Samsung Washer Dirt / Mold Fix 

This video is immensely helpful. From giving us a start time and stop time, to showing which tools to use to make it go quicker. Thank you! Been dreading dealing with this sludge problem in my Samsung washer, but it's impossible to avoid now. It's gotten so bad. My clothing, bedding and towels come out of the washer dirtier than they were when they went in. So frustrating, Samsung! Will never buy a washer from them again.

I have this washer. We’ve tried everything you mentioned. We’re going to have to take ours apart too! I’m tired of fighting this machine and just want to replace it! Never buying a Samsung product again!

Literally going through this exact issue with my Samsung washer. Amazing they manufactured this washer like this.

Thank you for sharing!!!! I have almost the same model and we are having this problem as well. I've been having breathing issues for years... since about a year after getting this washer/dryer... I am very allergic to mold and today a lightbulb is going on! My husband will be cleaning the washer tonight. I will never buy Samsung again either.

Great video however we needed to see how you disassembled the washer before cleaning. We took the two back screws out and lifted the top off resting it off the back of washer. We then unsnapped the side clips of the drum and removed the top plastic cover of the drum. We then had to lift off the center agitator on the bottom of the drum, this was not easy to grasp so we used two wire hangers and anchored one on each side of a hole in the agitator and pulled up which lifted the agitator "pan". Then to get the drum out, we had to unbolt the bottom of the drum to lift out. We powerwashed the drum, detached the upper ring to powerwash and onto the inside drum to clean by hand. Should be good as new!

Troy - I'd consider adding a popup caption to your otherwise good video, saying NOT to worry about the invisible water sloshing around inside the body of the drum. It's in there for counter-balancing. If anyone tries to remove that water, they will effectively ruin their machine.

Have had the exact same issue for the past year or two. Not sure if I can do this at my age (75). THANKS FOR SHARING THIS VIDEO!!!!!!

I too am here because I'm having the same issue. It sounds easy so I'm going to try this. Thanks.

Nice camera! Very clear. Thanks for vid

I had to do this to our Samsung washer last week. I can tell you right now, use a pressure washer to clean out the metal drum, it’s way easier this and no scrubbing or cleaners were required. The plastic drum inside the unit was the only part that I had to scrub.

Thanks for a great vid. I'm having issues with lint and stains on my dark clothes. I'm gonna take out the pump and also the tub and clean the crap out of it. Thanks once more.

Wish you had video taped the disassembly.

Just went through this last week. You need to take the outer housing out also as the underside of that star at the bottom will be cracked with crap underneath. I had to pressure wash all the parts. That water helps balance the tub during spinning.

Thank you! I used bleach cleaner to clean tub out, to kill the mold & mildew... I was told by a small appliance technician that it's the fabric softener that clogs and dirtys up your washer & dryer. So now I don't use liquid fabric softener, and use wool balls in dryer now to soften clothes and for less static. After some time, I can see a huge difference! Dirt & grime doesn't stay in washer as bad as before, cause no wax (fabric softener) to hold it in bottom of the inside of the washer & walls anymore....

Yup same here. This helps a ton thank you

You would be amazed at how quick a pressure washer would have cleaned that wash bowl .. no scrubbing required..and the fisher and paykel is a much better washer to keep clean and so easy to take the tub out .. they just need the suspension replaced every five or so years which is very easy to do and not very expensive to do yourself.

The water sloshing around inside is not to be removed. It’s for balancing the tub and is sealed inside. Do not attempt to remove the water inside the tub.

*What a satisfying saga*

My family has owned washing machines made by Maytag, Kenmore, Whirlpool, and GE. None of them had problems like this. What is even worse was we wanted to buy a Maytag four years ago, but the Best Buy store was out of the Maytag, so they said they would give this more expensive Samsung one instead. We now wish we would have said, "NO!" The Best Buy insurance we purchased doesn't even cover this problem for "cleaning gunk" as Best Buy says. Best Buy tells you, "Have a professional clean it." But, that costs enough for this HUGE project that you would be better off buying a new machine! This is a TERRIBLE design by Samsung and TERRIBLE insurance from Best Buy. I won't be shopping at Best Buy any more because of this, and I won't be buying ANY Samsung products from ANYWHERE after this!

Thanks for taking the time! Getting to the cleaning now. So from now on once it’s been cleaned, and when washing clothes, I’m guessing no more liquid detergent or liquid softener. Perhaps detergent pods/tabs are better?

great video jus a FYI every manufacture of ALL TOP load washers have this same exact issue this is not a new problem our old washer made in 1998 has the exact same issue. In most all cases it is the liquid fabric softener created most of the problem and some liquid detergents. We have switched to POD style cleaner for our laundry and it does seem to help keep down on the excess amounts of liquid softener and detergent getting on the upper plastic tub. Whirlpool, Maytag, most all top load have had the same concerns over the years. The Samsung is a little harder to remove and clean than some other name brands.

I have a Samsung Washer too, and all of the cleaning products just are not cutting it. I have ran cleaning cycle after cleaning cycle. I have tried bleach cleaning cycles, Borax and vinegar cleaning cycles, extreme hot water and letting it sit and soak, and nothing is working. I do not have a bad smell, I just end up with mold splotches all over my clothes. After watching your video, It is apparent that the build up of mold and mildew in my wash machine is in areas that the cleaning agents aren't able to get to. I am afraid I am going to have to take my washing machine apart too. Perhaps I will create a start to finish video about my progress for the lay person. I am not a skilled handyman, but it does not appear to be to difficult.

Great instructions! I took mine apart. Cleaned it just like yours. Pressure wash the steel tub, scrubbed the plastic tub. The dirtiest part was the bottom center plate. This had slimy grime and "sand". After cleaning, it's pitted. But it's actually now very clean. Even scrubbed under it. After all that, Still getting small particles of sand after several cycles. 5 self clean cycles with bleach. And 5 spin/rinse cycles. please let me know if you no longer see "sand". I'm out of ideas here. Thank you.

Were you having issues with dirty spots on your clothes? My current issue.. clothes coming out with dirt spots they never had. Almost like grimy mud stains

I wish you showed how to disassemble and assemble

Question!! Did you undo all of the hoses and stuff from the wall or leave everything plugged in except the power chord?

Just don't use liquid fabric softeners....they contain animal fats, and pateroiums that are not water saleable to coat the fabrics in a thin waxy protective layer. It builds up on your fabrics and washing machine over time causing odor bacteria, mold/mildew inside the machine and on your clothes. Dryer sheets are a little better for softening the fabrics and more easily wash off in the wash and it doesn't clog the machine. White distilled vinegar is the best thing for naturally softening your fabrics and certainly will not damage your machine or clothing.

I have the same issue with my samsung had the tub replaced under warranty it had gone moldy and after a couple of years it hs happened again.

Best bet to buy new drum... Still comes out cheaper due to this is the biggest wide load residential for a home to buy... And leave the door washer open when not in use to last longer!!!

We took the agitator out and cleaned it the best we could and had it spotless from as far as we could see. Ran it with affresh tab on self clean cycle and still have the brown flakes/mildew. I’ve put hours into cleaning this thing and I don’t believe I’m going to disassemble it.

Brosef I don’t have the smell but i have the washer. Do you hear weird popping sounds when it first starts doing the weight sensing spins; as it switches directions

I took the inner tub to the car wash to clean it. My problem is there is water that is still in there somewhere I can hear it sloshing around & smell it. How do i get that out?

At 14:01, you see the drum out of the barrel. There’s a main drain hole, and a black plastic/rubber(?) bumper looking thing. Anyone know what that bumper does? Mine has a hole in it at the top that goes kinda down the side. There was a whole bunch of crud coming out of it- not sure if this is a part that needs replacing, a backed up filter, or what’s going on. Does anyone else have a hole in theirs?

Do you know to remove that white piece on the metal drum??

I have water in the top plastic part of the drum, is that for balance. It will not drain? Should I take that apart? I still have sludge removing the drum and drain line and cleaning!

Can you remove that “spider” at the bottom of the drum? I want to remove mine then professionally polish it and top it off with a nano ceramic coating.

Yeah I have completely disassembled mine and detailed it then reassembled it and run a clean cycle and there’s a bunch of gunk in the bottom at the end. I can’t figure out where it is coming from.

Don't drill holes to remove the water it's supposed to be there. They're made with salt water in them to balance during spin cycle...

I too wish you had shown how you exactly took it out

How do you take tub after taking the nut bolt off top

yes its fabric softner ,

I just finished doing this to mine. I would like to note for you guys with the stainless steel pulsator, when i was pressure washing the drum and the puslator. I noticed that in bewteen the stainless steel and the plastic is completely black. It would be missed and assumed that its just the color of the steel. Had i not pressure washed it I wouldve missed it. Ive cleaned everything at this point and am in the process of prying off the stainless steel casing around it and intend to run it with just the "plastic" part before buying a replacement. they run about 110 bucks...so idk if at this point its worth me doing this about every year or so or just getting a new one. :( good luck everyone.

This is same exact problem I’m having right now.. black stuff floating .. when it fills up and starts washing, I’ve ran the clean cycle with cleaning stuff about 20 times and it’s still a mess dude

Hi Troy .. need help. I had same model. I did all steps from a to z made it like a new. Cleaned in and out. Re assembled n instead of rinse .. i did a quick wash. At the end i still saw same dust n sand particles at the bottom. I am so much disappointed. Where could i have missed. Any suggestions please help.

How many times do you end up disassembling your washer and clean it? We are having the same problem, but if I have to do this once a month I'm not sure if it's worth even keeping the Samsung. Have you tried stopped using fabric softener to see if that has improved anything?

this is not isolated to just samsung. all washers, both top loader and front loader, will have this gunk inside. best treatment is using citric acid, but nothing gets it off better than dissassembly and hand cleaning.

You could probably also attribute that phosphates were banned in detergents in the USA :( :(

LG and samsung same tube same problem soap and softner over fill and type soap used. O inside drum remove the top ring screw to get to inside baffles they to need pulled out and cleaned. Good try but more to clean.

So after cleaning it, does the problem return with doing the cleaning cycle regularly??? Also btw many Samsung washers were recalled for the washer falling apart and having projectiles

Didn’t think to show us all how you disassembled it??

is this machine has a filter? where is it?

What about the sloshing water in the drum? I had just taken my washer apart and noticed that sloshing but couldn't find a way to drain that.

Loved your video. "What a nasty SOB."🤣😂😂. Noone is thinking that. I am thinking that all these washing machine companies should be ashamed. People wash baby clothing in these things!!!! I also loved Eminem playing in the background. Now, that song wll be stuck in my head today.

The real issue is the plastic that is permanently attached to the metal tub. I flipped it over and drilled small holes. It let out a gallon of water.. it was causing my machine to go out of balance so easily

What Samsung model is this machine?

You know it’s sad I should not have to take my washer apart to clean it SMH I do take the time to break down my dryer and clean it out and also have tools to clean out the vents but this is sad I have had a whirlpool that we had for 25+years with no issue and then boom buy this Samsung and less then a year smells like shhhhhheeeit so much technology and nothing Anyway thanks for the video

How did you take out the metal case?

How does the drum come out, you didnt show that?

I’ve done this 4 times. This time all bolts that hold drum to base broke. Off.

I’m not having this issue at all. We’ve had our machine for at least 3 years. One thing we do is keep can keep dry and clean. There is no smell in ours. There is only dust.

Fabric softers are the culprit Time to Sue the companies that make fabric softeners for destroying washing machine

It doesn't have a heavy cycle? You don't need a specific "cleaning" cycle to clean your machine, just set it to the fullest, hottest, heavy cycle it will go, use a bucket to fill it right up from a hot tap if you have to, add a descaling product, these are found in the laundry aisle, and are made specifically for washing machines, Afresh might not be enough for a job this tough, add 2 packets for a machine this big, very important; turn off the rinse and spin, and let it run. Repeat that same cycle, no rinse or spin, with the full machine a few times, let it soak for 6 hours or overnight, then run the heavy cycle once more with rinse and spin turned on. You might have to repeat it 2-3 times, but if you run the full, hot, heavy cycle every week, and use the washing machine cleaning powder once a month, you should only have to do it once. Also, if you use vinegar, with either lavender or tea tree essential oil to rinse every load instead of fabric conditioner, it'll help a lot. The advantage of toploaders is you can use bleach, as there are no rubber gaskets that can deteriorate. And keep your door open when not in use. This isn't rocket surgery or brain science lol.

Sooooo I'm working from home, did a load of sheets saw the sludge. Took the tab thing off, saw the sludge, Googled. Found you. I am grossed out and just want to take apart the darn thing but I need to work. Thanks for the video!! Samsung should have stuck to audio/video.

Strong moldy smell from my Samsung top-loader and flaky rust under the top rim. Stinks up the basement now. I have Samsung everything after remodel and not impressed. They don't seem to stand behind their products or offer help that well. Microwave died early. Lots of error codes from dishwasher. Plastic breaks inside refrigerator. They look good but there appears to be a high level of maintenance required!

I think you leave the water because it is apart of the balancing.

Why not start the process at the beginning? Like how'd you even get the washtub out???

Go to Home Depot and buy a pressure washer and about 4 sprinklers 😂

I will never buy another Samsun again!

I have been trying for a week to remove the Samsung pulsator wash plate in my top loader. Cap off, bolt out, used paint can opener, screw drivers, etc. still can't get it off. What do you recommend I do?

Use 3 dishwasher tablet in exmpy extra hih level and extrahot water once a mou thit will clean all this nasty shit. This is liquid detergent residue you only use liquid and cold warm temperture right? Use powder for white bedding and extra hot temperature and it also clean the machine

The smell and some of the debris is coming from the plastic ring full of water

Note to self. Buy a brand that has a long history of quality and reliability like maytag

Anybody get the inner/outer drum apart?

Because your sellers do not tell the buyers to leave the lid open!!!... Leaving the lid open prevents alot of your issues!!.. and how to use it when they use liquid, powder, pod soaps and fabric softeners!!!

It’s not mildew I had a technician come out and look at mine it is a buildup of softener and fabric fibers that look like mildew but it is not mildew they said or mold

The entire vid was cleaning, which literally anyone can do. Nothing on disassembling.

Never use fabric softener. Research online. It’s much better to use white vinegar.

your grass is dry-brown dude...

Cleaning the drum isn't the challenge. It's getting the top off. There are two metal clips in the front that will have to be bent or broken off. This video really didn't help me out.

What about the rust that forms around the detergent tray? Or the whole rim of the washer. It's ridiculous. Stains and ruins all your clothes, and even though there's lawsuits against Samsung for this, they don't cover rust in warranty. Don't buy samsung. That's the only way to fix it

Took it al apart, cleaned everything - still gunk and sand at the bottom of the drum after running a self clean. When I was cleaning the agitator/pulsator with the pressure washer, so much crud was coming out of the holes - it’s almost like the agitator is filled with gunk and there is no way to take the agitator apart to clean inside of it. Never buying anything from the company ever again

Pretty much all Samsung products are garbage.

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