Clean a Washing Machine with Vinegar and Baking Soda or a Cleaner

July 29, 2026
by Brodie Cook

washing machine cleaner tablet vs vinegar and baking soda to clean a washing machine

Your washing machine is meant to leave clothes feeling fresh. So it is frustrating when you open the door and notice a musty smell, a sour odour, or residue on a clean load.

If you search for a quick fix, vinegar and baking soda often appear first. The fizz makes this DIY cleaning method look fast and powerful. The catch is that using vinegar and baking soda properly usually means running two separate cleaning cycles. Some methods add a third rinse.

A compatible washing machine cleaner takes a different approach. One pre-measured tablet works in one approved hot cycle and contains more than two cleaning ingredients. This article compares the cycles, ingredients, and limits of both methods. For the full cleaning process, see our guide on how to clean a washing machine.

Vinegar and Baking Soda vs Washing Machine Cleaner: Quick Comparison

Comparison point	Vinegar and baking soda	Lucent Globe Washing Machine Cleaner
Cleaning cycles	Two separate cycles, sometimes followed by a third rinse	One hot cleaning cycle
Measuring	Two products with amounts that vary between DIY recipes	One pre-measured tablet
Acidic ingredient	White vinegar	Citric acid
Bicarbonate ingredient	Baking soda added in a separate cycle	Sodium bicarbonate within the tablet
Hard-water support	Mainly relies on vinegar’s acidity	Citric acid and zeolite
Other cleaning ingredients	None unless another cleaner is added	Sodium percarbonate, surfactants and enzymes
Main limitation	Vinegar is not approved for every washing machine, and baking soda may leave residue	The appliance manual must allow a cleaner to be added
Manual cleaning still needed?	Yes	Yes

Why Using Vinegar and Baking Soda Needs Separate Cycles in Washing Machines

Many cleaning hacks show vinegar and baking soda fizzing in the drum. The fizz looks powerful, but it does not prove that the washer is getting a deep clean.

White vinegar is an acid. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a base. When used together, they release carbon dioxide and move closer to neutral.

Once the two products start to neutralise each other, less active acid remains for mineral deposits and less active base remains for its separate role. Most DIY cleaning methods therefore use them one after the other.

Cycle 1: Using White Vinegar to Clean a Washing Machine

A vinegar cycle is mainly used for hard-water film and mineral deposits. The recipe is to use two cups of white vinegar in an empty drum, followed by a hot wash. That amount is not a rule for every appliance.

Some washing machines should not be cleaned with vinegar. Bosch Australia warns that vinegar can damage the rubber parts.

Check the manual before using vinegar or pouring it directly into the drum. If the manual allows it, the washing machine drains the vinegar solution before the baking soda is added.

Cycle 2: Why You Run Another Hot Cycle with Baking Soda

After the vinegar cycle, you would need to run another hot cycle with baking soda. Some call for a cup of baking soda. Others use less. The washer manual should still come before an online recipe.

The second cycle uses fresh water. This prevents the baking soda from meeting a full dose of vinegar at the start of the wash.

Baking soda may help with a musty odour and light grime. However, too much can leave white residue or gunk if it does not dissolve or rinse away.

The DIY method therefore involves more than two quick pours. You must measure two products, run two cycles, and check the washing machine drum afterwards.

When Is a Third Rinse Cycle Needed?

Some cleaning methods stop after the baking soda cycle. Others tell you to run a third rinse cycle with plain water. The extra rinse clears away baking soda, vinegar solution, or loose soil left behind.

The DIY process can therefore involve:

One white vinegar cycle.
One baking soda cycle.
An optional plain rinse cycle.
A final check and wipe.

One cleaning cycle is quicker than two or three. It may also use less water and power, although the exact difference depends on the washing machine and programs used.

cycle comparison for washing machine where it is visible that the lucent globe cleaner tablet saves time and cycles

How a Washing Machine Cleaner Works in One Cleaning Cycle

A purpose-made cleaner is not simply baking soda in tablet form. It can place several types of cleaning ingredients into one measured product.

Our Washing Machine Cleaner Tablets contain sodium bicarbonate, citric acid, zeolite, sodium percarbonate, sodium coco sulphate, lauryl glucoside, polyvinyl alcohol, fragrance, and enzymes.

The directions are simple:

Place one tablet at the bottom of an empty washing machine drum.
Run one approved hot cycle.
Wipe away any excess residue when the cycle finishes.

There is no need to measure cups of white vinegar, add a cup of baking soda, or run another hot cleaning cycle.

The tablet is pre-measured and comes in compostable packaging. Do not mix it with vinegar, bleach, liquid detergent, or fabric softener. Do not add dish soap, which can create too many suds.

What the Washing Machine Cleaner Ingredients Do

The useful question is not whether one is a “natural cleaning” method. Vinegar and baking soda are chemicals too. Instead, look at the cleaning role of each ingredient.

White Vinegar or Citric Acid

White vinegar is the acid in the DIY method. Citric acid fills the acidic role in the cleaner tablet. Both are linked with hard-water film and mineral buildup.

The difference is how they are used. Vinegar is measured and added for its own cycle. Citric acid is already included in the pre-measured tablet.

Baking Soda or Sodium Bicarbonate

Baking soda and sodium bicarbonate are two names for the same base.

With the DIY method, baking soda is measured and used during a separate wash cycle. The Lucent Globe tablet already contains a measured amount as one part of its wider formula.

Zeolite for Hard-Water Minerals

The two-product DIY method does not contain a separate hard-water aid. Lucent Globe uses zeolite to help manage the calcium and magnesium linked with limescale.

This gives the tablet another way to address hard-water buildup beyond using an acid alone.

Sodium Percarbonate

Sodium percarbonate is an oxygen-based cleaning ingredient. It is not present in the two-product vinegar and baking soda method.

This does not prove that the tablet will outperform every DIY method. It does show that the tablet contains a cleaning ingredient that the basic DIY method does not provide.

Surfactants

Sodium coco sulphate and lauryl glucoside are surfactants. They help the cleaning solution reach and lift residue from a surface.

White vinegar and baking soda do not provide the same surfactant role unless another cleaner is added.

Enzymes

Enzymes offer another way to act on suitable organic soil and residue. They are not present in white vinegar or baking soda.

The Lucent Globe product page lists enzymes but does not name each enzyme type. It would therefore be wrong to claim a more specific enzyme action without further product evidence.

Polyvinyl alcohol and fragrance are also listed, but the product page does not present them as the main cleaning ingredients.

Do Citric Acid and Baking Soda React Inside the Cleaner?

Yes. Citric acid and sodium bicarbonate can react when wet. This is also an acid and base reaction.

However, the tablet does not rely on those two ingredients alone. It also contains zeolite, sodium percarbonate, surfactants, and enzymes. The full formula covers more cleaning roles than soda and vinegar alone.

Which Cleaning Method Fits the Washing Machine Smell?

The source of the washing machine smell can help you choose the right next step.

Hard-water film or mineral deposits: White vinegar may help if the appliance maker allows it. Do not use vinegar when the manual warns against it.
Musty odour and detergent buildup: A compatible washing machine cleaner combines bicarbonate, citric acid, zeolite, surfactants and enzymes in one wash cycle.
Gunk in the detergent dispenser or rubber seal: A drum cleaning cycle may not reach it. The area may need a damp cloth or an old toothbrush during the full manual clean.
Mould or mildew on a front-load rubber seal: Do not assume a fizzing mixture will kill mould or disinfect the appliance. Follow the washer maker’s instructions. Heavy mould and mildew may need professional help.
Sour smell or poor drainage: The cause may be trapped lint, stagnant water, or a drain problem. Running more cleaning cycles may not fix it.

The best way to clean is not always the recipe with the most fizz. Match the cleaning method to the buildup, then check the appliance manual.

Can These Methods Deep Clean the Washing Machine Drum?

Both methods can clean the washing machine drum. However, deep cleaning a washing machine also means checking areas that a wash cycle cannot reach.

Neither method can remove a coin from a filter or give a folded rubber seal a good scrub. A cleaning cycle may also miss thick detergent and fabric softener buildup inside the detergent dispenser.

Those areas may need a damp cloth or old toothbrush. The washing machine door should also be left open when safe, so the drum can air dry.

Our complete guide explains how to clean a washing machine, including the seal, filter, and detergent dispenser. This page stays focused on choosing between vinegar and baking soda and a washing machine cleaner.