Is your washing machine smelling bad; like poop, sewage or rotten eggs?

In this post, we discussed how to deodorize a smelly washing machine. Here, you will find practical insights on what to do to get rid of offensive odors from your front or top-loading washer.

Read on!

How To Deodorize A Smelly Washing Machine

When we have dirty smelly clothes, we often put them in a washing machine to get rid of both the dirt and the odor.

But what happens when the washer that is supposed to assist in cleaning and eliminating odors from clothes starts smelling very bad.

In other to eliminate the unpleasant smell from the washer, here is a well-detailed guide to follow. With the full explanations here, you will be kissing those offensive odors from your washing machine goodbye.

What Causes The Washing Machine To Smell Terribly Bad?

If you have a smelly washing machine, you are probably wondering at the cause of the smell. Here is something you should know about that.

As we use the washing machine regularly to clean our clothes, we also use lots of detergents and other cleaning formulas to wash them. As time goes on, the dirt, hair, oil, soap scum and other things from our using the machine to clean our clothes, form a build-up on the insides of the washer.

The moment that happens, it becomes easy for bacteria, mildew, and mold to grow on the insides of the washing machine, especially on the dispensers, gaskets, and seals.

With the temperature of the washing machine and our laundry room being warm most of the time, it’s not a surprise that these microorganisms find the insides of the washer a comfortable place to grow and multiply.

Due to the activities of these bacteria, mold, and mildew on these dirty parts of the washer, the unpleasant smell we often encounter around it is released. In a situation where the washer is cleaned once in a blue moon, the bad odor becomes worse.

Eliminating Offensive Odor From The Washer in 3 Steps

The first step towards eliminating offensive odors from the washing machine is to get rid of the cause of the smell, which in this case is the dirt, soap scum, hairs and so on.

After that comes the sanitization which helps to eliminate unwanted bacteria, yeast, mold, mildew, and other growths from it.

Once we are done with that, we will then proceed to use the right products to eliminate any unpleasant smell that may have remained after we are done cleaning and sanitizing the washer.

So how do you clean the washing machine to remove bad smells from it? Check out the procedure below.

STEP 1: Cleaning The Washing Machine

We have already established that the washing machine needs to be thoroughly cleaned to keep away bad smells from it. The cleaning here should not just be a one-time thing. It must be regularly done to avoid hairs, soap scum and dirt building up inside the washer.

GUIDE: Cleaning a Washing Machine With Affresh

To properly clean the washing machine, here is the best possible way to do that:

  • Depending on the type of washing machine you have- the front-loader model or top-loader model, you may have to remove the inside parts so you can properly clean each of them.
  • Ensure that every part is well scrubbed to remove dirt, hair, soap scum and other things from it. You can do this using a brush with soft bristles, one that cannot scratch or damage the surfaces you are using it to clean on your washer. If you don’t have such a brush readily available, you can also use an old toothbrush for this.
  • Pay special attention to the rubber seal, gasket, dispensers, etc. Scrub or wipe these parts accordingly. These are the major areas of the washing machine where bacteria, mold, and mildew often grow. Get rid of every standing water, dirt, hair and other things from these places.

Step 2: Sanitizing The Washing Machine

The next thing to do to remove bad smells from the washing machine after cleaning it is to sanitize it. Sanitizing it here will help to eliminate bacteria, mold, and mildew from the inside of the washer.

To do this, you would need to use a powerful chemical like chlorine bleach. It is known to eradicate mold, mildew and many types of germs. Below is how to use it to sanitize your washer.

  • Set the washing machine to work at the maximum temperature level.
  • Depending on the type of washer you have, add the right amount of chlorine bleach to it. If you are using a front-loader model, use just two cups of the chlorine bleach. If you are using a top-loader, you may have to add up to 4 cups of it.
  • Start a cycle after that and allow the tub to fill.
  • Do not stop the cycle until you notice that the agitator has properly mixed the chlorine bleach and water. Once that has happened, stop the cycle.
  • Let the solution sit for 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Repeat the process at least two more times. That will not only help to get rid of the bleach, it will also help eliminate every bacteria, mold or mildew and their smell in the process.

Step 3: Deodorizing The Washing Machine

By the time you are done with the first and second steps above, the unpleasant smell coming from the washing machine would have been completely gone or greatly reduced.

If there are still some bad smells coming from the washer, you can get rid of them using commercial or homemade remedies. A mixture of two or three supplies can give you a DIY deodorizer to eliminate the remaining odor from the washing machine.

One such supplies that you can not get rid of the unpleasant smell from the washer is vinegar. Like you may have already known, vinegar is a very powerful supply in cleaning. It contains elements that help to remove dirt and also tackle bad odors.

To remove such smells from your washing machine with vinegar, do the following:

  • Just we did in the sanitization process, set the washing machine on the highest temperature level.
  • If you are using a front-loader, you only need to add two cups of the white distilled vinegar to it. If you are using a top-loading washer, add about 4 cups of the vinegar to the machine.
  • Start a cycle and allow the tub to fill. Do not stop the cycle until the agitator mixes the vinegar and water well.
  • Turn off the washing machine and allow the solution to sit for 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Once the time has elapsed, turn the washing machine on again and repeat the process.
  • By now, the unpleasant smell that you have been encountering before from your washing machine will be gone. You will start getting a very fresh smell from there.

Removing Bad Smells From Your Washing Machine

Here are some of the things you should keep in mind when dealing with the offensive smell from your washing machine:

  1. To get rid of the offensive completely from your washing machine, the first thing to do is to eliminate the cause. The cause here includes trapped hair, dirt, soap scum, and standing water. To do this, you will have to properly clean the insides and outsides of the machine also if possible.
  2. After that, you will have to sanitize it to kill any bacteria, mold, and mildew which may be feeding on the dirt, soap scum and taking advantage of the temperature of the washer to grow in it. You can use chlorine bleach or any other sanitization chemical that will not harm your washer.
  3. Once you are done with sanitizing your washer, then you can deodorize it to remove any remaining odor from it.
  4. When using chlorine bleach to sanitize the washer, do not mix it with any other chemical cleaner. Just use it that way. The same thing applies to the vinegar for deodorizing the washer.
  5. If you cannot place your hand readily on vinegar, you can also use baking soda to deodorize the washing machine. Just follow the same process we used in that of vinegar.
  6. If you need a commercial formula to use for deodorizing the washer, you can use products like Oxyclean and Borax to get it done.
  7. To permanently keep offensive odors from the washing machine, you must make plans to clean it regularly.

In Summary

The common cause of a smelly washing machine is standing water, trapped hair, dirt, and soap scum. With these things on the insides of the washer, it becomes easier for bacteria, mold, and mildew to grow within it. The activities of these microorganisms are what give rise to offensive smell.

Are you searching online for how to deodorize a smelly washing machine? Do you want to learn how to eliminate unpleasant odors from your washer?

I hope you find this resource useful.

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