Why does my washing machine smell bad?
A washing machine is one of the most important assistants in the household. Many people in the modern world use it to wash dirty laundry. And we are accustomed to the fact that it makes our life more convenient. But what to do if the washing machine suddenly starts to smell bad? Why does there be an unpleasant smell from the washing machine and how to remove it?
Most often it appears when we do not take care of our household appliances or do it incorrectly. Most rules for caring for a washing machine are specified in the instructions that come with it by the manufacturer. There are also reasons that may cause an unpleasant odor to appear that are not described in the instructions. These reasons can be eliminated on your own. Let's look at them.
Causes of odor in the washing machine and how to eliminate them?
Most of the reasons that your washing machine smells bad can be described in a few words:
- Dirty filter.
- Scale.
- Drain problem.
- Moisture in the tank.
- Poor quality washing powder.
Now let's talk about them in more detail
When you have finished washing, try to make sure there is no water in the tank. If the drain pump is faulty or other drainage problems arise, you can find and read the article on our website: “The washing machine does not drain.” The causes of this malfunction and methods for eliminating it will be described there. And if you don’t want to bother with repairs yourself, then contact a service center. Professional craftsmen will help you.
The machine may also smell unpleasant if its filter is clogged. A variety of debris accumulates on it, which can begin to rot and stink unbearably.As you may have guessed, in order to get rid of the stench you need to clean the filter. This is done quite simply.
Here you don’t even need to call a specialist. You can deal with this in literally a couple of minutes. You can watch the video for more information about cleaning the filter yourself. There you will also learn about some rules for caring for your washing machine.
Video about proper care of your washing machine
If you have cleaned your washing machine. And after that it began to smell, which means some kind of dirt remained. And it is she who is the source of the stench. You need to find and remove it. Or you can run the wash at 90 degrees “idle”, that is, without laundry. This type of washing can help get rid of the stink.
Do not use the washing machine as a place to store dirty unwashed items. These things usually smell very bad. This can also cause an odor.
When you finish washing and take out the laundry, you must leave the machine hatch ajar. This is done so that the moisture evaporates and erodes. This will also help you avoid unpleasant odors.
Another reason for the stench to appear is the low-quality detergents that you use when washing. Be sure to pay attention to what kind of washing powder you buy. You should not take too cheap powders from an unknown manufacturer. The same applies to fabric softeners and other detergents.
It is also likely that the washing machine has stopped heating the water. If this problem occurs, but for some reason the washing machine continues to wash, then you may end up with bad-smelling laundry and the inside of the machine. To eliminate this reason, you should repair the machine.To do this, you can read the article: “The washing machine does not heat the water.” She will help you with self-repair. Or call a specialist.
The next reason may appear if you regularly wash on modes with a fairly low temperature (30 or 40 degrees). With this type of washing, you save electricity and protect the machine from scale. But there are also disadvantages to these modes. This is because some things may not wash well, and also inside the machine, near the drain itself, a layer of dirt may appear. It may emit unpleasant odors.
To remove them, let's use special tablets or dishwasher powder. Take about five tablets, throw them inside the machine and set the boiling mode. In the middle of washing it is necessary to interrupt the process. If your model does not provide for such a stop, then simply turn off the machine and leave it with water for a couple of hours. After this, turn on the wash again. This should help.
Removing scale
One of the reasons may also be scale formation. This kind of trouble happens regularly with washing machines that are located in city apartments. Typically, tap water has a lot of impurities and is also quite hard. Limescale can cause your household appliances to simply fail.
In order to solve this problem, you can use several solutions:
- Buying a quality filter is not a cheap way, but it is a smart one. Since it will not only protect your machine, but will also clean all the water entering your apartment. And clean water is the key to our health.
- Another way is to regularly add special substances to soften the water. You can use Calgon or other brands of similar products.We cannot vouch for their usefulness, but it is generally accepted that they help.
- And the last method is the proven method of descaling using citric acid. You can use citric acid to remove scale from both the kettle and the washing machine. In order to remove scale from the kettle, 1-2 teaspoons thrown inside and boiling is enough. For a machine, you will need 100-200 grams of this substance and wash at a temperature of 90 degrees.
Interesting:
20 reader comments
I really liked about citric acid))). More than once it was necessary to change the decomposed drum crosses in a front-loading SMA and the drums in a vertical-loading SMA for clients who systematically used citric acid.
Mikhail, you are a narrow-minded person. The best remedy is citric acid. I've been doing renovations for 5 years.
Why did my washing machine have a terrible smell after using lemon acid?
Mine also has a terrible smell after acid.
After citric acid, a smell appeared inside the drum, this has never happened before. I decided to use acid for prevention, but it backfired.
Thanks for the advice, although I’m too lazy to bother with acid, I just add calgon, it’s proven and effective
Our washing machine also stinks. What to do?
A small drawback... before unscrewing the filter you need to drain the water (next to the filter cover there is a hose or a small plug. You need to place a ladle or cup and remove the plug and drain the water), and only then unscrew the filter cover, otherwise there will be no water on the floor... no matter what rag you can pick it up with! And it’s better to immediately put a cloth under it just in case. And in the recess for the filter itself you need to wipe it properly (they didn’t say anything about this in the video either).
It worked!
After cleaning with citric acid the machine began to smell. I did it for prevention, there was no smell before. And now it smells like sewer.
Reviews vary, but citric acid and washing at 90 helped us - the smell went away.
I bought a washing machine. I worked for a year. I decided to run it with citric acid. After that there was a terrible smell! I do not know what to do. Tell me, who eliminated such a nuisance with what?
I also encountered a similar problem, there was a musty smell from the washing machine. I used ODORGONE HOME household odor remover and it helped a lot. I treated the surface inside the machine, left it for a couple of hours and the smell completely disappeared. I recommend it from personal experience!
I cleaned the machine several times with citric acid. And after that the spiral burned out. I had to change it. And I never started using lemon juice again. And I don’t recommend it to anyone.
There are so many questions about citric acid. But would anyone answer what to do and why exactly after such cleaning the smell appears?
I also encountered the smell after using lemon juice. The washing machine is 7 years old. I always cleaned the filter about once every three months and ran it with lemon. Everything was fine. And here... the stench. I'm sorry about the eco-powder that I've been using lately; I poured it directly into the drum according to the instructions. Now I bought a Faberlik one, I need to pour it into the compartment. I'll see how it goes.
After washing with citric acid, rinse three times and you will smell fresh.
You just need to buy Bosch. 20 years of washing and no smell. And LG stank after half a year.
Our Boshik is 14 years old. After the acid, I stank :)
Actually, it wasn’t the citric acid that made it “stink.” You usually wash on a quick wash, but at 30-40 degrees, but this is not hot water, and this temperature regime is so bad at removing emulsion conditioners from the machine. And then start the wash with lemon juice at 90 degrees according to the instructions. Naturally, all the slurry from the remains of powder, fabric fluff, dirt, greasy conditioner, mold warmed up, became stirred up and when opening the machine remained hot - stinking for our displeasure. And to reduce the stench, you need to rinse 3 times with cool and cold water. Yes, lemon is not bad, but if you sin with cheap washing gels and similar powders, then your machine will really stink.By the way, after using lemon for the next 3-4 washes, when rinsing, small flakes and particles of gray turbidity will remain on the clothes, which we tried to remove from the washing machine with lemon. Such is everyday life.