You think your clothes are getting clean. They aren't. Not really. If you haven't scrubbed the inside of your machine lately, you're basically just rinsing your favorite shirts in a soup of old skin cells, hard water minerals, and leftover detergent slime. It’s gross. Honestly, most of us just assume that because a machine uses soap, it stays clean by default. That's a lie.
I’ve seen washers that look pristine on the outside but have a thick, grey sludge—technicians call it "scrud"—hiding just beneath the rim of the agitator. It’s a mix of fabric softener and body oils. If your laundry has a faint whiff of "wet dog" or "mildew" even after a heavy cycle, you've got a biofilm problem. Learning how to clean top loading washer drums isn't just about aesthetics; it's about making sure your expensive $800 appliance doesn't die a premature death from corrosion or pump failure.
Why your top loader is a magnet for gunk
Top loaders have a specific design flaw compared to front loaders. They have a lot of "dead zones." These are spots where water splashes but doesn't drain effectively. Think about the top rim of the tub, the area under the agitator cap, and the bleach dispenser. These spots stay damp for days.
Mold loves it there.
Most people use too much detergent. Modern High-Efficiency (HE) soaps are incredibly concentrated. When you over-pour, the machine can't rinse it all away. This excess soap creates a sticky coating on the outer tub—the part you can't see—which then traps lint and dirt. It's a literal magnet for bacteria. According to research from microbiologists like Dr. Charles Gerba, fecal matter and E. coli can actually linger in washing machines, hitching a ride from your underwear to your kitchen towels if you aren't disinfecting the drum regularly.
The vinegar and bleach debate
You'll see a lot of "natural" cleaning hacks online. People love vinegar. I get it. It’s cheap. But here is the thing: vinegar is an acid. While it's great for breaking down calcium deposits (hard water), it isn't always strong enough to kill deep-seated mold colonies or break through heavy grease.
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Bleach is the heavy hitter. It sanitizes.
Never mix them. Seriously. Mixing bleach and vinegar creates toxic chlorine gas. You need to pick a side or, better yet, do a two-stage clean. I usually suggest starting with a vinegar soak to tackle the minerals and then running a second cycle with bleach or a dedicated cleaner like Affresh or Tide Washing Machine Cleaner to handle the biological stuff.
The step-by-step: How to clean top loading washer tubs effectively
First, empty the thing. No stray socks.
Set your washer to the hottest water setting possible. If you have a "Whites" or "Heavy Duty" cycle, use that. You want maximum agitation and maximum heat. Fill the tub.
Once it’s full, add four cups of white distilled vinegar. Let the machine agitate for about a minute to get the vinegar mixed in, then hit the pause button. Let it sit. You want that acidic water to soak into the crusty bits for at least an hour.
While it's soaking, grab a toothbrush.
Dip it in the vinegar water and scrub the dispensers. The fabric softener cup is usually the nastiest part. It gets a thick, waxy buildup. Scrub the rim of the tub. Scrub the underside of the lid. You’ll be shocked at the black flakes that come off. People often forget the "splash zone" above the water line.
- Scrub the agitator fins.
- Clean the bleach dispenser (it pops out on many models like Maytag or Whirlpool).
- Wipe the exterior buttons—we touch those with dirty laundry hands.
After an hour, let the cycle finish. Now, do it again, but this time use one cup of bleach. No soaking is needed for this round; just let it run through. The bleach will kill the stuff the vinegar loosened up.
Dealing with the "hidden" filter
Wait, top loaders have filters?
Some do. Most modern HE top loaders (like LG or Samsung) have a small pump filter, often accessible through a panel on the front or back, though some are "self-cleaning" (which is marketing speak for "it's really hard to reach"). If yours has one, unscrew it. Have a towel ready. It’s going to smell like a swamp. Clean out the hair, the lost pennies, and the slime. If you don't do this, the machine struggles to drain, leaving your clothes wetter and smellier than they should be.
Older "old school" machines with the big central agitator sometimes have a lint trap on the top of the agitator. Pull it off. If it’s clogged, your clothes will come out covered in grey fuzz.
Maintenance habits that actually work
You can't just clean it once a year and call it a day. If you want to stop the smell from coming back, you have to change how you do laundry.
Leave the lid open. Always.
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When you close the lid on a damp washer, you’re creating a literal petri dish. By leaving it open, the water evaporates. This is the single easiest way to prevent mold. Also, stop using so much fabric softener. Softener is basically liquid wax. It coats the fibers of your clothes to make them feel soft, but it also coats the inside of your pipes and drum. Switch to wool dryer balls or a tiny splash of vinegar in the rinse cycle instead.
If you live in a place with hard water—like much of the Midwest or Southwest—your machine is fighting a losing battle against scale. This white, chalky buildup acts like sandpaper on your machine's internals. Using a water softener or adding a descaler once a month will save you a $400 repair bill for a burnt-out motor.
Breaking down the "Scrud" problem
The term "scrud" isn't just a funny word; it's a technical nightmare for appliance repair techs. It’s a waxy, grey-to-brown substance that forms when soap flours react with cold water and fabric softener.
If you only ever wash in cold water to save energy, you are inviting scrud to move in. Cold water doesn't dissolve detergents or body oils effectively. At least once a week, run a load of towels or sheets on the "Hot" setting. This helps melt away any beginning stages of buildup before it turns into a thick layer of sludge that requires a complete teardown of the machine to fix.
Real-world expert tip: The "Towel Test"
Not sure if your machine is clean? Run a cycle with just a clean, white hand towel and no detergent. Look at the water halfway through. If it's sudsy or cloudy, you have significant detergent buildup. If there are black specks floating in it, that's broken-down biofilm. That means it's time for a deep clean.
To keep your machine running perfectly, follow this rhythm:
- Monthly: Run a dedicated cleaning cycle using a commercial cleaner or the vinegar/bleach method.
- Weekly: Wipe down the rubber seals and the top rim where dust and lint collect.
- Every Load: Leave the lid open and use half the amount of detergent you think you need.
Taking twenty minutes to handle the maintenance now prevents the "stinky towel" syndrome that ruins your morning routine. Most top loaders are built to last 10 to 15 years, but they only reach that age if the internal components aren't suffocating under a layer of old soap and hard water minerals. Stick to a schedule, keep the lid up, and your laundry will actually be as clean as it looks.
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Check the manufacturer's manual for your specific model—especially for HE machines—as some have a specific "Clean Washer" button that optimizes the water level for a deep scrub. If you've lost the manual, most are available as PDFs on the brand's website by searching your model number, usually found on a sticker just inside the lid.