How to clean washing machine top loader with just 5 simple, effective steps.

Hi, it's Steve. In this video, we'd like to show you some tips on how to clean your top load washer. Proper cleaning of your top load washer can help eliminate and prevent odors as well as keep your washer looking new. Now, with your top load washer, the inner basket obviously gets filled with water and clothing and detergent and will typically keep itself clean. However, there are areas inside of this washer where detergent can build up along with dirt and grime and eventually will start to cause a smell. Getting to those areas may appear a little bit difficult and we hope to show you that it's much easier than you think. One of the areas where detergent and fabric softener will build up and eventually cause a smell is the actual agitator. Now, depending on your model, the agitator may be bolted to a transmission shaft or in some models, it may just be a friction fit. In particular, GE brands tend to have an agitator dry block located right at the very bottom of the tub and the agitator is just pressed onto that. To remove that one, you would simply grasp the outside edges of that agitator and pull up sharply. Most other brands will have a removable fabric softener dispenser that is located at the top of the agitator and those that use an auger style, that portion may be removable as well. Typically, the fabric softener, it's just a friction fit and a little bit of pressure and you usually pop that off. Be sure to check your model to verify what type of agitator mount it uses. Typically, fabric softener and detergent don't mix very well and detergent gets spilled into that dispenser, the fabric softener will stick to it almost like a glue-like substance. To clean this, we would suggest soaking that in as hot water as you can and use either a baking soda or vinegar or a combination of both solution, allow it to soak and then scrub it with a soft brush or rag until we remove all of that debris. Be sure to clean the bottom of it as well and then rinse it thoroughly when we're done. With the fabric softener dispenser removed, we can then see down through the barrel of that agitator and you'll see the head of a bolt there. That would indicate that this agitator is attached to the transmission shaft with that bolt so we'll need to remove that next. Now, once we've loosened that bolt, we'll simply reach down, grab the base of the agitator and pull it all the way out. At this point, we'll be able to see the bottom of that agitator and there's a little bit of buildup here. Again, just using a commercial cleaner and a soft scrub brush, we can clean that debris off of there. Now, as well, you may want to inspect that agitator and see if the auger portion of it separates from the base. If so, it'll be that much easier to clean. Typically, with the mounting bolt removed, we simply can slide that off and then clean the two individual pieces separately. We want to make sure that if there is a bearing between these two components that you keep that intact or be sure to replace it as you reassemble the agitator. Now, with the agitator removed, we also see another area where dirt can build up. Again, this is typically a combination of detergent, minerals in the water, and maybe fabric softener. Gently scrub any of this debris that is caught in those grooves and clean all that out. Again, that will prevent an odor buildup on your inner basket. We've raised the main top and lid assembly on this washer to expose our tub cover. Depending on your model, the main top may be held in place with spring clips or there may be screws that attach it to either the cabinet or the front panel. Once we've lifted that main top, we can then inspect that tub cover and you'll see around the perimeter, there are some drain holes typically in that area that may or may not be open depending on how much debris has gotten into that area. We can scrub all that area out, just spray it down with some commercial cleaner and using as hot water as you can stand, we can clean that area out. There may also be some of that debris located on the underside of that tub cover, so you may wish to just remove that completely and wash it separately. Typically that tub cover is attached to the outer tub with plastic clips. When detaching this style of plastic clip, you may want to press down on that tub cover. That will compress the gasket inside and allow you to lift that tab away. Go all the way around the perimeter of the outer tub, releasing all the individual tabs and then you can take that component off and clean it. Once we've released all of those tabs, we can lift that tub cover off and you can see what may be built up on the inside. Again, we would take that to a set tub, use as hot water as possible, your favorite commercial cleanser, spray that down and wash it with a soft brush to remove all of that debris. Take caution that there is a gasket that fits into that groove around the perimeter of that tub cover. We want to make sure that that does not get distorted as it needs to be able to seal against the outer tub. Now, with the tub cover removed, we've also exposed the top portion of this inner basket. You can see where again, there is some buildup on the outer edge of that, particularly at the top. Removing the tub cover gives us some access here that we could put your favorite cleanser on this area and scrub it with a brush and that will remove all that debris and potential odor from that. Now, while we have that main top up, we've cleaned the tub cover, the top of the outer tub as well as the top of the inner tub, we may also inspect the water inlet injector and see if there's any buildup such as we see here. Again, that can cause some odor eventually, so we'll use our spray cleaner or vinegar and baking soda solution, wet that down and clean that properly. Now, to prevent odors from reoccurring in your top load washer and to maintain that freshness, we suggest that at the end of each cycle that you use, leave the lid open as long as you can. That will allow that inner basket and outer tub to dry thoroughly and that will prevent a smell. As well, wipe up any spills of fabric softener or detergent or bleach as they occur. Wipe down the lid periodically making sure that we get into these nooks and crannies using a toothbrush if you need to and that will help prevent that odor buildup. Thank you so much for watching. We certainly hope these tips were helpful to you and remember to subscribe so you don't miss a thing.