Using dishwasher tablets to clean a washing machine is a popular and inexpensive hack. While it effectively cuts through soap scum and mildew, experts warn that harsh dish detergents can degrade rubber seals over time. Use this method sparingly, or stick to a purpose-built Washing Machine Cleaner to protect your warranty.
Yes, you can use dishwasher tablets to clean your washing machine—but only occasionally. Because dishwasher detergents contain harsh degreasers and bleaching agents, using them as a regular hack can damage rubber seals, strip components, and void machine warranties.
Using a dishwasher pod in your washing machine can cause excessive sudsing, unwanted chemical residue on your clothes, and potential irritation to your skin. Worse, some ingredients in dishwasher pods can be too harsh for fabrics.
Clean the washing machine
You may be surprised, but you can use a dishwasher tablet to clean the washing machine! Even your trusty washing machine needs a little cleaning now and then. To do this, simply toss a tablet into the drum of an empty washing machine, and run a hot cycle.
Baking Soda + Vinegar (Best DIY Laundry Detergent Alternative)
The best washing machine deodorizer depends on your washer type and maintenance needs. Top picks include Affresh tablets for standard monthly maintenance, OxiClean with Odor Blasters for tough, built-up odors, and Tide Washing Machine Cleaner for hard water.
Yes, you can use white vinegar to clean your washing machine. It is a highly effective, natural way to break down mineral deposits, eliminate soap scum, and kill lingering mold or odors.
10 Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergent Alternatives For When You've Run Out
Many Amish households use standard, commercially available detergents like Tide or Gain, as they often shop at the same local supermarkets and bulk stores as non-Amish communities. However, many others prefer to live sustainably and avoid harsh chemicals by using simple, natural, and highly effective DIY detergents.
I know, I know — they seem like a quick fix, but dishwasher tablets are designed for food breakdown not laundry mess. They are harsh and can damage your washer's seals, hoses, and drum, and leave behind a pesky residue buildup!
To clean a washing machine with a dishwasher tablet, place one tablet directly into the empty drum or in the main detergent drawer. Run a hot wash cycle (60∘𝐶 or higher) without clothes to remove buildup, bacteria, and lime, ensuring the tablet dissolves completely.
Yes, dishwasher tablets are highly effective at cleaning toilet bowls. Because they are designed to cut through grease and dissolve hard water stains, the enzymes and degreasers inside the tablet can easily break down toilet grime and limescale.
Deep clean your washing machine by tackling the removable parts, rubber seal, and filter first. Next, run a specialized cleaning or "tub clean" cycle with baking soda and vinegar or a commercial tablet. This breaks down soap scum, eliminates mold, and freshens your machine.
In an emergency, dish soap can freshen lightly soiled clothes or help spot-treat greasy stains. Use 1 teaspoon for HE washers or up to 2 teaspoons in standard machines. Always add an extra rinse cycle to remove soap residue. While this works as a quick fix, switching to a real detergent is strongly recommended.
Vinegar does not fully disinfect laundry. While the acetic acid has mild antimicrobial properties that can reduce certain odor-causing bacteria, it is not strong enough to kill 99.9% of germs, viruses, or fungi, and does not qualify as a true disinfectant.
Baking Soda: A powerhouse for cleaning in general, adding half a cup of baking soda to your laundry can freshen up clothes and even help remove odors. White Vinegar: Great for breaking down odors and softening fabrics, pour half a cup of distilled white vinegar into the rinse cycle as a natural fabric softener.
'When you add vinegar to your fabric softener compartment, your machine will dilute it with water so that it isn't too harsh or overpowering on your clothes.
Don't use it on a regular basis, or in the wrong quantities. Don't use it on cotton, linen, rayon, or nylon. Don't add to your fabric softener dispenser.
The best approach to clean your washing machine is to run a cycle using either distilled white vinegar or a specialized washing machine cleaner tablet, followed by a maintenance scrub of the rubber seal and detergent drawer. This breaks down residue, removes mold, and eliminates odor-causing bacteria.
To quickly eliminate a foul odor, run an empty, hot water cycle with 2 cups of white vinegar or a specialized washing machine cleaner (like affresh Washing Machine Cleaner). Follow this with an empty, hot cycle using 1 cup of baking soda to neutralize lingering smells.
To help get rid of smells in your washer, you should:
For the safest, most eco-friendly washing machine cleaner, choose the EPA Safer Choice-certified Seventh Generation Fragrance-Free Washer Cleaner. Alternatively, a simple, low-cost DIY mix of 222 cups of white vinegar and 1/2 cup of baking soda is highly effective and completely non-toxic.
You can't go wrong with vinegar and baking soda - it's probably the most popular alternative to Affresh, and for good reason. Here's what you do: grab a cup of baking soda and two cups of white vinegar, then put them right in your washing machine's drum. Run it on hot water, and these two ingredients will get to work.
You can use baking soda for lightly soiled everyday loads, but it is not a complete substitute for laundry detergent. Because it lacks the active surfactants and enzymes found in detergents, it won't effectively break down heavy grease, oil, or stubborn stains.