In this article, we’re going to talk through the very common complaint of a foul odour emanating from inside a washing machine including what causes it, how you can treat it and how you can prevent it from returning.
Before carrying out any maintenance work on your appliance, we always recommend that you safely isolate the machine from the power by unplugging it and isolate the water by turning it off at the tap.
To check for the source of foul odours coming from your washing machine, follow the steps below.
We have a video in the Help section of our website that covers dispensing issues so please refer to this in order to check your washing machine dispenser.
If the issue is with the drum, you will often smell the odour upon moving near to it. To check the drum more closely, peel back the door seal away from the inner drum and what you’re likely to see if there is a bad smell is a grey/brown sludge building up inside the door seal. That sludge will build all the way back through the tank as well.
This issue can be caused by consistent low-temperature washing. When washing between 20℃-40℃, detergent doesn’t fully break down and can leave a residue behind. Over time, this residue can build a bacteria that causes the bad odour.
This involves putting the washing machine on the hottest cycle possible, usually a cotton 90℃ wash, and using a specialist cleaning agent. You may also find this referenced in your machine’s instruction booklet
We recommend Care+Protect which is a drum cleaner and limescale descaler. Empty a sachet of this product inside the drum, put it on a cotton 90℃ wash and let it complete the cycle.
You may need to do this up to 4 times to get rid of the issue and so persistence is required.
I hope you’ve found this article useful but if this advice has not resolved your issue or you need further assistance then you can book an engineer visit quickly and easily by following the Book A Repair button on our website.
We aim to send an engineer on the same day of reporting the fault or the next day where possible.
We believe in our skills and follow that up with a standard guarantee of our work to give you peace of mind.
We understand the importance of budgeting and make sure you are fully aware of all costs in advance.
Husband and Wife team Adrian & Amanda set the standards at NAC with over 40 years experience.
