Remove mold from a washing machine by scrubbing visible residue from the gasket, drum, and dispensers, then running an empty hot cycle with a washer cleaner or chlorine bleach as the manual directs.
Black specks on your laundry or a musty odor from the drum mean mold has taken hold. The cleaning process for mold in a washing machine takes about an hour of hands-on work plus one empty cycle — and skipping the hidden spots is why most attempts fail. Here’s the full removal sequence that works on both front-load and top-load machines.
What You Need To Remove Washing Machine Mold
Gather supplies before you start so the job goes quickly. For scrubbing, mix either a 1:1 vinegar-and-water solution or combine 1/4 cup bleach with 2 cups hot water. For the cleaning cycle itself, have liquid chlorine bleach or a washer cleaner such as Affresh on hand.
- Rubber gloves and an old towel or microfiber cloth
- An old toothbrush or small scrub brush for tight folds
- White vinegar and liquid chlorine bleach (never mixed together)
- A washer cleaner tablet or powder if you prefer that route
One hard safety rule applies: never mix bleach and vinegar. Combining them releases toxic chlorine gas, so pick one cleaning approach and stick with it.
Step 1: Scrub Every Spot Mold Hides
Wiping only the visible drum leaves most of the mold behind. The rubber gasket folds, detergent drawer, and pump filter collect moisture and fabric softener residue that feed mold growth, and cleaning a washing machine properly means reaching all of them.
Start with the gasket on front-load machines — pull the rubber seal back and scrub every crease with your vinegar solution or bleach mixture. On top-loaders, wipe under the agitator or impeller if you can reach it. Remove the detergent drawer completely and scrub its housing, then clean the drawer itself. Check the pump filter behind the small access panel on the bottom of front-load machines and clear out any debris.
Rinse everything with plain water as you go, then move to the drum interior and wipe down the walls. If you find heavy buildup on any surface, let the cleaning solution sit for 10 minutes before scrubbing again.
Step 2: Run An Empty Hot Cleaning Cycle
After manual scrubbing, the machine needs a self-cleaning cycle or an empty hot-water wash to flush mold spores and residue out of the internal plumbing that you cannot reach. Your exact steps depend on whether your washer has a built-in cleaning program.
Samsung washing machines with Self Clean, Self Clean+, or Pure Cycle features have specific directions. Samsung advises running a Spin-only cycle first to remove standing water. Then pour liquid chlorine bleach into the detergent compartment up to the max line — never the bleach dispenser — and start Self Clean or Pure Cycle immediately. Do not let bleach sit in the washer before the cycle starts.
For washers without a dedicated cleaning cycle, Affresh recommends selecting a warm or hot water temperature and a normal wash cycle sized for a large load, then adding liquid chlorine bleach to the drum or bleach dispenser and running the full cycle empty.
If you scrubbed with vinegar rather than bleach, skip the bleach for this cycle and use 2 cups of vinegar instead — add it directly to the drum on a top-loader or to the detergent dispenser on a front-loader.
Step 3: Wipe Down and Dry Thoroughly
Once the cleaning cycle finishes, open the door and inspect the results. Mold stains that remain on rubber surfaces need another round of scrubbing, not another machine cycle. Samsung says to wipe any leftover residue from the tub and run a Rinse+Spin cycle if you spot suds or debris remaining.
Drying is the step that prevents the mold from returning within days. Samsung explicitly advises leaving the lid or door and the detergent drawer open after every wash so moisture evaporates completely. A washer closed after use traps humidity inside, which is the single most common reason mold comes back.
If your machine still smells musty after this full cleaning, mold has likely colonized deeper in the drain hose or internal components. At that point, a second cleaning cycle may help, but persistent odor sometimes requires professional service. And to keep mold from recurring, wipe the gasket dry after each load and run a cleaning cycle monthly.
Once the mold is gone, choosing a reliable product makes routine maintenance easier — a tested roundup of the best washing machine mold cleaners compares the top options for monthly upkeep.
FAQs
Can vinegar damage a washing machine?
Vinegar is generally safe for washing machine components when diluted with water and used occasionally, but it is acidic. Long-term frequent use can degrade rubber gaskets and seals over time. Many manufacturers recommend cleaner tablets or bleach for cleaning cycles instead of vinegar, so check your washer’s manual before making vinegar a regular habit.
A cleaning cycle removes mold that is loose or on internal surfaces water reaches, but it cannot remove thick growth lodged in gasket folds, the detergent drawer, or the pump filter. Those areas need manual scrubbing first. Running the cleaning cycle alone leaves heavy mold colonies behind, which is why cleaning combines both manual scrubbing and an empty hot cycle.
Why does my washing machine keep getting mold even after cleaning?
Moisture trapped inside the machine is almost always the cause. Leaving the door or lid closed after a wash creates a damp environment where mold spores thrive. Keeping the door, detergent drawer, and sometimes the drum open between loads so everything dries fully is the most effective prevention. Using too much detergent or fabric softener also feeds mold growth with residue buildup.