How to clean a washing machine and stop the smell
12.09.2026
Quick facts
| Time | 15 minutes of work, one empty cycle |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | low |
| You need | citric acid, a brush, a cloth |
| Our price | from 46 € for a full flat clean |
A washing machine that smells is almost never dirty inside the drum. The smell lives in the rubber door seal and in the detergent drawer, and both are places a hot cycle never reaches.
What you'll need
- citric acid, about 100 g, or a washing machine cleaner
- washing-up liquid for the drawer
- an old toothbrush
- a microfibre cloth
- a shallow tray for the pump filter
Step by step
- Pull out the detergent drawer. It comes out on nearly every machine. Wash it in hot water with washing-up liquid and brush the housing it sits in — that cavity is usually worse than the drawer.
- Wipe the door seal. Fold the rubber back and go all the way round. This is where the smell comes from, and it is the step that gets skipped.
- Run an empty cycle at 90 °C with citric acid. Put the acid straight into the drum. This dissolves the scale on the element, which is what shortens a machine's life.
- Check the pump filter. Bottom front, behind a small hatch. Put a tray underneath — water will come out. Coins, hair and buttons collect here and a blocked filter stops the machine from draining.
- Wipe the outside and the glass. Detergent residue on the door glass is what makes a machine look old.
- Leave the door and drawer ajar. After every wash, not just this one. It solves most smell problems on its own.
What to use — and what not to
| Product | Good for | Do not use on |
|---|---|---|
| Citric acid, 100 g, empty 90 °C cycle | limescale on the heating element | — |
| Washing-up liquid and a brush | the detergent drawer and its housing | — |
| Vinegar | the door seal, occasionally | not every cycle — it dries the rubber over time |
| Chlorine-based products | — | damage rubber seals and must not be mixed with anything else |
How often to clean a washing machine
An empty hot cycle every two months, the detergent drawer monthly, the door seal wiped after every wash. Check the pump filter twice a year — more often if anyone in the household has long hair.
What to watch out for
- Too much detergent is the most common cause of both smell and residue. Follow the dose on the packet, not the cap.
- Closing the door straight after a wash traps moisture in the seal, which is exactly what the smell needs.
- A machine that vibrates badly is not a cleaning problem — check that it is level and the transit bolts were removed.
- Opening the pump filter without a tray floods the floor. There is always water in there.
When to leave it to a professional
The machine itself is a job you can do. What is worth handing over is everything limescale-related at once — kettle, taps, shower, dishwasher, drum — which is part of a deep clean. If the machine is leaking or not draining after the filter is clear, that is a repair, not cleaning.
Rate the article
