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 grossed out 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 of a more natural cleaning method for the washer using 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 wipe it clean with a damp cloth. Pour two cups of vinegar in the detergent dispenser and run a hot wash cycle. Then, sprinkle a half cup of baking soda into the washer drum and run a second hot wash cycle. Wipe down the interior, leaving the door open to dry inside, and exterior with a damp cloth, including the detergent and fabric softener compartments. This has worked like a charm for me with no lingering vinegar odor afterward.

With a top-load washing machine, you’ll want to start a hot wash cycle and let the water run for a minute before opening up the lid and adding a quart of white vinegar to the drum. Close the lid and let the agitator work for a minute. Open the lid again and let the mixture disinfect the washer tub for an hour. While your washer drum is being disinfected, clean the exterior of the washer and give the tub’s rim and the tub of the agitator a good scrub. After the hour is up, close the lid and let the wash cycle finish. Run another hot cycle with a cup of baking soda. Open the lid and let the washer air dry. 

Easier than smearing toothpaste and lemon all over your washer, right? While I can’t stop you from trying that method anyway, be sure to use vinegar and baking soda as your backup plan if things go awry.