Uproot Clean Review: Is It Legit? We Tested It Against 4 Other Washer Cleaners
Written byLaura PierceUpdated today
Uproot Is Good. One Cleaner Beat It on Every Test We Ran.
Do your towels smell musty even though they just came out of the wash?Is there gray gunk in the detergent drawer, or dog hair packed into the rubber seal?Did the smell come back a week after your last “deep clean”?
If you’re looking up Uproot Clean, your washer probably smells, and you want to know if Uproot is worth it before you buy. So we bought it, along with the four other cleaners people compare it to, and ran every one in the same front-load and top-load washers for six weeks.
Here’s what most reviews miss. The smell isn’t coming from the drum you can see. Detergent, softener, body oil and pet hair build a slimy film in the gasket folds, under the drum and along the drain path. Bacteria live in that film. A cleaner that only freshens the drum, or adds a nice scent, leaves the film behind, and the smell is back in your towels within days.
Uproot did a decent job. The drum looked cleaner and it is unscented, which we like. But it comes in three strengths you have to match to your home, it doesn’t say what its enzymes actually break down, and hair stayed packed in the gasket fold after a full cycle.
One cleaner cleared the film, the hair and the smell from the very first cycle, and the towels still smelled clean three days later. It costs about the same per clean as Uproot, and right now it’s Buy 2 Get 2 Free.
Top 5 Picks
#1 BEST OVERALL
#1
OdorCrush Washing Machine Cleaner
PROS
Removes the Smell at the Source: Three enzymes plus active oxygen break down the film odor-causing bacteria live on.
Fragrance-Free: Nothing masks the result. Towels come out smelling like nothing at all.
Pulls Pet Hair From the Gasket: Enzymes loosen matted hair and dander so the rinse flushes it out.
Dissolves Hard-Water Scale: Citric acid clears the mineral crust residue clings to.
One Tablet for Every Home: No strength chart. Works in HE, front-load, top-load and compact washers.
Septic Safe: Safe for seals, hoses, stainless drums and septic systems.
Buy 2 Get 2 Free: As low as $0.69 per clean, with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
CONS
Often Sells Out: The Buy 2 Get 2 deal keeps stock tight.
Official Site Only: Not sold on Amazon, Chewy or Target.
#2
Uproot Clean Washing Machine Cleaner
PROS
Popular With Pet Owners: A familiar name on Amazon and Chewy.
Unscented: Does not add perfume to the laundry.
Septic Safe: Safe for septic systems.
CONS
Enzymes Not Specified: Doesn’t say which residues its blend targets.
Three Strengths to Pick From: Pro, Ultra and Turbo. Pick wrong and you buy twice.
Film Left on the Seal: Hair stayed packed in the gasket fold after a cycle.
#3
Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner
PROS
Slow-Release Tablet: Dissolves across the full cycle.
Easy to Find: Sold in most big-box stores.
CONS
Citrus Fragrance: Scent covers the musty smell instead of proving it’s gone.
No Enzymes: Nothing for the protein and oily film from body soil and pets.
#4
Tide Washing Machine Cleaner
PROS
Fast-Dissolving Powder: Disperses quickly once the cycle starts.
HE Compatible: Works in standard and HE washers.
CONS
Heavy Added Scent: Original Scent masks odor rather than removing it.
Oxygen Only: No enzymes for pet residue or body oils.
#5
OxiClean Washing Machine Cleaner
PROS
Pre-Measured Pouches: Pour one pouch into the drum.
Septic Safe: Suitable for HE washers and septic systems.
CONS
Two-Ingredient Formula: Oxygen bleach and washing soda, no enzymes, no descaler.
Starter Routine: Existing odor needs weekly treatments before monthly upkeep.
Uproot Clean vs OdorCrush: Why OdorCrush Took #1
Both are unscented tablets, both are septic safe and both are popular with pet owners, so this came down to what each tablet actually removes. OdorCrush won on every test that decides whether the smell comes back.
OdorCrush
Uproot Clean
Cleaning formula
3 named enzymes (protease, amylase, lipase) + active oxygen + citric acid
Enzymes and tea polyphenols, blend not specified
Strengths to choose from
One tablet for every washer and home
Pro, Ultra or Turbo
Pet hair packed in the gasket
Loosened and flushed out
Hair left in the gasket fold
Hard-water mineral scale
Citric acid dissolves it
Not targeted
Musty smell 3 days later
Gone
Faint stale note returned
Price per clean
As low as $0.69
$0.69 to $0.83
Deal right now
Buy 2 Get 2 Free
Bundle discounts
Guarantee
60-day money-back
Varies by retailer
Why the Smell Keeps Coming Back
Washer odor is not one substance. Skin cells, dander and pet saliva are protein. Food and sauce stains leave starch. Body oil and fabric softener leave a greasy film that glues everything to the drum. Bacteria feed on all three, and hard-water scale gives them a rough surface to hold onto.
OdorCrush gives each problem its own ingredient. Protease breaks down protein. Amylase breaks down starch. Lipase dissolves the oily film. Then active oxygen lifts the loosened buildup off the drum and citric acid dissolves the scale underneath. The bacteria lose the film they live on, and the cycle carries it out of the machine. Uproot lists enzymes and tea polyphenols but never says which residues it targets.
One OdorCrush cycle loosens the gray residue and hair stuck to the drum so the rinse can flush it out.
The Three-Day Towel Test
A washer that smells fine right after a cleaning cycle proves nothing. The real test is a load of towels, dried, folded and left in the closet for three days. After Uproot, ours picked up a faint stale note by day three. After OdorCrush, they still smelled like nothing at all. Because OdorCrush has no fragrance, there was nothing covering the result.
Odor elimination99%
Residue breakdown97%
Pet hair removal98%
Machine safety99%
No Strength Chart to Guess From
Uproot sells Pro, Ultra and Turbo, and asks you to match the strength to the size and number of pets in your home. Guess low and the smell stays. OdorCrush is one tablet for every washer and every home, whether you have no pets or three large dogs. Drop it into the empty drum, run a hot or Clean Washer cycle, done.
One tablet in the empty drum every two weeks keeps the film from building back up.
Is Uproot Clean a Scam?
No. Uproot is a real product and it does clean the visible drum. Our issue is that it leaves the hidden film and the gasket hair behind, which is where the smell comes from. If you already own Uproot, use it up. If you’re buying now, OdorCrush costs about the same per clean and fixed the problem Uproot left.
Is OdorCrush Worth It?
Yes. A smelly washer costs more than it looks: rewashed loads, extra detergent and towels thrown out because they “always smell.” OdorCrush removes the film behind the smell instead of perfuming over it, works out to as little as $0.69 per clean, and comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Verdict
OdorCrush is our Best Overall washing machine cleaner, ahead of Uproot Clean. It clears the buildup behind musty laundry instead of covering it, pulls the pet hair out of the gasket, and it’s one tablet for every home.
Right now OdorCrush is Buy 2 Get 2 Free, and every order is backed by a 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee. If your laundry doesn’t smell cleaner, you get a full refund.
Each cleaner ran in the same front-load and top-load washers, followed by loads of towels, gym clothes and dog bedding. We checked the drum, gasket and drawer after each cycle, then smelled the dried towels again three days later.
Whether the musty smell stayed gone carried the most weight.
Odor Elimination
Smell in the drum, the gasket fold and dried towels three days later.
Residue Breakdown
Film and grime wiped from the drum wall, drawer and drain filter before and after.
Pet Hair Removal
Hair left in the drum and rubber seal after a load of dog bedding.
Machine Safety
Seals, hoses and drum finish after repeated use; septic and HE ratings.
