Washing machine cleaning in District 1 — Ba Son, Da Kao, Tan Dinh

Ho Chi Minh City has used wards, its local administrative units, in place of districts since 1 July 2025. Under Resolution 1685/NQ-UBTVQH15 the former District 1 is now four of them: Sai Gon, Tan Dinh, Ben Thanh and Cau Ong Lanh. Two old wards, Da Kao and Nguyen Thai Binh, were each cut in two, so a building near Da Kao may be in Sai Gon ward or in Tan Dinh ward. Book with the address you are used to; we do the matching.

We serve all four wards regularly, every day from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM. A front-loader takes two to three hours, so we set a start early enough for the drum to be refitted and test-run before your building's contractor hours end.

Sai Gon ward

All of the old Ben Nghe ward with a share of Da Kao and of Nguyen Thai Binh: the Ba Son area with Vinhomes Golden River and Grand Marina Saigon, The Lancaster on Le Thanh Ton, and the serviced-apartment buildings around Dong Khoi.

Tan Dinh ward

The old Tan Dinh ward and what was left of Da Kao: multi-storey townhouses among high-end apartments and apartments on long lets.

Ben Thanh ward

Ben Thanh and Pham Ngu Lao as they were, a share of Cau Ong Lanh and what was left of Nguyen Thai Binh: officetels (units used as office and home), serviced apartments and townhouses let floor by floor.

Cau Ong Lanh ward

Nguyen Cu Trinh, Cau Kho, Co Giang and the part of Cau Ong Lanh that did not go to Ben Thanh: mainly townhouses and mid-sized apartment buildings.

High-end apartments in District 1 give their floor area to living rooms and bedrooms with a view, so the laundry is fitted into what remains: a built-in cupboard in the hallway, a service recess beside the kitchen, or a stack with the dryer behind a sliding door. Almost no air moves through it, and the moisture left after each wash settles on the rubber door seal and in the detergent drawer.

Many towers also limit the hanging of laundry on the outer side of balconies, so residents rely on a washer-dryer or dry clothes indoors, and frequent drying leaves fine lint around the drum and along the moisture outlet. Add a climate in which relative humidity averages about 79.5% and the rains last from May to November, and the residue on the outside of the drum has all it needs to grow mould. In a serviced apartment, towels and bed linen go through after every guest and the machine seldom dries out between loads.

• Towels smell damp straight out of the machine, even after a drying programme.
• Tiny black flecks on bed linen and white shirts.

In the multi-storey townhouses of Tan Dinh, Nguyen Cu Trinh and Cau Kho, washing and drying usually happen on the roof terrace or in the small top-floor room. A machine there takes direct sun, driving rain and road dust carried up on the wind, so its casing, lid and detergent drawer get dirty sooner than indoors. Households of several generations often run a large top-loader several times a day, and residue builds quickly under the pulsator (the wash plate at the bottom of the drum). If the rooftop water tank has gone long without cleaning, sediment can reach the machine as well; the specialist notes any sign of this in the Up Report. In rain, the work needs a roofed area wide enough to take the drum out safely; we settle this when confirming the booking.

Before the visit, send a photo of the rating label and of where the machine stands. Your Up specialist, the identity-verified UpClean team member who does the work, then identifies the model, packs the right tools and estimates the time.

Front-loader

More parts come off, with particular attention to the door seal, the detergent drawer and the drain filter. About 2–3 hours.

Top-loader

The pulsator comes off and the drum is separated so that the shaft and the base of the outer tub can be cleaned. About 1.5–2 hours.

Washer-dryer

Charged by door type and capacity, with 150,000 VND per machine added for the drying system. Some models have a one-piece outer tub; we tell you clearly how much can be cleaned before you book.

Japanese-market or hard-to-reach built-in machine

Quoted once we have seen photos of the machine and of where it stands.

Each machine has one all-inclusive price, set by its door type and the capacity on its rating label: a top-loader costs 450,000 VND when it holds up to 9 kg and 550,000 VND when it holds more; a front-loader costs 690,000 VND or 790,000 VND by the same rule, and a washer-dryer 150,000 VND extra. The figure sent to you in writing changes at your home only if you agree in writing.

The price covers the test run and photos beforehand, covers around the machine, taking the drum out, cleaning the inner drum and the outer tub with the seal, detergent drawer, drain filter and drain line, putting everything back, a final test run and the Up Report.

Officetel or serviced studio

One 8 kg front-loader in a built-in cupboard: 690,000 VND.

Ba Son apartment, 2–3 bedrooms

One 10 kg front-loading washer-dryer: 940,000 VND.

Tan Dinh townhouse, several generations

One 14 kg top-loader on the roof terrace and one 9 kg front-loader downstairs: 1,240,000 VND.

Landlord with three serviced apartments in one building

Three 8 kg front-loaders: 2,070,000 VND, with a separate Up Report for each apartment.

Removing a drum is technical work inside the apartment, so many central buildings class it as a job for a registered contractor. Circular 05/2024/TT-BXD says an apartment building's rules must address security and environmental hygiene; each management office then sets its own detail: working hours, which lift may be used, a temporary pass kept at the lobby. We ask about your building's rules when you book.

At the lobby

If the specialist is on time but still completing formalities downstairs, that wait is not treated as lateness. Otherwise, arriving more than 15 minutes after the confirmed time takes 10% off the invoice for the visit.

Inside the apartment

The machine is test-run and photographed as found, parts are laid in order on a tool mat beside it, never in the corridor, and dirty water is caught and carried away.

Cleaning only, no repairs

Signs of a fault are recorded with photos, for you to take to the manufacturer or a repairer you trust.

For a machine used every day, about six months between drum-out cleans is the reference. Shorten it for a serviced apartment that washes towels and linen constantly, for a family with young children, or if you mostly wash in cold water. A sachet of cleaner run through the drum may soften the odour a little, but the layer on the outside of the inner drum stays in place.

• Leave the machine door, the detergent drawer and the cupboard door slightly open after every load.
• Wipe the bottom fold of the door seal dry, and clear the dryer's lint filter after each drying cycle.

Guide: why does a washing machine smell?

Where the smell comes from, what you can clean yourself and when the drum has to come out.

To book, send three photos to +84 968 726 135 on WhatsApp or Zalo: the front of the machine, its rating label, and the cupboard or corner it stands in. Or pick the machine type yourself on the Quote page.

In English

Everything from the first enquiry and the quote to the booking confirmation and the Up Report can be in English. If you want a specialist who speaks English in the apartment, note it when booking; when none is available, you are told beforehand and we help by phone or message.

Registering the visit

Central buildings usually want outside staff registered with building management before the day. The day before the appointment we send the specialist's name and photo, which you can pass to the lobby.

When you are out

Nobody has to stay for the two or three hours. We ask only that you, reception or a family member be there at the start, to see the machine run before it is taken apart, and at the end, to run a test cycle together; if you cannot, that final check can be done by video call. A key may be left with reception, with building management or with a family member: the assigned specialist alone handles it, the times are recorded and it is never copied; with a smart lock, a temporary code is recommended.

Payment

By bank transfer or cash once the walk-through is done; ask if you need a VAT invoice.