How to clean and service a washing machine soap drawer & fabric conditioner tray
The Soap drawer and boxes get mucky and they need cleaned pretty regularly this video tutorial will show you how.
You get the build-up of powder, fabric conditioner or softener and, combined with the nice warm atmosphere in most people’s homes and the wet or damp environment in the soap drawer it forms an almost perfect place for bacteria to grow. (which causes mould and smells)
When we talk about the soap drawer this is the bit you pull out to put the powder into. The part that this drawer slots into is known as the (soap box).
There seems to be basically two different methods for removal, a sharp tug for most of them or, in some cases like many Bosch, Neff, Siemens or Balay washing machines, a release clip. Below is a picture of the Bosch soap drawer being removed for cleaning or maintenance.
washing machine soap drawers are easily removed for cleaning
Once you have removed the drawer, you can clean it easily using hot water and a small brush, if your water has a lot of calcium in your area you may wish to bleach the areas that have scum marks on them will also need bleaching. I have had great success when a soap drawer has been soaked in hot water with some time especially with bleach it will ensure that all the bacteria gets wiped out and will help remove any build up of lime scale.
Normally at the back of the fabric conditioner section there is a removable tube that forms a siphon to which the softener is taken into the machine on the final rinse. This needs to be removed and cleaned as if it is not clear then often the siphon will not work correctly. In almost all machines these just pull off for cleaning and the tubes need to be cleaned with a small brush.
If you don’t clean this then you will get a congealed mass of conditioner or soap detergent building up which can lead to unpleasant smells and mould in the washing machine. It can also cause other issues, like the soap drawer not clearing the water properly or may cause the machine to leak from the soap drawer in extreme cases, as well as resulting in the machine not taking the conditioner into the drum on the final rinse.
49 Responses to “How to clean and service a washing machine soap drawer & fabric conditioner tray”
Hi, I had this problem for a long time and decided to finally get around to working out what was up. I took out the drawer and there doesn’t appear to be any siphon attached. See pic here: http://goo.gl/Zm1l8Q
My washing machine is an Edesa LEA-6110. I can’t seem to find any spare siphon parts online. Is there a one size fits all part I could purchase?
Thanks! : )
Thank you! Helped me to easily get my Bosch soap drawer out!
Aha – was searching for why my Bosch soap drawer was overflowing. With your instructions took it out, cleaned it and it now appears to be running perfect. Thank you!
glad we could help
Hi
Could you tell me does the wash powder go in the left hand side and softener in the middle, I’m not sure why there are 3 compartments in the drawer , its a bosch WAA24270GB?
left and fabric softener in middle
The left compartment for wash powder, middle for conditioner, the right one is for powder if you prewash.
Well, English is not my first language, and I have problems understanding spoken English, so please could you write down what you said from minute 1:41 to 1:44. It seems to me you say “either bad spray going into the door”. Is that right? If so what does it mean?. Thank you very much
There is a HAUS WM1050-W washing machine in the flat Im living. Anybody knows how to pull out the detergent drawer for cleaning it up? Don’t find the user manual anywhere. Thanks.
Hotpoint Aquarius Extra WD64 How to remove dispenser drawer
I remove the drawer but behind the drawer and into the machine it us full of slimy mould. I have cleaned it several times and used a machine cleaner but it is returning. What can I do?
With my Miele washing machine the fabric conditioner is not going through the machine.
I have tried cleaning it to no avail
What should I do next ?
The ceiling of the soap box of my Beko looks very similar to the 2nd picture from the left at the top of this page, ie. several small holes on both sides of the ceiling, with a ‘thingamajig’ in the middle (over the fabric conditioner section) with only a couple of holes. Question: can I just poke a toothpick and/or small brush into those small holes, in order to clean them? Not that there’s anything in there that won’t like it (I’m thinking a seal or a filter mesh or anything like that).
Second question: how does the conditioner compartment actually empty? When the conditioner cycle begins, most of the rings water goes through the side compartments with a bit of water getting into the conditioner compartment in the middle. Then, when the machine stops taking in water, a different sort of noise is heard for a few seconds and after that the conditioner is gone. The compartment is a ‘cup’ ie. it has no outlet on the bottom, only the ‘siphon’ bit at the back, but I can’t figure out how it actually empties – can anyone help? (Not that it matters much, I’m just being curious!)
Just some info on how the conditioner compartment actually works – I was completely stumped by this until I looked very closely indeed at my own machine.
The quick answer is that it works by using a siphoning mechanism, which here is implemented using two concentric tubes, one inside the other. Once enough fluid builds up in the conditioner compartment, i.e. when the fluid (mix of water + conditioner) reaches the top of the compartment, it flows out of the whole compartment via the following route: UP the inside of the bigger tube then DOWN the inside of the smaller tube, and out.
(Siphons use gravity to get fluid from a high chamber, over a barrier, and out via a lower level exit, just as is done by petrol thieves stealing petrol from a car.)
I knew this intellectually about my own Bosch machine, but repeatedly failed to notice that the smaller tube is not in fact blocked off at the bottom but that it is open and hence in a position to drain the compartment. You have to look VERY closely at my Classixx machine to notice this :).
How can I dissolve the calcified residue of soap powder in my soap dispensers?
Over time the soapbox in my Bosch washing machine has become really dirty. I do clean it with a brush but it is very difficult to get into the holes and along the edges. Any suggestions would be most helpful.
Hi
I’ve just moved house and the new place came with a Bosch washing machine. Mine was an Indesit, which I regularly cleaned and maintained – still going strong after 16 years! Sadly, the previous owners of the aforesaid Bosch didn’t love their machine as they should have. The seal was black and almost rotten. It’s been replaced. The problem is the soap drawer. I’m a single woman, not well up on these things so thanks to google, I found out yesterday that all soap dispenser drawers are removable, and the stuff I thought looked like Tarmac is actually biofilm. So far so good. Cleaned with bleach and hot water.
Seen a YouTube video on how to unblock the fabric conditioner holes – dental floss sticks and toothbrush, next job on list. I can do that.
Problem …. How the hell do I remove all this black gunk and mould from the tiny space where the soap dispenser drawer goes, that looks like it’s been building up since World War Two ?? And would it damage my clothes, if any got loose, into the next wash??l
Hi
I can’t get my Bosch Classixx 7 washing machine drawer out – please help . Thank you Amanda
I am having the same problem.I don’t have a button to press to open it.
Our Bosch W/M, E-Nr2860GB/01 has given many years of vg service. Recently the middle section (of 3) of the detergent tray (for adding conditioner) does not empty into the wash on the last rinse. We have thoroughly cleaned the tray, the siphon and recess and have always regularly done so but this is still happening. I believe there must be a water supply into the tray which is programmed to flush the tray contents into the drum at the appropriate time. Could this be the problem ie. no water flush or is it something else ?
PS. In observing the water influx to the tray compartment (with tray not in; some water therefore splashing out) it very much is evident that good flows go into the outer two tray compartments but there is no such similar flow coming down into the middle compartment. Is this right? If so just how does the conditioner get flushed out down into the drum ?
You need to make sure that the soap draw is clean and all the holes at the top of the draw are clear, you then can also inspect the water valves to make sure that they are functioning correctly also if your water pressure is low this may also cause a problem.
Appliances Engineer
Helpful to get this cleaned, thanks! Also interesting how the conditioner compartment works, it explains why there’s always a bit of water in the bottom of it. If I do prewash, I’ve been using liquid in both sides of the drawer – for almost five years since I bought it, and I think I’ve been doing this wrong, because it seems if you use liquid instead of powder, they will both immediately drain into the machine – is this correct? In which case, is there a way to use liquid for the main wash? It seems the only thing I could do is liquid or powder in the prewash, but the main wash must be powder else it’s immediately taken into the machine.
You could try using a ball in the machine but it does depend on the make of the machine if you want to use the soap draw
Appliances Engineer
Hi Paul, any thoughts on how to remove washing powder that has caused a hard deposit in the soap dispenser. Its rock hard and scraping it with a knife barely makes a difference. Thanks!
try soaking it for a few days
Appliances Engineer
My BAUMATIC Front load washing machine detergent drawer not opening. Any help is appreciated.
it might be jammed and need cleaning you may need to remove all soap box
Appliances Engineer
Mine was not cleaned for far too long. I now have a hard, almost calcium like, build-up lining on the soap dispenser which won’t come off with a brush. We use soap powder.
Any ideas as to what I can use to soften or remove this build up other than chiselling away at it?
Sorry. I didn’t see your earlier comment on the same problem.
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Appliances Engineer
when you have a question please use contact us page for 24 hour response https://how-to-repair.com/help/contact-us/
Get Appliance help from Paul, Email him
Appliances Engineer
Not been using softener box for months guessed it was clogged but could not get drawer out. many thanks for your help.
glad we could help
Appliances Engineer
How do I clean my siemens washing macine varioperfect model despenser drawer as the conditioner and soap despenser needs cleaning. Thank you
when you have a question please use contact us page for 24 hour response https://how-to-repair.com/help/contact-us/
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