Should I use bleach in my washer?
Use chlorine bleach sparingly and only in the dedicated bleach dispenser — it's safe in that compartment but will damage gaskets and stainless steel if poured into the drum. Oxygen bleach (like OxiClean) is safer for routine brightening. For sanitizing the washer itself, a hot empty cycle with bleach once a month is fine.
The dedicated bleach dispenser on every modern washer is designed to dilute chlorine bleach with water before it contacts clothes or the drum. Using it this way is fully safe — every manufacturer explicitly supports it.
What's not safe: pouring concentrated chlorine bleach directly into the drum or onto the door boot. Undiluted chlorine bleach will degrade rubber gaskets, etch stainless-steel drums over time, and can harm internal sensors.
For routine brightening: oxygen bleach (sodium percarbonate, the active ingredient in OxiClean and similar) is gentler and safe to add to the main wash compartment. It's effective on protein and organic stains and doesn't affect colors as aggressively.
Sanitizing the washer: a monthly hot empty cycle with 1 cup of chlorine bleach in the bleach dispenser — not in the drum — is safe and effective. Never mix bleach with vinegar or ammonia-containing cleaners.