Why Does My Front Load Washing Machine Smell Like Mildew?

Where is the smell strongest?

We’d start at the door seal because its folds hold water and lint where you can remove them. Detergent and softener residue can also collect in the drawer and outer tub, leaving a musty smell even when the visible drum looks clean.

Empty the washer and smell near each spot before adding cleaner. A load left damp after washing can make both the clothes and machine smell musty. A sulfur or sewage smell strongest at the wall drain points toward the household drain instead; other washing-machine smells need a different path.

Clean the seal and detergent drawer

If the seal or drawer smells strongest, clean both before treating the tub. A cleaning cycle reaches residue inside the machine, but it won’t remove a coin, hair or thick buildup caught in a seal fold. Have a soft cloth or sponge, mild detergent, a soft brush and a dry towel ready.

1. Take out all laundry. Gently pull back each reachable fold of the rubber door seal and remove lint, hair, coins or fabric. Leave the seal attached.
2. Wipe the seal and every fold with a soft cloth and mild detergent, using a nonabrasive sponge for stubborn residue. Wipe away the detergent with clean water and dry the rubber.
3. Look and smell inside the folds again. If visible growth remains, copy the model number from the label around the door opening and find its door-seal care instructions on the maker’s support or manuals page. Continue with bleach only if those instructions permit it; otherwise, repeat the gentle wipe and move on to the drawer.

Bleach is an option only for a seal whose cleaning instructions permit it. For a compatible seal, dilute 3/4 cup chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water and ventilate the room (CDC’s household bleach guidance (opens in a new tab)). Permission to put bleach in a tub-cleaning cycle does not mean you can apply it to the seal.

4. For a seal that permits bleach, put on rubber gloves, ventilate the room and mix 3/4 cup chlorine bleach into 1 gallon of water. Gently wipe the remaining growth with the diluted solution, then wipe it away with clean water and dry the seal. Do not use straight bleach or abrasive tools on the rubber.
5. If the dispenser drawer is removable, press its release, pull it out and remove its loose inserts. Hand-wash the pieces with warm water, mild soap and a soft brush. Wipe the reachable drawer opening with a soft cloth or nonmetal brush.
6. Rinse and dry the drawer and inserts, put them back together and slide the drawer fully into place. Look for remaining residue and smell the open drawer and seal. If they’re clean but the empty washer still smells, clean the tub next.

Hand-wash dispenser parts. A dishwasher can warp or melt them.

Run the cycle that cleans the empty washer

Once the reachable residue is gone, an empty cleaning cycle works on buildup inside the tub. We’d use a washer cleaner whose label permits your machine, because cleaner form and washer design determine where it goes. A tablet commonly goes directly in the empty drum; liquid or powder may go in the main-wash compartment or the drum.

1. Remove all laundry and visible debris. Put the cleaner in the location and dose given by its label and your washer’s cleaning instructions. Never put a tablet in the dispenser unless those instructions direct you there.
2. Select Clean Washer, Tub Clean or Self Clean on an empty machine and let it finish. If your washer has no dedicated cleaning cycle, follow its model's cleaner instructions and use Sanitary on an LG without TubClean, hot Normal or Heavy on a Maytag without Clean Washer, or a large Heavy/Cotton cycle on a GE without BasketClean.
3. If the washer or cleaner instructions call for a finishing rinse, or cleaner residue remains, run a plain-water Rinse & Spin. Wipe residue from the drum and seal, then leave the door and drawer open to air out.
4. Smell the empty washer before washing clothes. If the mustiness has cleared, resume laundry and use the drying routine below. If it remains, locate the strongest odor again before running another cleaning cycle.

Bleach instructions differ from cleaner-tablet instructions. Some cleaning cycles use no chemical for routine care, while others permit bleach for an existing mildew smell. Confirm the bleach dose and placement for your washer before adding any. Keep it separate from other cleaners, which can release dangerous gas (CDC’s chlorine fact sheet (opens in a new tab)). If you need a general cleaning routine later, how to clean a clothes washer covers the full maintenance job.

If it still smells after cleaning

Odor at the seal means looking through every fold for residue or visible growth; odor at the drawer means washing its inserts and reachable opening again. A tablet or tub cycle does not lift debris from either place. If the drum smells and draining is slow, water and debris caught at the pump filter become the next useful clue.

Look at the visible drain hose for a kink or loose connection.

If water stays in the drum or draining is slow

A blocked pump filter can hold debris and leave water behind. Look for a pump-filter cover near the lower front of the washer; open the filter only if the washer’s cleaning instructions show how to remove it. If there is no such access, leave the filter in place. For a washer that will not drain, the washer draining checks cover the neighboring symptom.

1. Turn off and unplug the washer, then empty it. Place towels and a shallow pan below the lower front access cover, then open the cover.
2. If there is a small emergency drain hose, pull it only far enough to reach the pan, remove its cap and let the water drain. Without a hose, loosen the filter slowly over the pan so water can escape in a controlled flow.
3. After draining, turn the screw-out filter counterclockwise. Remove lint and trapped objects, then wash the filter by hand with water and a soft brush. Debris there explains poor draining and can hold an odor.
4. Reinsert and tighten the filter clockwise. Firmly recap and secure the small hose, if present, and close the cover. Plug the washer back in, then run an empty Rinse & Spin to confirm that water drains normally and no water leaks from the filter area.

If water still remains, the filter area leaks, the seal is torn, or odor or visible growth persists after several thorough cleanings, the owner cleaning is over. Contact the washer maker or an independent appliance repair service. Tell them where the odor is strongest, whether draining failed or water leaked, and which cleaning and filter steps you tried. A sewage smell strongest at the wall drain belongs with a plumber.

For an accessible front-load washer, an independent gasket replacement built with a $110 to $180 retail-sourced genuine gasket costs $210 to $480 when the diagnostic visit is credited. That build includes 1 to 2 labor hours at $100 to $150 per hour, followed by a leak and operating check. A typical build uses a $150 gasket plus 1.5 hours at $125 per hour. Shops mark parts up over retail, so the part on a quote can run higher.

An independent service visit for odor diagnosis without repair costs $70 to $160. If the gasket is intact, diagnosis determines whether cleaning or another repair is needed. If a visit is billed separately instead of credited, it adds to the repair quote. Ask whether the diagnostic fee is credited when you approve the repair, and compare the installed quote with a comparable new washer: a repair above about half its replacement price is a reason to consider replacing an older machine. Routine cleaning or damage from an unapproved product may be excluded from warranty coverage, so include your warranty status when arranging the visit.

Keep the smell from coming back

After each load, remove the laundry promptly, wipe water from the seal folds and drawer, and leave the door and drawer open enough to dry. This removes the moisture that collects behind the seal instead of letting the next load sit against it.

Measure HE detergent for the load. The dispenser’s MAX line is a limit, not a target, and excess detergent leaves residue inside the machine. Use no more than the recommended fabric-softener dose. If nearly every load uses cold water, wash a load whose care label allows warm or hot water occasionally to slow soil and detergent buildup.

Run the washer-cleaning cycle about every four weeks or 30 to 40 loads. Thoroughly clean the seal and removable drawer about once a month, sooner if residue or odor appears. If your washer has a removable pump filter behind a lower-front cover, clean it about once a month. After the next few washes, smell the empty drum, seal and drawer; a returning odor sends you back to the spot where it is strongest.

Questions about washing while it smells