Smelly Washing Machine
My washer smells horrible. I've had the outlet pipe off, I've had the pipe to the pump off, but these were all OK. The smell seems to come directly from the drum. I've tried washing using bleach and even dishwasher tablets but the smell comes back as good as ever. I can see some black "mould?" inside the expansion plastic "boxes", at least I think that's what they are but so far I haven't attempted to take these off. I'm wondering if something has got into the tub somehow but I've never had any trouble emptying etc. If that's the case is it easy to get into it?. Please help I'm fed up of wearing a nose clip.
Solution Summary
AI-generated from this discussion
This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.
Washing machine smell likely due to internal gunge build-up
- The problem
- The washing machine had a persistent bad smell apparently coming from the drum. The outlet pipe and pump hose were removed and found to be clear, and attempts to clean it with bleach and dishwasher tablets did not stop the smell returning. Black mould-like deposits were visible inside internal plastic chambers.
- Likely cause
- The strongest diagnosis in the discussion was internal gunge build-up inside the washing machine. A rotting sock or cloth trapped inside the tub was mentioned as a possible but rarer explanation, and was not confirmed.
- What fixed it
- The accepted advice was that the machine was likely contaminated internally with gunge and should not be stripped down at this stage just to inspect the tub. The thread points to following guidance on preventing and dealing with washing machine odours, but the exact cleaning or repair carried out was not documented in the discussion.
- Checks to try
- Outlet pipe checked and found OK
- Pipe to the pump checked and found OK
- Smell appeared to come from the drum
- Bleach wash tried
- Dishwasher tablets tried
- Black mould-like deposits seen inside plastic chambers
1 Answer
Your washing machine could be covered in gunge inside, which can be difficult to shift. I've also known cases where an old sock or cloth was stuck inside the tub (rotting away) although it's rare because a sock would normally find its way into the sump hose and fairly quickly stop the water pumping out. I'd be hesitant to strip the washer down to look though at this stage.
The main cause of washing machine gunge building up, and how to prevent and deal with it is explained here - I only use 40° washes is that OK? - Washing machine smells (gives off bad odour)
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