How to Clean a Washing Machine: Drawer, Gasket, and Limescale

Clean your washing machine’s detergent drawer weekly with a small brush and warm water, wipe the door gasket with a dry cloth after every wash to stop moisture and mold from building up, and once a month run an empty cycle on the hottest setting with a cup of white vinegar or a dedicated washer cleaner to dissolve detergent residue and limescale. That simple routine is the real difference between a machine that leaves clothes smelling clean and one that develops a musty smell despite running every day.

The quick answer

Clean the detergent drawer weekly, wipe the door gasket with a dry cloth after every wash, and leave the door or lid open for a few hours so the drum dries out completely. Run a monthly empty cleaning cycle with white vinegar or a dedicated washing machine cleaner on the hottest setting available to dissolve detergent residue and limescale, which builds up faster if your tap water is hard.

Key points

• A washing machine relies on a rotating drum and water pump to distribute detergent and rinse the load, so leftover detergent residue or limescale reduces wash and rinse performance (washing machine definition from Britannica).
• The door gasket on front-load machines traps moisture by its very shape, so wiping it after every wash prevents a mold buildup that only shows up weeks later.
• White limescale deposits inside the drum come from dissolved minerals in tap water, and they build up faster in hard water areas (limescale background from USGS).
• Closing the door right after a wash traps moisture inside the drum, and that’s the most common cause of a musty smell, not a fault in the machine itself.
• The monthly empty cleaning cycle matters more than any specific product, because it runs the machine hotter than a typical daily wash.

Why a normal wash cycle isn’t enough on its own

Every wash cycle leaves a small amount of detergent residue and dissolved minerals from the water inside the drum and detergent drawer, and a normal cycle at moderate heat doesn’t fully dissolve these leftovers every time. Over time, a thin layer of detergent residue and limescale builds up on the drum walls and door gasket, and this gradual buildup is exactly what makes clothes come out without that genuinely clean smell even though the machine looks like it’s working fine on the surface. The fix isn’t a stronger wash every day, it’s a separate cleaning routine for the machine itself on a weekly and monthly cadence.

Weekly cleaning steps

1. Pull out the detergent drawer completely (usually by sliding it out while pressing a small release catch, check your model’s manual for the exact method).
2. Soak it in warm water to loosen hardened detergent residue, then scrub the corners with an old toothbrush.
3. Wipe the drawer opening itself inside the machine’s body with a cloth, since detergent residue builds up there too.
4. Wipe the door gasket with a dry cloth after every wash, and check its folds, a common spot for trapped hair and hidden moisture.
5. Leave the door or lid open for a few hours after the last wash of the day so the drum dries out completely.

Removing limescale and odors

If you notice a faint white layer inside the drum or a mild smell despite washing regularly, the cause is usually limescale from minerals in tap water, and it’s more common in hard water areas. The simple monthly fix:

• Run the machine completely empty on the hottest setting available with a cup of white vinegar poured directly into the drum. Keep vinegar away from bleach and other chlorine cleaners, since the mixture gives off toxic chlorine gas, and run a plain rinse cycle before you try another product.
• Baking soda for stubborn odors: add half a cup of baking soda directly into the drum before running the hot empty cycle, since it dissolves odors without scratching any internal part.
• Or use a dedicated washing machine cleaner built for limescale removal (sometimes sold as a drum cleaner), placed in the empty drum and run the same way, if you prefer a ready-made fix with a fixed measure instead of measuring vinegar by hand. This kind of product doesn’t replace the weekly hand-cleaning of the detergent drawer and door gasket, but it’s a practical addition to the deeper monthly cycle.

Do and don’t for cleaning a washing machine

A washing machine that’s easier to clean routinely

When shopping for a new washing machine, how easy it is to reach the detergent drawer and door gasket at cleaning time makes a real difference over the long run. A practical example from our shortlist: the Geepas 9kg Fully-Automatic Top-Load has an easily removable detergent drawer, and it carries dozens of buyer reviews on Amazon.sa. We didn’t pick it for being the easiest to clean alone, we picked it because the balance of capacity and fully automatic convenience makes sense for most households, which is why it tops our guide to the best washing machine in Saudi Arabia.

See the Geepas 9kg Fully-Automatic Top-Load price on Amazon.sa ↗

When to stop and call a technician

• Smoke, a burning smell, or a hot plug or outlet.
• Water leaks from inside the body or near the electrics.
• The breaker trips, or the door stays locked with water inside.

If one of these happens, stop the cycle, close the water tap if you can reach it safely, unplug the machine only if the plug and the floor around it are dry (if they are wet, leave the plug alone and switch off the outlet’s breaker at the panel, if you can reach it without stepping in water), and call a qualified technician. Once the checks above are done, if odor, mold, detergent residue, or limescale keeps coming back, water stays in the drum after you clean the drain filter, or you cannot reach the drain filter, ask a certified technician or the manufacturer’s service agent to check the drain hose and pump.

Bottom line

Cleaning a washing machine is a simple routine that takes only minutes weekly and monthly: a clean detergent drawer, a regularly wiped door gasket, and the door left open after every wash so the drum dries out, plus a monthly empty cycle with white vinegar or a dedicated cleaner to dissolve detergent residue and limescale. If you’re still deciding between a front-load and top-load drum, read front load vs top load washing machine before you buy. And if you’re getting ready to buy a new machine, check washing machine buying mistakes to avoid and our how to choose a washing machine guide. For every option and price in one place, browse our washing machines section.

Sources

• Britannica, “Washing machine”, definition of the automatic washing machine and how it washes and rinses: https://www.britannica.com/technology/washing-machine
• USGS, “Hardness of water”, background on limescale and how it forms from minerals in tap water: https://www.usgs.gov/water-science-school/science/hardness-water