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Troubleshooting Guide
Washer Smells Bad?
8 Causes and How to Get Rid of the Smell
You open the washer to a musty, sour or rotten-egg smell, or clean laundry comes out smelling worse than it went in. Here is where each smell comes from and how to clear it.
Quick answer: A washer that smells musty or like mildew usually has damp detergent residue and lint in the door seal, the dispenser or the outer tub. A rotten egg or sewer smell often means the drain hose sits too deep in the standpipe. Wipe the seal, run a tub-cleaning cycle and leave the door open. A burning smell is different: stop the washer and call a technician.
Washer still smells? A technician can often come the same day in Chino and nearby cities. $75 diagnostic, applied to the repair.
Below are the eight causes of washer odor we find most often in Chino homes, matched to the smell, with the cleaning routine that clears most of them and when to book washer repair in Chino.
The eight causes
1. Mildew in the door seal Front-load
On a front-load washer, the rubber seal around the door is the usual home of a musty smell. Its folds hold a little water after every cycle, along with lint, hair and detergent residue, and with the door closed between loads that damp pocket grows mildew.
Signs it's the door seal:
- Black or gray spots in the folds of the seal
- The smell is strongest right at the door
- The door usually stays shut between loads
Can you fix it yourself? Yes, and it's the first thing to try.
- Pull back the folds and remove hair, lint and anything caught inside.
- Wipe the seal with diluted bleach, diluted vinegar or a mild detergent (never straight bleach), then wipe it again with clean water.
- Dry the seal and leave the door open between loads.
2. Detergent and fabric softener residue
Extra detergent and liquid fabric softener don't all rinse out of a washer. The leftover film coats the outer tub, the part you can't see, and lint and body soil stick to it and start to smell. GE explains that excess soap gets trapped in the outer tub and causes odor over time. Musty and sour smells from top-loaders usually start here.
Signs it's residue:
- A sour or musty smell from the drum itself, not just the door
- Gray film or gunk in the dispenser drawer or under the lid
- You wash mostly in cold water, use liquid softener or measure detergent by eye
Can you fix it yourself? Yes.
- Run the washer's cleaning cycle with an empty drum, adding bleach or a washer cleaner as the manual directs.
- Pull out the dispenser drawer if it's removable, scrub it in warm water and let it dry.
- Cut back to HE detergent at or below the MAX line, and use less liquid softener or switch to dryer sheets.
3. Wet laundry and a closed lid between loads
A washer stays damp inside for days when a wet load sits in the drum for hours, or when the lid or door is closed the moment the cycle ends. Mold and mildew need exactly that, and the smell then passes to the next load, which is why freshly washed clothes can come out musty.
Signs it's dampness:
- Clean laundry smells musty or sour even after drying
- Loads sometimes sit in the washer overnight
- The smell is worse after the washer has been shut for a few days
Can you fix it yourself? Yes. Move laundry to the dryer as soon as the cycle ends, and leave the door or lid and the dispenser drawer open so the inside dries out.
4. Standing water and lint in the pump filter Front-load
Front-load washers catch lint, hair, coins and the odd sock in a pump filter at the bottom front, and a little water always sits in that housing between loads. When the filter clogs, that water goes stale and drains slowly, and the smell travels back up into the drum. LG and Samsung both list a clogged pump filter as a cause of washer odor.
Signs it's the pump filter:
- A swampy or stale-water smell, stronger near the bottom front
- Water drains slowly, or a little is left in the drum
- The filter hasn't been cleaned in months
Can you fix it yourself? Yes. Unplug the washer, let any hot water cool, put a shallow pan and towels under the filter panel, drain the water through the small drain tube if there is one, then unscrew the filter and rinse it. If water stays in the drum after the cycle, see washer not draining for the full steps.
5. Drain hose pushed too far into the standpipe
A rotten egg, sulfur or sewer smell from inside a washer's drum often has a simple cause: the drain hose is pushed too deep into the standpipe, or sealed tight in it, so dirty water siphons back into the washer after it drains. Samsung's odor guide (opens in a new tab) names this as the cause of sulfur and sewage smells and says to insert the hose no more than eight inches, and GE ties the same siphoning to musty smells.
Signs it's the drain hose:
- A rotten egg or sewer smell in the drum, worst after the washer sits for a few days
- Gray water appears in the drum between loads
- The drain hose was recently pushed in, moved or taped into the pipe
Can you fix it yourself? Yes. Pull the hose out, clean its end, and set it back in the standpipe no deeper than your manual allows. Clip it so it can't slide in further, and leave an air gap around it rather than a tight seal.
6. Sewer gas from the house drain Plumbing
If the sewer smell near a washer is strongest at the standpipe or a floor drain rather than inside the drum, and it's there even when the washer hasn't run, the source is the house plumbing. The trap under a standpipe holds water that blocks sewer gas, and a blocked vent or a trap that has dried out lets the gas through. A partly clogged standpipe can also hold dirty water that smells.
Signs it's the house drain:
- The smell is strongest at the standpipe or a nearby floor drain
- It's there even when the washer hasn't been used
- Nearby sinks or drains gurgle or drain slowly
Can you fix it yourself? Partly. Pouring water into a floor drain that rarely gets used refills its trap. A clog, a gurgling vent or a smell that keeps coming back is a job for a plumber rather than an appliance technician.
7. A new washer or new fill hoses New washer
A burning or hot rubber smell in a washer's first few loads isn't always a fault. Samsung says the coating on a new motor's coils can smell for the first couple of cycles, and GE notes that new fill hoses can give off a strong rubber odor (opens in a new tab) that's easy to mistake for burning. GE's way to tell: start a hot-water fill and stop the washer before it agitates. If the smell is there with no motor running, it's the hoses.
Signs it's a new-washer smell:
- The washer or its hoses are only a few weeks old
- The smell fades a little with each load
- No smoke, no scorch marks and no unusual noise
Can you fix it yourself? Yes, give it a few loads. A burning smell that's still there after the first couple of cycles, or gets stronger, belongs with the next cause.
8. Burning smell from the belt, motor or wiring Stop using
A burning smell from a washer that's been in use for a while means something is overheating. A drive belt slipping against a stuck pulley smells like hot rubber; a motor straining under an overloaded drum, or a pump jammed with debris, smells hot and electrical; a loose wire or a failing control board can smell like melting plastic. Stop the cycle and don't run the washer again until it has been checked.
Signs it's an overheating part:
- A hot rubber, scorched or melting-plastic smell during the wash or spin
- Squealing, a slow drum, or a washer that stops mid-cycle
- Scorch marks, smoke or a hot spot on the cabinet or the cord
Can you fix it yourself? No. Unplug the washer if you can reach the plug safely, and leave it off. If you see smoke or flames, get everyone out and call 911 from outside.
Washer smells like mildew, rotten eggs, sewer or burning: what does each smell mean?
Each smell points to a different place in the washer or the plumbing, so start with what your nose tells you:
| The smell | Most likely source | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Musty or mildew | Door seal, residue in the tub, a damp drum | Clean the seal, run a cleaning cycle, leave the door open |
| Sour, like wet towels | Detergent and softener buildup | Run a cleaning cycle, then use less detergent |
| Rotten eggs or sulfur | Drain hose siphoning, or bacteria in old residue | Reset the drain hose, then clean the tub |
| Sewer | Drain hose siphoning, or the house drain | Check the hose; call a plumber if the standpipe itself smells |
| Swampy, stale water | Clogged pump filter | Clean the filter |
| Hot rubber in a new washer | New hoses or a new motor | Give it a few loads |
| Burning, scorched or melting plastic | Belt, motor or wiring | Stop the washer, unplug it, call a technician |
One check before you blame the washer for a rotten egg smell: if the hot water at a sink smells the same way, the smell is in the home's hot water supply, and a plumber is the right call.
How do I get rid of washing machine smell?
Clean the parts that hold residue, run a cleaning cycle, then keep the inside dry. Most washers have a Tub Clean, Clean Washer or Self Clean cycle, and the manual says whether yours wants bleach, a washer cleaner or nothing added. GE, LG and Samsung all recommend running it about once a month.
- Wipe the door seal and the door glass, and pull debris out of the folds.
- Remove and scrub the dispenser drawer if your model allows it.
- On a front-loader, clean the pump filter.
- Run the cleaning cycle with an empty drum, adding bleach or a washer cleaner only as the manual directs.
- Wipe the drum and the seal dry, then leave the door and the drawer open.
- Repeat about once a month, or every 30 to 40 loads as Samsung suggests.
If the smell is back within days of a thorough cleaning, the source is probably the drain hose, the pump area or the house drain rather than the drum.
Most washer smells are a cleaning problem, not a broken part
Mildew, sour and rotten egg smells grow in residue and standing water, and they go away when those do. Samsung draws the same line in its own odor guide: the one smell that isn't about cleaning is burning.
What to check yourself first
- Find the strongest spot. Smell the door seal, the drum, the drawer and the standpipe to narrow down the source.
- Clean the door seal. Pull back the folds, clear out debris and wipe it with diluted bleach or diluted vinegar.
- Clean the filter and the drawer. Unplug the washer, rinse the pump filter on a front-loader and scrub the dispenser drawer.
- Run a cleaning cycle. Use an empty drum and bleach or washer cleaner, as the manual directs.
- Reset the drain hose. Set it back in the standpipe no deeper than the manual allows, with no tight seal.
- Let it dry. Leave the door and the drawer open between loads, and move wet laundry out promptly.
One safety note: never mix chlorine bleach with vinegar, ammonia or another cleaner in the washer, because the combination releases toxic fumes. If a burning smell comes with smoke or flames, get everyone outside and call 911.
When to call a technician
- A burning or electrical smell lasts past the first few loads of a new washer
- The smell comes back within days of a thorough cleaning
- Water stays in the drum or drains slowly along with the smell
- A sewer smell inside the drum continues after the drain hose is reset
- You see scorch marks, melted plastic or a damaged cord
Sounds like yours? A technician can diagnose it at home in Chino and nearby cities, often the same day. $75 diagnostic, applied to the repair.
Era Service repairs the drain, pump and drive problems behind stubborn smells on front-load and top-load washers across the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley, often the same day in Chino and nearby cities.
Good to Know
Washer Smells: FAQ
A washer that smells like mildew has damp residue growing mold somewhere inside: the folds of a front-loader's door seal, the dispenser drawer or the outer tub under the drum. Wipe the seal, scrub the drawer, run the cleaning cycle with bleach or a washer cleaner, and leave the door open between loads so the inside can dry.
A rotten egg smell in a washer usually comes from sulfur-producing bacteria in old residue, or from dirty water siphoning back into the drum because the drain hose sits too deep in the standpipe. Reset the hose so it's no more than about eight inches in and not sealed, then run a cleaning cycle. If hot water at a sink smells the same, the cause is the home's water supply.
A sewer smell inside the drum usually means drain water is siphoning back from the standpipe, which happens when the drain hose is pushed too far into the pipe or sealed in it. If the smell is strongest at the standpipe itself, even when the washer is idle, the house drain's trap or vent is letting sewer gas through, and that's a plumber's fix.
Front load washers smell more often than top-loaders because the door seal and the watertight door keep moisture inside after every cycle. Residue from too much detergent and a pump filter full of lint add to it. Wipe and dry the seal, clean the pump filter, run the cleaning cycle monthly and leave the door open between loads.
A brand-new washer can smell like burning for the first couple of cycles while the motor coating and new rubber hoses settle, and that smell fades. On a washer that's been in use, a burning smell means something is overheating: a slipping belt, a straining motor or pump, or a wiring fault. Stop the washer, unplug it if you can reach the plug safely, and have it checked.
Washer still smells after a cleaning? Let's find the source.
Open 7 days a week, 9 AM to 6 PM, across Chino, the Inland Empire, the San Gabriel Valley and North Orange County. You approve a flat-rate quote before any work starts, and every repair carries a 90-day parts and labor warranty.
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Washer Not Draining?
Water left in the drum: the pump filter, the drain hose and the pump.
Read the guide →Washer Leaking Water?
Puddles under the washer: hoses, the door seal, the pump and the tub.
Read the guide →Dishwasher Smells Bad?
Rotten eggs, sewage or a burning smell: the filter, the drain loop and when to stop.
Read the guide →Repairing a specific brand? GE repair, LG repair, Samsung repair.