Washing machine smells: where the bad smell comes from and how to get rid of it

2026-10-15 8 min read

If your washing machine smells of mould, sewage or rotten eggs, the machine itself is not to blame but what has built up inside it: laundry detergent and fabric softener residue, lint, hair and moisture. Together they form a slimy film of sludge in which bacteria and mould multiply. The good news is that you can almost always find the source of the smell within 10 minutes and get rid of it in a single evening.

Quick answer

Check the door seal, the detergent drawer and the filter. The smell almost always comes from one of these places.
Clean out the dirt you find by hand, then run an empty 60–90 °C programme with vinegar, soda or a dedicated cleaner. Amounts: cleaning your washing machine at home.
After every wash, leave the door and the drawer ajar so the machine can dry out.

What the smell is and where it comes from

The type of smell usually tells you where to look for the cause.

Smell	Most common cause	Where to look
Mould, damp, "old rag"	Mould and sludge because the machine never dries out	Door seal, detergent drawer, outside of the drum
Sewage, drains	Drain hose connected incorrectly or positioned too low, dried-out trap	The drain hose and its connection to the waste pipe
Rotten eggs, stagnant water	Clogged filter, standing water in the pump	The filter at the bottom, on the front
Sour, "sweetish" rotten smell	Fabric softener and detergent residue	The softener compartment and its channels
Only the laundry smells, not the machine	Wet laundry left in the drum too long, too little detergent, an overloaded drum	Your washing habits, not the machine

1. The door seal: the most common culprit

Water, lint, hair and small objects get trapped in the folds of the rubber seal. This is where black mould spots and the mouldy smell appear first. Pull back the seal all the way round and look at the bottom section: that is where most of the gunk collects.

Pull out the lint and any small objects.
Wipe the folds with a cloth dampened with a detergent solution or vinegar, and use a toothbrush for hard-to-reach spots.
Black spots that have soaked into the rubber often will not come out completely. What matters is that the slime and the smell are gone; the colour is secondary.
Dry the seal after cleaning.

2. The detergent and fabric softener drawer

On most machines the drawer can be pulled out completely: pull it until it stops and press the release catch (often marked "Push"). Fabric softener residue builds up in its channels and in the recess it slides into. This is usually where a sour smell comes from.

Wash the drawer with warm water and a brush, especially the siphon (the small cap) in the softener compartment.
Clean the recess the drawer slides into with a brush and a torch: the spray jets at the top are often coated in grime.
Let the drawer dry before putting it back.

3. The filter and standing water

The filter is usually at the bottom, on the front, behind a small cover. If it is clogged, standing water stays in the pump and soon starts to stink of rotten eggs.

Switch off the machine and put a shallow container and a towel under the filter.
If there is an emergency drain tube, drain the water through it first.
Unscrew the filter, remove hair, lint and coins, and rinse it under running water.
Screw the filter all the way back in and check that it does not drip.

It is worth cleaning the filter every 3 months, and more often if you wash pet beds or fabrics that shed a lot of lint.

4. A sewage smell: the drain hose

If the smell is like sewage and gets stronger when the machine drains, the problem is usually not the machine but the way it is connected.

The hose is too low. The highest point of the drain hose usually needs to be at a height of about 60–90 cm (you will find the exact height in the manual). If the hose lies on the floor, sewer gases and water can flow back into the machine.
A dried-out trap. If the machine has not been used for a long time or is connected to a separate pipe, the trap may have lost the water that blocks the smell.
A leaky connection. The hose should fit tightly into the waste pipe, but not too deep.

If the smell remains after these fixes, it is worth calling a plumber: the problem may be in the waste pipe itself.

5. Cleaning the inside of the machine

Once the seal, the drawer and the filter are clean, run an empty hot programme (60–90 °C) to clean the outside of the drum and the internal pipes you cannot reach by hand. You can use vinegar, soda, citric acid or a dedicated washing machine cleaner. How much of each to use and how to combine them is explained in our article cleaning a washing machine with vinegar, soda and citric acid. If your machine has a "Drum clean" or "Tub clean" programme, use it.

Never mix vinegar with chlorine bleach: it produces toxic gas.

Why the smell comes back: 6 habits that cause it

Closing the door after washing. Moisture stays inside and the mould soon returns. Leave the door and the drawer ajar for at least a few hours.
Only ever washing at low temperatures. 30–40 °C saves electricity and is kind to clothes, but once a month run a 60 °C programme with towels or bedding, or an empty cleaning cycle.
Too much fabric softener. The excess settles in the channels and the drum. Follow the instructions: Ecozyme fabric softener, for example, needs just 10 ml per kilogram of laundry.
Too much or too little laundry detergent. Excess detergent does not rinse out and builds up, while too little does not wash out grease and dirt. Doses: dosing laundry detergent.
Leaving wet laundry in the drum. After just a few hours it starts to smell, and the smell stays in the machine too. Take the laundry out straight away.
A forgotten filter. A clogged filter holds standing water. Clean it every 3 months.

Laundry still smells after cleaning the machine?

If the machine no longer smells but your clothes or towels still smell damp after washing, the cause is usually in the laundry itself: sweat oils soaked into the fabric, a build-up of fabric softener or drying too slowly. In that case, these articles will help:

Enzyme laundry detergents are good at breaking down sweat and body oil residue. Ecozyme enzyme laundry detergent works from 30 °C, so you can wash out odours without washing hot. It is not suitable for wool and silk.

A care plan to keep the smell from coming back

When	What to do
After every wash	Take the laundry out straight away, leave the door and the drawer ajar, dry the seal
Every month	Clean the seal and the drawer, run a 60 °C programme or an empty cleaning cycle
Every 3 months	Clean the filter
Once a year	Descale with citric acid (especially in hard water areas), check the drain hose

Frequently asked questions

Why does my washing machine smell of sewage?

Usually because the drain hose is positioned too low or not connected tightly, or because the trap has dried out. The sewage smell then comes back into the machine. Raise the hose as the manual specifies and check the connection.

How do I get rid of a mouldy smell in my washing machine?

Clean the door seal and the detergent drawer, then run an empty 60–90 °C programme with vinegar, soda or a dedicated cleaner. Afterwards, always leave the door ajar.

Do washing machine fresheners or odour tablets help?

They only mask the smell for a short time. As long as there is sludge left in the seal, the drawer or the filter, the smell will come back. Clean the source first.

Can I clean my washing machine with dishwasher tablets?

Some people do, but dishwasher tablets are made for dishwashers and can foam heavily or be too harsh on the seals. It is safer to use vinegar, citric acid or a cleaner made for washing machines.

Why has my new washing machine started to smell?

Usually because of habits: washing only at low temperatures, closing the door straight after a wash, using too much fabric softener. Even a new machine gets coated in sludge within a few months if it never dries out.

Can the smell from the washing machine transfer to clothes?

Yes. If there is mould or sludge in the machine, your laundry can pick up a damp smell even after washing. So clean the machine first, and only then rewash the smelly clothes.

Summary

A smelly washing machine almost always comes down to the door seal, the detergent drawer, the filter or the drain hose. Clean the source, run a hot empty cycle and let the machine dry out after every wash. The smell will not come back, and your laundry will smell clean rather than damp.