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Best washing machine cleaner for front and top loaders

A washing machine cleaner removes detergent residue, mineral deposits, mold and mildew from the drum, gasket and dispensers of front-loading and top-loading washing machines. Regular cleaning prevents musty odors and maintains wash performance by keeping the machine interior free of buildup.

By Pickspry EditorialUpdated 4 picks

The short answer

Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner Tablets at $12 for 6 tablets is the best washing machine cleaner for most households: the tablet-per-cycle format is convenient, the surfactant and oxygen bleach formula dissolves residue and mold inside front-loading and top-loading machines and the 6-tablet count provides 6 monthly cleaning cycles.

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Quick picks

How we chose

Washing machine cleaners are evaluated by active ingredient types (surfactant, oxygen bleach, citric acid, enzymatic), machine compatibility (front-load, top-load, HE), format (tablet, liquid, powder), required cycle settings, scent and price per treatment. Specs from manufacturer product pages. We did not test these products.

The picks, in detail

4 picks reviewed
01
Best washing machine cleaner for most households
Affresh Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner Tablets

Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner Tablets

Brand: Affresh

Best for

Households with front-loading or top-loading HE washing machines who want a monthly maintenance tablet that dissolves in the drum during a hot water clean cycle to remove accumulated detergent residue, mineral deposits and odor-causing mold and mildew.

Skip if

A budget-first cleaner for a basic top-loading machine is needed. Affresh tablets at $12 for 6 tablets ($2 per treatment) are more expensive than liquid cleaners at $1 to $1.50 per treatment. For machines with light buildup and no musty odor problems, OxiClean Machine Cleaner at $9 for 4 treatments ($2.25 per treatment) or Tide Washing Machine Cleaner at $10 for 5 treatments ($2 per treatment) are comparable alternatives.

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Affresh tablets are placed directly in the drum (not the detergent dispenser) before running the machine on the hottest and longest available cycle without any laundry inside. The tablet dissolves and releases surfactant and oxygen bleach that circulates through all machine surfaces including the drum, pump, hoses and gasket area.

Affresh is recommended by Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid and several other appliance manufacturers as their branded washing machine cleaner, indicating it is compatible with their machine seals and components.

At $12 for 6 tablets, Affresh provides monthly cleaning for 6 months at $2 per cleaning cycle.

Specifications

Specifications for Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner Tablets
FormatTablets
Count per box6 tablets
Compatible machinesFront-load and top-load
Active ingredientsSurfactant, oxygen bleach
Price$12

Specs from Affresh, washing machine cleaner tablets Amazon search

02
Best oxygen bleach washing machine cleaner
OxiClean OxiClean Washing Machine Cleaner with Odor Blasters

OxiClean Washing Machine Cleaner with Odor Blasters

Brand: OxiClean

Best for

Households with front-loading machines where musty drum odors are the primary problem, where OxiClean Machine Cleaner with Odor Blasters adds an odor-targeting enzyme to the oxygen bleach formula that Affresh does not include.

Skip if

Mineral deposit buildup (limescale) is the primary issue rather than odor and biological growth. Limescale from hard water requires citric acid for effective removal. Neither Affresh nor OxiClean contains citric acid for descaling. For hard water areas, a citric acid cleaning solution (available at home improvement stores) used quarterly is more effective against mineral buildup than oxygen bleach-based cleaners.

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OxiClean Washing Machine Cleaner uses sodium percarbonate (oxygen bleach) plus odor-elimination enzymes in a powder sachet added to the drum. The enzyme additive targets the biological sources of musty washing machine smell (mold, mildew, bacteria embedded in gasket folds and drum surfaces).

The product is used the same way as Affresh: placed in the drum on the hottest available cycle without laundry. The powder format dissolves faster than a tablet in cooler water temperatures.

At $9 for 4 treatments, OxiClean provides $2.25 per cleaning cycle for an enzyme-enhanced oxygen bleach formula.

Specifications

Specifications for OxiClean Washing Machine Cleaner with Odor Blasters
FormatPowder sachet
Count per box4 treatments
Active ingredientsSodium percarbonate, odor enzymes
Compatible machinesFront-load and top-load
Price$9

Specs from OxiClean, washing machine cleaner Amazon search

03
Best washing machine cleaner pods
Tide Tide Washing Machine Cleaner Pods

Tide Washing Machine Cleaner Pods

Brand: Tide

Best for

Tide detergent users who want a machine cleaner from a familiar brand in a pod format that is easy to handle, where Tide Washing Machine Cleaner pods provide the same drum-cleaning function as Affresh tablets in Tide's product ecosystem.

Skip if

Front-loading HE machines with severe odor or visible mold on the gasket are the use case. Tide Washing Machine Cleaner is a maintenance product, not a remediation product. For severe mold on a front-loader gasket, physical cleaning with a diluted bleach solution applied directly to the gasket should be done before using a maintenance tablet.

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Tide Washing Machine Cleaner pods dissolve in the drum during a clean cycle. The formula is designed to remove detergent residue buildup (which occurs from overdosing laundry detergent over many cycles) and odor-causing deposits.

The product is used on a monthly basis, the same interval recommended by most appliance manufacturers. The pod format prevents the mess associated with measuring liquid cleaners directly.

At $10 for 5 pods, Tide provides $2 per treatment for a pod-format machine cleaner compatible with all machine types.

Specifications

Specifications for Tide Washing Machine Cleaner Pods
FormatPods
Count per box5 pods
Compatible machinesFront-load and top-load
Price$10

Specs from Tide, washing machine cleaner pods Amazon search

04
Best washing machine cleaner with disinfectant
Lysol Lysol Washing Machine Cleaner

Lysol Washing Machine Cleaner

Brand: Lysol

Best for

Households where front-loading machine odors have progressed to visible mold or mildew on the gasket, where Lysol's disinfectant-grade formula kills bacteria and mold organisms that have established in the machine rather than just removing surface residue.

Skip if

Regular monthly maintenance is the goal. Lysol is more effective as a periodic remediation treatment for machines with active odor or mold problems than as a routine monthly cleaner. Once the machine odor is resolved, switching to Affresh or Tide for monthly maintenance is sufficient and less expensive.

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Lysol Washing Machine Cleaner uses hydrogen peroxide as the active disinfecting agent, providing kill claims against bacteria and mold organisms. The liquid format is poured into the drum before running the hottest available cycle.

The Lysol brand is associated with disinfection in household cleaning products, and the washing machine formula maintains that positioning with a published kill claim rather than just a cleaning and freshness claim.

At $8 for 3 treatments, Lysol provides $2.67 per cleaning cycle for a disinfectant-grade washing machine cleaner.

Specifications

Specifications for Lysol Washing Machine Cleaner
FormatLiquid
Count per bottle3 treatments
Active ingredientHydrogen peroxide
Compatible machinesFront-load and top-load
Price$8

Specs from Lysol, washing machine cleaner Amazon search

Washing machine cleaner comparison

Model Format Treatments Active agent Price
Affresh Tablets Tablet 6 Surfactant + O2 bleach $12
OxiClean Machine Cleaner Powder sachet 4 O2 bleach + odor enzymes $9
Tide Machine Cleaner Pods Pod 5 Surfactant blend $10
Lysol Machine Cleaner Liquid 3 Hydrogen peroxide $8

Compare the picks

Side by side comparison of every pick
Specification
Affresh Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner Tablets
Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner Tablets
OxiClean OxiClean Washing Machine Cleaner with Odor Blasters
OxiClean Washing Machine Cleaner with Odor Blasters
Tide Tide Washing Machine Cleaner Pods
Tide Washing Machine Cleaner Pods
Lysol Lysol Washing Machine Cleaner
Lysol Washing Machine Cleaner
Our verdictBest washing machine cleaner for most householdsBest oxygen bleach washing machine cleanerBest washing machine cleaner podsBest washing machine cleaner with disinfectant
FormatTabletsPowder sachetPodsLiquid
Count per box6 tablets4 treatments5 podsNot listed
Compatible machinesFront-load and top-loadFront-load and top-loadFront-load and top-loadFront-load and top-load
Active ingredientsSurfactant, oxygen bleachSodium percarbonate, odor enzymesNot listedNot listed
Price$12$9$10$8
Count per bottleNot listedNot listedNot listed3 treatments
Active ingredientNot listedNot listedNot listedHydrogen peroxide
BuyCheck priceCheck priceCheck priceCheck price

Questions people ask

How often should I clean my washing machine?

Most appliance manufacturers recommend running a washing machine cleaning cycle monthly. In households that do large volumes of laundry (6 or more loads per week), every 3 weeks is appropriate. In households with a front-loading machine and any history of musty odor, monthly cleaning should be combined with leaving the door slightly open between uses to allow the drum to dry. If the machine has not been cleaned in more than 6 months and has a musty smell, run two consecutive cleaning cycles with a product like Affresh or OxiClean before returning to monthly maintenance. The drum gasket on front-loading machines should also be wiped dry with a clean cloth after the last load of the day.

How do I prevent musty smell in a front-loading washing machine?

Front-loading washers develop musty odors when mold and mildew grow in the drum gasket folds and on residue trapped in the low-drainage drum. The primary prevention measures are: leaving the door ajar between uses to allow the drum to air dry (the most effective measure), wiping the door gasket dry after the last load and running a monthly hot-water cleaning cycle with Affresh or a comparable cleaner. Using the correct amount of HE detergent (not more than the HE label recommends) reduces residue that feeds mold growth. Fragrance-free detergents tend to leave less residue. Never leave wet laundry in the drum for extended periods, as wet fabric in a closed drum is the fastest way to establish mold.

Can I use vinegar to clean my washing machine instead of a commercial cleaner?

White vinegar can be used as a washing machine cleaner. Pour 2 cups of distilled white vinegar directly into the drum and run the longest, hottest cycle. Vinegar is acetic acid, which is effective at dissolving mineral deposits (limescale) and can inhibit mold growth. The limitations compared to commercial cleaners are that vinegar does not contain surfactants to dissolve detergent residue and does not have the oxidizing power of oxygen bleach to address protein and dye stains in the drum. For light maintenance in soft water areas with no odor problems, vinegar works adequately and costs less than commercial tablets. For front-loaders with established odor or mold, a commercial cleaner with oxygen bleach or disinfectant provides more thorough treatment.

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