How to remove odor from a washing machine

You can get rid of the smell in the washing machine using repeatedly tested folk methods or chemicals. But in order for the cleaning to be successful, you need to know which parts of the unit to pay attention to and how to avoid the appearance of odors in the future.

Why there is an unpleasant smell from the washing machine

Some time after buying a washing machine, people face a problem - a putrid, unpleasant smell begins to emanate from the unit. A bad scent can appear in just a couple of months or a few years, but it is almost impossible to completely avoid its occurrence.

Overuse of the machine, combined with improper care, is always a common cause. There are several factors in the appearance of the problem.

• Using low quality powders and bleaches. In addition to the fact that such products themselves can have an unpleasant odor, they often leave persistent marks on the walls of the unit.
• Using the washing machine as a basket for dirty laundry. If you put dirty clothes into the drum of the unit for several days, and start the wash only when the machine is full, then an unpleasant smell will appear very quickly - the clothes inside the drum will “sour”.
• Dirt and clogging of heating elements, pump and other internal parts. In the process of use, small debris, scraps of threads, and pet hair are constantly collected on the parts of the washing machine. Over time, this dirt begins to decompose naturally and give off an unpleasant odor.
• Wash in cool water. If you constantly wash things at a temperature of 40 ° C and below, then deposits on the walls of the drum and on internal parts will appear faster, while hot water itself helps to clean the washing machine, and cold water does not.
• Delayed removal of washed items from the washing machine. If damp clothes are left in the machine for a long time after washing, high humidity conditions are created in the drum, respectively, a musty smell quickly appears.

One of the main factors in the appearance of an unpleasant odor from the washing machine after washing is insufficient ventilation of the drum. If the door is constantly closed, the humidity inside the unit is very different from the humidity in the room.

How to clean the various elements of a washing machine

The washing machine drum is only one of the internal parts. At first glance, it seems that you can remove the smell simply by carefully wiping the inside of the washing machine. But after performing this procedure, people often find that the situation has not changed at all.

Other parts of the unit can also be sources of bad rotten smell, namely:

• a tray into which washing powder is poured;
• a heating element inside the machine that is prone to lime scale formation;
• drain hose and its filter, which collects small debris.

To remove the musty aroma completely, you need to clean all the listed items.

How to clean the washing machine from tray odor

The source of the unpleasant odor is very often the tray, into which the powder is poured and the bleach is poured. Over time, particles of detergents settle on its walls; in conditions of constant humidity and dirt, even mold can appear.

To wash the washing machine from the smell and remove the unpleasant odor, it is enough to pull out the tray, usually manufacturers make it removable, you can remove the part in one motion without the use of special tools. The tray is thoroughly washed with hot water, the dirty areas are cleaned with an old toothbrush. Laundry soap or any product containing chlorine will help remove the smell.

After cleaning, you will need to dry the tray naturally or wipe it thoroughly with paper towels and then put it back.

How to remove the smell from the inlet from the washing machine

The inlet in the washing machine is called the recess in which the powder tray is located. Over time, dirt and unpleasant odors can accumulate in this place, for example, the fungus very quickly passes to the walls of the receiving opening from the walls of the dirty tray.

Cleaning the hole is very simple, first of all, you need to remove and thoroughly rinse the tray itself. After that, a damp cloth or a small brush is used to treat the depression in which it was fixed; for high-quality cleaning, you can use laundry soap or chlorine-containing products. The inlet must then be wiped dry with a clean cloth and replaced with a clean, dry tray.

How to eliminate cuff odor in a washing machine

The unit collar, which ensures the drum tightness when the door is closed, is particularly susceptible to the accumulation of unpleasant odors. First of all, the cuff is made of rubber, so the remnants of dirt and detergents settle on its surface very easily, and the fungus spreads quickly. In addition, by its structure, the cuff has many folds and hard-to-reach places; they are not cleaned naturally during the rinsing process.

To clean the cuff from dirt and remove the musty smell from the washing machine during washing, you must:

• moisten a rag in soapy water and carefully wipe the outside of the rubber band on the hatch hole;
• bend the edges of the cuff and remove the dirt under them, it is there that fine debris usually accumulates and mold occurs;
• wipe the rubber band in all recesses around the entire circumference of the hatch;
• soak a cloth in a solution containing chlorine or other strong detergents and thoroughly rinse the entire cuff again;
• close the door of the machine for half an hour and wait for the cleaning agent to show maximum efficiency.

After that, it is recommended to run the machine without laundry in the rinse mode so that the hot water rinses the drum and gum thoroughly, this will remove the remnants of the used cleaning agents without unnecessary effort.

How to clean the washing machine from the smell from the hose

To remove the unpleasant odor from the washing machine, you often have to remove the drain hose. With each cycle of operation of the device, dirty water with the remains of small debris passes through the hose. Over time, dirt accumulates on the inner walls of the hose and forms a thick coating, which is the source of the unpleasant odor.

There are 2 ways to thoroughly clean the drain hose and remove any musty odor.

• Without removing the hose... If during the operation of the machine there are no signs of a noticeable blockage, and the problem is only a swampy smell, the drain hose can be left on. It is enough to start an empty machine in operation at high water temperature - you first need to pour a special cleaning agent to remove deposits into the powder tray. Powders, solutions and gels from well-known manufacturers do not harm the hose itself or rubber gaskets inside the machine, but they effectively dissolve deposits on the walls and even small semi-rotten debris.
• Removing the hose... If there is reason to suspect that the hose is seriously clogged, it should be removed for cleaning. To do this, the machine is first completely disconnected from the network, then the water supply is shut off - completely throughout the apartment or using a special valve only in the washing machine. Then the hose is carefully disconnected from the rear wall of the unit, you first need to substitute a bowl to drain the remaining water. The hose is cleaned with a soft Kevlar cable and rinsed several times with hot water to remove plaque and stench, then put back in place and reconnect the machine to the sewer and mains.

How to clean the washing machine from the smell from the filter

The drain filter is usually located on the side or back of the machine at the bottom under the plug. It is designed specifically to collect and retain all the small garbage from clothes. Since garbage begins to rot in constant humidity conditions, it is only natural for a strong unpleasant odor to develop over time.

To remove the rotten smell from the washing machine, the filter must be cleaned. To do this, remove the plug on the back or side wall, unscrew the filter plug and substitute a prepared basin, quite a lot of stuck water can pour out of the machine. The filter is cleaned of debris, washed thoroughly in hot water with soap or other household products, and then rinsed and screwed back.

Cleaning the washing machine from drum odors

Despite the fact that it can be quite difficult to remove the rotten smell from the washing machine, and it can come from several places, most often the drum of the unit gives the strongest aroma. Cleaning the drum is easy - you don't need to disassemble the machine to access it.

To remove the musty aroma, simply wipe the surface of the drum with a damp cloth soaked in one of the cleaning agents. Both chemical solutions and powders and folk remedies are suitable for cleaning.

After cleaning, it is recommended to run the machine into a wash without laundry at high temperatures - this will remove the remaining cleaning agents. However, this is not done immediately, at first it is recommended to leave the cleaning agent for 30-40 minutes so that it has a full effect on the walls of the drum.

How to get rid of the smell from the washing machine machine with folk remedies

It is possible to remove the rotten aroma from the washing unit not only with aggressive household chemicals. Home budget funds also give an excellent effect, since they effectively dissolve dirt and plaque on the internal parts of the machine.

How to remove an unpleasant smell from a washing machine with baking soda

Baking soda is one of the best home remedies for removing unpleasant odors. It is very cheap, and in terms of efficiency it is not inferior to expensive solutions and powders.

To wash the washing machine from the smell and remove the stench with soda, you must:

• pour half a pack of baking soda into the tray;
• set the temperature in the unit settings to no more than 30 ° C and start an “empty” wash;
• at the end of the wash cycle, pour a glass of vinegar into the powder tray and this time set the temperature to 60 degrees;
• run the “empty” wash a third time, again at 30 ° C, and without using any cleaning agents.

After thorough cleaning, the unit door must be left wide open for good ventilation for at least 3 hours. Soda cleaning not only allows you to completely remove unwanted odors, but also disinfects the washing machine well from the inside.

How to clean the washing machine from the smell of citric acid

An excellent natural remedy for removing odor from washing machines is citric acid. It quickly removes not only soft, but also hard deposits on the internal parts of the machine, and also helps to reliably remove even a strong unpleasant odor.

Use a folk remedy like this:

• lemon powder is poured into a tray in an amount of 50 g, if desired, you can add the same amount of funds directly to the drum;
• the highest possible temperature is set in the unit settings;
• start the "empty wash".

Citric acid is a very powerful natural solvent and antiseptic, so usually only 1 wash cycle is enough to completely clean the washing machine from the swamp smell. The procedure does not present any difficulties, therefore it is recommended to carry out it as a preventive measure once every 2 months.

How to remove an unpleasant smell from a washing machine with vinegar

An effective detergent for the washing machine from the smell, like table vinegar, helps to remove the swamp aroma from the unit. Use it as follows:

• vinegar is diluted with water in equal proportions and poured into the tray of the machine;
• the washing temperature is set to the maximum;
• include a mode of additional rinsing after washing;
• the machine is started in "idle" mode with an empty drum.

An intensive vinegar wash with an empty drum removes unwanted odors in just 1 cycle. However, after washing, the unit will need to be ventilated for several hours so that the acrid smell of vinegar does not remain in the drum.

Removing odors from the washing machine using household chemicals

If the smell of sewage from the washing machine is very strong, then folk remedies may not remove it. In this case, it is worth using specialized aggressive substances that have a more powerful composition and help to reliably remove fungus and bad odors.

• White... The famous chlorine bleach can be used not only to wash heavily soiled substances, but also to remove bad odors from the machine. The whiteness is poured into the bleach or powder compartment and the intensive wash at high temperature is turned on. The drum of the machine must remain empty.
• Specialized cleaning and deodorizing agent... Such products as Calgon, FrischActiv, Alfagon and others help to remove the smell. They are also poured into the powder compartment, and then the water temperature is set to high and a “dry” wash is started.

Prevention of unpleasant odors from the washing machine

It is easier to prevent a foreign smell in the washing machine than to try to remove it. To prevent a rotten aroma from appearing in principle, it is enough to follow the simple rules for using the machine.

• Do not use the machine drum for storing dirty laundry.
• Remove the laundry from the drum immediately after washing.
• Do not keep the hatch door constantly closed; the drum should be ventilated more often.
• Try to wash things more often at high temperatures, washing in cool water provokes the appearance of an odor, which will then be difficult to remove.

It is also recommended to regularly clean the drain hose and the washing unit tray from dirt, wipe the drum from the inside. Once every couple of months, you can run an "empty" wash with folk cleaning agents or specialized solutions just for prevention.

Heavily soiled items that emit a strong unpleasant odor, it is better to first soak and rinse by hand in a basin. If they are immediately machine washed, they may produce an unpleasant odor that will be difficult to remove.

Conclusion

It is quite possible to get rid of the smell in the washing machine; even simple home remedies can do this. But it is even better, in principle, to prevent the appearance of a smell and to carefully look after the machine, observing all the rules of its operation.