How to Clean a Washing Machine Drum: Tablets vs Vinegar (India)

Short answer: Clean the drum of your washing machine once a month. Empty the drum, add one cleaner tablet (or 2 cups of plain white vinegar), and run the hottest long cycle your machine has. If your model has a Tub Clean or Drum Clean programme, use that. Run one empty rinse afterwards. Then clean the parts the drum cycle misses: the door gasket (front-load), the detergent drawer and the drain filter. Tablets cost under ₹10 each on current deals and are the easier option. Vinegar costs less per wash, but don't use it every week, because acid can wear rubber seals over time. Never mix vinegar and bleach in the same cycle.

Most bad smells, grey marks on white clothes and slimy black deposits have one cause. Detergent residue, fabric softener, lint and hard-water scale build up in places you never see, and mould grows on them. A monthly clean stops it before it starts.

Signs your washing machine needs cleaning

• A musty or sour smell from the drum, or from clothes straight out of the wash.
• Black or grey specks on the rubber door seal or inside the detergent drawer.
• White, chalky crust around the drum holes or the dispenser (hard-water scale).
• Clothes coming out with lint or grey streaks after a normal wash.
• Water draining slowly, or a drain error code.

If you see two or more of these, do the full deep clean below, then switch to the monthly routine.

Tablets vs vinegar vs baking soda

	Cleaner tablets	White vinegar	Baking soda
What it does	Breaks down detergent residue and odour; most also descale	Dissolves limescale and soap scum	Loosens grime and absorbs smell
Effort	Drop one in, run a cycle	Measure 2 cups, run a cycle	Usually a second cycle after vinegar
Safe for rubber seals	Yes, when made for washing machines	Fine once a month; avoid weekly use	Yes
Cost per clean (current deals)	About ₹6 to ₹10 per tablet	A few rupees	A few rupees
Best for	Monthly maintenance, front-load machines, busy households	Heavy scale from hard water	Odour, after a vinegar cycle

Two rules apply to every method:

1. Never combine vinegar and bleach. Together they release chlorine gas. If you use bleach on the gasket, flush it out with a separate rinse cycle before any vinegar goes in.
2. Never run a cleaning cycle with clothes inside. The drum must be empty.

How to clean a front-load washing machine

Front-loaders smell more than top-loaders because the rubber door gasket holds water in its folds and the door stays shut between washes.

1. Clean the gasket first. Pull back the folds of the rubber seal and wipe out hair, lint and black deposits with a damp cloth. For stubborn mould, use a mild diluted cleaner on the cloth, then wipe again with plain water.
2. Wash the detergent drawer. Most drawers pull out with a press tab. Soak it in warm water, scrub the corners with an old toothbrush, and wipe the slot it sits in.
3. Run the drum cycle. Put one cleaner tablet directly in the empty drum, or pour 2 cups of white vinegar into the drum. Select Tub Clean / Drum Clean if your model has it. If not, choose the hottest, longest cotton cycle.
4. Rinse once. Run a short empty rinse to flush out loosened residue.
5. Clean the drain filter. It sits behind a small flap at the bottom front. Put an old towel and a shallow tray down first, because water will come out. Unscrew it slowly, remove coins, hairpins and lint, rinse it, and screw it back tight.
6. Dry and air. Wipe the drum and gasket dry and leave the door and drawer slightly open for a few hours.

How to clean a top-load washing machine

Fully automatic top-loaders follow the same idea. The extra step is a soak, which lets the cleaner work on the outer tub you can't reach.

1. Add one tablet (or 2 cups of vinegar) to the empty drum.
2. Start the hottest, longest cycle with the highest water level. If you have Tub Clean, use that instead.
3. Once the tub has filled and agitated for a few minutes, pause it for 30 to 60 minutes to soak. Skip this step if your model doesn't allow pausing.
4. Resume the cycle and let it finish, then run one empty rinse.
5. Wipe under the lid, around the rim of the tub and the pulsator or agitator. Clean the lint filter if your machine has one (it is often clipped inside the tub wall).

Semi-automatic machines: fill the wash tub with the warmest water you can safely handle, dissolve the tablet or add the vinegar, run the wash timer for a few minutes, leave it to soak for about 30 minutes, then drain and run plain water through. Wipe the spin tub separately with a damp cloth.

What if my machine has no hot water?

Tablets and vinegar both work better in warm water. Many fully automatic front-loaders and some top-loaders have a built-in heater. Many Indian top-loaders and most semi-automatics don't, and run on tap water only. In that case:

• Use the Tub Clean programme if available. It is designed around that machine's water temperature.
• Otherwise use the longest cycle and the soak step. Longer contact time partly makes up for colder water.
• In winter, if your manual allows it, you can part-fill the tub with warm (not boiling) water from a geyser. Some machines specify a maximum inlet temperature, so check first.

Hard water: why Indian homes need descaling

Borewell water and municipal supply in many Indian cities is hard: it carries dissolved calcium and magnesium. These leave chalky scale on the drum, the heater element (if your machine has one) and the dispenser. Scale makes a heater work harder and gives mould a rough surface to cling to.

If you see white crust, pick a cleaner labelled descaler (most washing machine tablets now say "cleaner and descaler" on the pack) or use a vinegar cycle. With very hard water, monthly is the minimum; some households clean every three weeks.

How often to clean each part

Part	How often
Drum cycle (tablet or vinegar)	Once a month
Door gasket (front-load)	Quick wipe weekly, full clean monthly
Detergent drawer	Monthly
Drain filter or lint filter	Every 1 to 3 months, or whenever drainage slows
Leave door or lid open to dry	After every wash

Habits that keep the smell away

• Take clothes out soon after the cycle ends. Wet clothes left for hours are the fastest route to a smelly drum.
• Use the right amount of detergent. Extra detergent doesn't clean better; the excess stays behind as residue. Follow the dose on the pack for your load size.
• Use detergent made for your machine type. Front-loaders need front-load (low-suds) detergent.
• Go easy on fabric softener. It is waxy and builds up in the drawer.
• Leave the door or lid ajar between washes so the drum can dry.
• Keep the machine level on a firm base. A machine that rocks during spin can loosen hoses and leak. Anti-vibration pads or a stand help on uneven bathroom or balcony floors.

Live deals on washing machine cleaners and accessories

These deals are live on RichDeals and were price-checked on the store page before publishing. Prices change often, so check today's figure before you buy.

• LUMONY washing machine cleaner and descaler tablets, pack of 10: ₹99 (M.R.P. ₹499), about ₹9.90 per tablet. Listed for both front-load and top-load machines.
• Washing machine cleaner tablets, 18, lavender: ₹129 (M.R.P. ₹599), about ₹7.20 per tablet, enough for a year and a half of monthly cleans.
• Washing machine cleaner tablets, 24 pack: ₹148 (M.R.P. ₹499), about ₹6.20 per tablet, the lowest cost per clean of the three.
• Zerfa anti-vibration pads, set of 4: ₹99 (M.R.P. ₹999), for machines that walk or rattle during spin.
• Lifelong adjustable washing machine stand with wheels: ₹829 (M.R.P. ₹2,999). It lifts the machine off a wet floor and lets you roll it out to clean underneath.

Shopping for a new machine instead? Our washing machine buying guide covers front-load vs top-load and capacity. For more home deals, see the offers page.