How to Clean a Whirlpool Cabrio Washer

Quick Answer

To clean your Cabrio washer, insert an Affresh tablet or one cup of liquid bleach into the empty drum and run the dedicated Clean Washer cycle. For the best results, you must also manually scrub the detergent dispenser drawer and the rubber seal around the lid to remove hidden mold.

When your Cabrio starts smelling like a wet dog, it's biofilm. That's a slimy mix of soap scum, body oils, and bacteria that builds up behind the wash basket where you can't see or reach it with a cloth. Ignore it long enough and it'll clog the pressure sensor tube and trigger water level errors, or send debris into the pump. I've seen machines get written off for something a $5 tablet could've prevented.

WhirlpoolWasherSeverity: lowDifficulty:

Time to Fix

60–90 min

Difficulty

Parts Cost

$0 (no parts needed)

Tools Needed

Microfiber cloth or old cotton rag, Old toothbrush (keep one under the sink just for this)

How to Clean a Whirlpool Cabrio Washer

Do this once a month, or every 30 loads, whichever comes first. The machine does most of the work. You're looking at maybe 10 minutes of actual scrubbing and then 90 minutes of waiting while the cycle runs. You probably already have everything you need at home. Honestly the hardest part is just remembering to do it before your laundry starts smelling like a gym locker.

Symptoms You May Notice

Clothes smell musty or like mildew even right out of a fresh wash cycle, which is the dead giveaway
Black or dark brown spots on the plastic rim around the drum opening, or on the underside of the lid when you flip it up
Grey or brown flakes showing up on your dark laundry after washing, basically chunks of loosened residue breaking off and sticking to your stuff
The machine is draining slower than it used to, taking way longer to get through the spin cycle
Sour or rotten smell coming from the machine even when it hasn't been used in a day or two

Tools Required for Diagnosis

Microfiber cloth or old cotton ragOld toothbrush (keep one under the sink just for this)White distilled vinegarAffresh washer cleaner tablets (part W10501250) or liquid chlorine bleachSmall bowl or measuring cup for vinegar

Diagnostic Checklist

Follow these steps in order. We start with the easiest external fixes before opening up the machine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Cabrio smell like rotten eggs?

That smell is bacteria feeding on residue left behind by fabric softeners and cold water washes. The combo creates a biofilm, basically a slimy layer of organic material, that grows in the dark, damp spaces behind the drum where you can't see it or reach it. Running a monthly cleaning cycle with a quality tablet is the main way to break it down. Also start leaving the lid open after every wash. That alone cuts the smell dramatically because you're taking away the damp environment the bacteria need to grow.

Can I use vinegar and baking soda together in the Clean Washer cycle?

I don't recommend it for the actual machine cycle. They basically neutralize each other in a big volume of water and you end up with neither working well. They're both great for manual scrubbing, like on the dispenser drawer or the rim. But for the cleaning cycle itself, a specialized tablet like Affresh is way more effective because it's got surfactants specifically designed to lift and chemically strip oils and mineral deposits from the outer tub walls. That's not something vinegar and baking soda can do at that level.

How do I clean the pump filter on a Cabrio?

Here's the thing, most Cabrio top-loaders don't have a user-accessible coin trap or pump filter like a front-loader does. If your machine isn't draining, you usually have to pull off the back panel or actually tip the machine forward to access the pump directly. That's a bigger job than most people want to tackle. It's one of the main reasons regular cleaning matters so much on these machines, keeping debris from reaching the pump in the first place is a lot easier than getting in there to unclog it later.

Is bleach or vinegar better for cleaning the washer?

They do different things. Bleach is excellent at killing mold and sanitizing, but it doesn't break up heavy soap scum at all. Vinegar is better at dissolving mineral deposits and cutting through grease. For a machine that already smells bad, I'd go with a dedicated Affresh tablet first because it handles both problems at once. After the cleaning cycle, do a manual wipe-down of the rim and dispenser with straight vinegar. That combination covers everything bleach misses and everything vinegar can't reach on its own.

Why are grey flakes showing up on my dark clothes?

Those are chunks of loosened biofilm and dried detergent residue that's been building up inside the outer tub for a while. When enough of it accumulates, pieces start breaking off and sticking to your laundry during the wash. Run the Clean Washer cycle twice back to back with a fresh Affresh tablet each time. After the second cycle, wipe out the drum with a damp cloth. You should see a lot less of it. If the flakes keep showing up after two cleanings, check the drum for any rough spots where residue might be caked on and scrub those areas manually.

Models Known to Experience HOW-TO-CLEAN-CABRIO Errors

This repair applies to most Whirlpool washers with this error code. Common model numbers include:

WTW8500DC0, WTW7000DW0, WTW6600SW0, WTW5000DW0, WTW8040DW0, WTW7300DW0, WTW8800YW2

Written by

Mike Sullivan

Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 20 years experience

Last verified for technical accuracy on March 17, 2026