Are Washing Machine Cleaner Tablets Worth It? Who Needs Them and What They Cost

Shop BLITZ Washing Machine Cleaner, $24.95

What a washer cleaner tablet actually does

Every load leaves a little behind: detergent and softener that didn't rinse out, lint, body oils and, with hard water, minerals. It builds up on the drum, on the outside of the drum where you can't see it, and in the tub around it. That film is what turns into a musty smell and grey specks on clothes.

A cleaner tablet is a dose of cleaning agents made for that buildup, released in the hottest cycle your washer has. Most washer tablets are oxygen-based: Affresh, for example, lists sodium percarbonate and sodium carbonate as its first ingredients on Amazon.ca, and LG recommends an oxygen-based cleaner for its Tub Clean cycle. The tablet goes straight into the empty drum, as LG's instructions say, not into the detergent drawer.

What a tablet doesn't do, and where most disappointment comes from:

• It doesn't clean the door seal folds. Black spots on a front-loader's rubber gasket sit on the seal, not in the drum. Wipe the folds by hand, and see our guide to mould stains on a front-load washer gasket for the ones that don't wipe off.
• It doesn't empty the drain pump filter or rinse a slimy detergent drawer. Those are hand jobs.
• It doesn't replace detergent, and it can't fix a leak, a pump fault or a washer that won't drain.

Tablet vs a plain hot cycle, vinegar or bleach

You have four ways to run a cleaning cycle. Here's what each one brings, from the washer makers' own instructions.

A plain hot cycle. Hot water rinses, but it brings no cleaning agent. That's why LG's Tub Clean instructions call for one cleaning agent, Whirlpool's for an affresh tablet or 1 cup (236 mL) of liquid chlorine bleach, and why Samsung Canada says a washing machine cleaner may help if odours persist.

Vinegar. It's an acid, so it can loosen light limescale, but it isn't made for soapy detergent residue. Whirlpool and Maytag advise against it in the drum because of the rubber seals and hoses. The full comparison is in washing machine cleaner vs vinegar.

Bleach. Cheap, and Samsung suggests it for odours, in the detergent compartment, never poured into the drum. But it has to be measured: more than Whirlpool's 1 cup "could cause washer damage over time". Amounts and placement by brand are in vinegar or bleach to clean a washing machine.

A cleaner tablet. One piece, made for the residue itself. Washer makers point to cleaners too: Whirlpool recommends affresh tablets, GE Appliances lists a washing machine cleaner as an option for Basket Clean (and Tide Washing Machine Cleaner for models without it), and LG gives instructions for cleaning tablets in its Tub Clean cycle. BLITZ also breaks down mineral deposits, so the same cycle handles scale.

What each option costs per year

Washer makers ask for a cleaning cycle at least once a month, so here's the cost of 12 cleans, at the prices we found on October 20, 2026. Prices move. The hot water costs the same whichever option you pick, so it's left out.

• Hot cycle only: $0 in product.
• Vinegar: 6 cents per 100 mL at Walmart.ca. LG's 200 mL is 12 cents, the 4 cups (about 1 L) Samsung gives for hard-water buildup about 60 cents: $1.44 to $7.20 a year.
• Bleach: Great Value Concentrated Liquid Bleach, 3.6 L for $4.27 at Walmart.ca (12 cents per 100 mL). One cup is about 30 cents: about $3.50 a year.
• BLITZ: $24.95 for 24 tablets is $1.04 a clean. Monthly, $12.48 a year; every two weeks, as we recommend, one box: $24.95.
• Tide Washing Machine Cleaner: 3 for $7.97 on Amazon.ca, $2.66 a clean: $31.88 a year.
• Affresh: 6 tablets for $20.99 on Amazon.ca, $3.50 a clean: $41.98 a year.

What $1.04 a clean buys: twice as many cleans as a monthly routine, a product made for detergent residue that also descales, and no bleach to store or mix by mistake. Among tablets, BLITZ every two weeks still costs less than Affresh or Tide once a month. For every brand compared, see the best washing machine cleaner in Canada.

Who gets the most out of tablets

You wash mostly in cold water. Québec.ca and Natural Resources Canada recommend cold washes to save energy. The catch: Whirlpool says to use warm and hot settings sometimes, not exclusively cold, to better control soil and detergent buildup. A hot cleaning cycle with a tablet every two weeks gives the washer that, without changing your loads.

You have an HE or front-load washer. ENERGY STAR certified washers use on average 33% less water than standard models, according to Natural Resources Canada, and Québec.ca puts front-loaders at 70 to 90 litres a load, about half a top-loader.

Less water means less to carry detergent away, which is why Whirlpool insists on HE detergent, never more than the recommended amount. Front-loaders also keep the door shut between loads: Samsung says to leave the door and the detergent drawer open after every wash.

You have hard water. Whirlpool says hard water may call for more frequent cleaning. Montréal's water was 117 mg/L in 2024 and Toronto's 119 mg/L in 2025 (moderately hard), and Calgary's 174 to 224 mg/L (hard to very hard). A tablet that descales handles the minerals in the same cycle. Check your city's water hardness.

You run a lot of loads. LG shows a tCL reminder after 30 wash cycles. At 7 loads a week, that comes about every month; at 15 loads, every two weeks. More on timing in how often you should clean your washing machine.

You already notice a musty smell. LG recommends Tub Clean three weeks in a row for mildew or musty smells, with a cleaning agent each time. A tablet is the simplest way to dose those three cycles; wipe the seal and rinse the drawer too, or the smell comes back from there.

Which routine fits your washer

It's one tablet in the empty drum on every washer. What changes is how often, and which cycle you run:

• Samsung with Self Clean. Put the tablet in the empty drum and run the hottest regular cycle as a separate cycle, not Self Clean. Samsung itself says a washing machine cleaner may help when odours persist.
• Light use, soft water, regular hot washes. A few loads a week, soft water like Gatineau's (32 to 45 mg/L), some warm or hot loads, the door left open, no smell: one tablet a month, and one box of BLITZ lasts two years.
• The problem isn't in the drum. Black spots on the seal, slime in the drawer, a clogged pump filter, a sewer smell from the drain, a leak or standing water: clean the part by hand, or call a technician or a plumber, then keep the drum clean with a tablet.

How to get your money's worth from a tablet

About 2 minutes of your time, plus one cycle. You need one tablet and a cloth.

1. Empty the drum. No laundry, no detergent, no other cleaner.
2. Put the tablet in the drum. Straight into the bottom of the drum, not the detergent drawer.
3. Run the hottest cycle. Use Tub Clean or Clean Washer if your washer has it. On a Samsung front-loader, use the hottest regular cycle, not Self Clean. On a top-loader, pick the largest load size so the water reaches the rim.
4. First time, or a strong smell? Run two. Two cycles back to back, a new tablet each time. LG suggests three weekly Tub Clean cycles for a musty smell.
5. Finish by hand. Wipe the door seal folds, rinse the drawer, then leave the door and drawer open to dry.
6. Repeat every two weeks. A box of 24 is a year. Light use: once a month, and the box lasts two years.

Why BLITZ

• One tablet per clean. Unscented: no perfume covering up an odour. For front-load, top-load and HE washers.
• Residue and scale in one cycle. Citric acid for mineral deposits and an oxygen cleaner for detergent residue and grime, with no chlorine.
• A year in one box. 24 tablets for $24.95, $1.04 a clean, at goblitzclean.com and on Amazon.ca.
• Septic-safe, like every BLITZ product.
• A Québec company based in Laval, with service in French and English. Free shipping in Canada from $40 ($7.95 under), most orders in 2 to 3 business days, 10% back in store credit on goblitzclean.com, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Rated 4.9 out of 5 (14 reviews) on goblitzclean.com. "After running a cleaning cycle, the machine smelled noticeably fresher and looked much cleaner." (Sonia A., customer review, July 2026)

Frequently asked questions

Do washing machine cleaner tablets really work?

Yes, on the buildup inside the drum and tub, which is what washer makers' cleaning cycles are for. Whirlpool, GE and LG all give instructions for a cleaner in that cycle. They don't reach the door seal folds, the drawer or the pump filter, so clean those by hand.

Can I just run a hot cycle with nothing in it?

Hot water rinses, but it brings no cleaning agent for detergent residue. That's why LG, Whirlpool and GE call for a cleaner in their cleaning cycles, and why Samsung says a washer cleaner may help when odours persist. One tablet in the empty drum adds it.

Are washer tablets better than vinegar or bleach?

For a washer cleaning cycle, a tablet is the one made for the job: it targets detergent residue, and BLITZ also descales. Vinegar is an acid for light scale that Whirlpool and Maytag advise against in the drum. Bleach has to be measured (more than Whirlpool's 1 cup could damage the washer over time) and must never be mixed with an acid. Read vinegar or bleach to clean a washing machine for each brand's amounts.

Can cleaner tablets damage my washer?

Used as directed, one tablet in the empty drum, a cleaner tablet is what washer cleaning cycles are built around: LG gives tablet instructions for Tub Clean and Whirlpool recommends affresh tablets. BLITZ has no chlorine: citric acid for scale and an oxygen cleaner for residue, in front-load, top-load and HE washers.

How often should I use a washer cleaner tablet?

Every two weeks with cold washes, hard water, heavy use or a smell; once a month otherwise, which is the makers' minimum. Full details in how often to clean your washing machine.

Can I use a tablet with clothes in the washer?

No. Run it in an empty drum, with no detergent. A cleaner tablet is not laundry detergent.

Are washer cleaner tablets safe for a septic tank?

BLITZ is, like every BLITZ product: septic-safe, one tablet in the empty drum.

Read next: Washing Machine Cleaner Tablet or Vinegar: Which Is Better? · Best Washing Machine Cleaner in Canada (2026)

Sources: Samsung Canada (and its hard-water page), LG Canada, Whirlpool, Maytag, GE Appliances, Health Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Québec.ca, and Walmart.ca and Amazon.ca listings (prices checked October 20, 2026). Pages checked October 19 and 20, 2026.

Affresh, Tide, Whirlpool, Maytag, GE, LG and Samsung are trademarks of their owners. BLITZ is not affiliated with any of them.