I’d Never Clean My Washer with Toothpaste and Lemon — I Follow This Brilliant Method Instead

Sometimes what appears in our social media feeds can surprise us. I won’t lie: I was completely surprised when watching a recent cleaning hack video on TikTok on using a lemon and an entire tube of toothpaste to deep-clean a washing machine. I’ve had laundry mishaps where the detergent pod didn’t fully dissolve, but I can’t imagine it being worse than washing off that gunk if it gummed up the works. To cleanfluencer Lena Boston’s credit, the lemony toothpaste was all washed off after the load was done. But my washer is already on its last legs, and I won’t chance it.

Like the appliance repair tech who made a video warning people not to use the toothpaste and lemon hack, I usually toss in an Affresh tab on the “clean” cycle, and it seems to do its job. But I stopped buying those tabs when I learned how to clean my washing machine with vinegar and baking soda. Here’s how it’s done.  

Haven Polich, product manager at the Scandinavian appliance company ASKO, walked me through a simple routine for cleaning my front-load washing machine.

• Start by spraying white vinegar on the gasket and wiping it clean with a damp cloth.
• Pour two cups of white vinegar into the detergent dispenser.
• Run a hot wash cycle.
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup of baking soda directly into the washer drum.
• Run a second hot wash cycle.
• Wipe down the interior and exterior with a damp cloth, including the detergent and fabric softener compartments.
• Leave the washer door open to air dry.

This method leaves my washer clean and fresh with no lingering vinegar smell afterward.

With a top-loader, the process is slightly different but just as effective. Start a hot wash cycle and let the water run for about a minute. Open the lid and add one quart of white vinegar to the drum. Close the lid and let the agitator run for a minute, then open it again and allow the mixture to sit and disinfect for an hour.

While the washer is soaking, scrub the exterior, the tub’s rim, and the agitator. Once the hour is up, close the lid and let the cycle finish. Then run another hot cycle with one cup of baking soda. When it’s done, open the lid and let the washer air dry completely.

Most experts recommend cleaning your washing machine once a month to prevent buildup from detergent, fabric softener, and moisture. If you do a lot of laundry (especially with heavily soiled clothes, pet bedding, or athletic gear), you may want to clean it every two to three weeks.

Regular maintenance helps prevent mildew smells, improves cleaning performance, and can even extend the life of your washer.