door on the inside.
3. Make sure to clean the seal where the door meets the dryer as this builds up lint and dirt.
4. If you need to remove the door because of buildup by the hinges, open the door fully to determine what screw driver is needed and remove the screws.

Clean The Insides of Your Dryer

The insides of your dryer can get build up of residue from your dryer sheets and fabric softeners (also… I highly recommend not using liquid fabric softener, EVER).

1. Use a cloth and your preferred cleaner, again I recommend the Envirocloth with water.
2. Wipe down the inside drum of your dryer.
3. Wipe down the agitators inside your dryer.
4. Check all crevices to determine if there are pocket surprised stuck inside (I found a couple wrappers).
5. Use tweezers to remove any debris stuck inside, being careful not to scratch the drum (this can cause rusting).

Clean Your Lint Trap

I used to use my Envirowand to clean my lint trap when I had a top pull lint trap. My new dryer has a lint trap inside the door, and I found out today that the Envirowand doesn’t get into the housing as well as I had hoped. I highly recommend using this Lint Trap Cleaning Tool ‘paid link’ instead to be sure the lint is removed.

1. Remove your lint trap tray, clean it if needed.
2. Use the long skinny attachment on your vacuum to vacuum any sand/dirt/debris under your lint trap tray.
3. Use this same attachment to clean as far down into your lint trap as possible.
4. Use the Envirowant or Lint Trap Cleaning Tool ‘paid link’ to clean down into your lint trap. Allow this cleaning tool to follow the path of the dryer exhaust, twisting to collect as much lint as possible.
5. If using the Lint Trap Cleaning Tool ‘paid link’, attach the hose to your vacuum, and use this to suck out lint from the dryer exhaust while maneuvering it down the tube for your dryer exhaust.
6. Use your vacuum as a quick clean up for any lint that ended up on the floor in this process.
7. Optional: if you had a lot of lint build up, it may not hurt to run an empty load in your dryer, or a very low lint load, to allow the exhaust to blow any lint that may have broken free but not come out.

Clean the Outsides

While the dryer is running (if you chose to do step 7), you will have time to clean the outsides of your dryer. Again, I prefer the Envirocloth, but you can use a cloth and your preferred cleaner. Cleaning the outsides of the dryer is simply just wiping down all the outside surfaces. Don’t forget to clean the outside of the door as well!

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If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments and I would be happy to get back with you.

Check out Day 24. Organizing Family Paperwork and Mail here.

Check out Day 26. Clean Your Deck and/or Patio here.

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