How to remove strong bad odor from a washing machine?

After acquiring an expensive automatic washing machine, the housewives expect that they will now be able to forever forget about the mountains of dirty laundry: do you need to collect things, sort them, put them in and press a few buttons. However, after a year or two, and for some owners of such equipment, even after a couple of months, the device starts to smell from the drum of the device. The unpleasant odor from the washing machine may well not just spread through the bathroom, but also remain on the laundry. What to do in this situation, how to return the device to its former purity?

Before you start the fight against a musty smell, you need to understand what are the causes of its occurrence.

Why it smells from the washing machine: looking for problem areas

Offensive odor in the machine is formed after improper operation of the device, as well as in connection with the failure or partial damage to some work items. The main causes of negative consequences:

1. Change of detergent. It happens that the hostess all the time acquires the same powder (capsules or liquid), and then decides to change it for some reason. A smell also appears as a result of mixing of flavors and fragrances of a new chemical and remaining on the walls of the device. Also, a new tool may turn out to be of poor quality and create a film on the elements and drum of the machine.
2. Incorrect dosage of detergents. Wanting to better wash clothes, the device user begins to completely fill the cuvette, without taking into account the instructions of the powder or liquid manufacturers. As a result, the product is not completely washed out with water, leading to the formation of a rotten odor.
3. Lack of care for the elements of the device. A washing machine, like another device, needs to be washed and cleaned. If the hostess neglects to care for the detergent tray, then there is a hotbed of mold. In those cases when a dried powder layer is observed on the walls of the cuvette or there are residues of rinse aid, they must be removed. Once a month, it is recommended to completely wash the item and wipe it dry.
4. Dirty detergent line. The smell in the washing machine appears not only in the laundry compartment, but also inside the elements. So, when the powder tray is very dirty, the detergent drain channel is often in poor condition. Find out whether this is really so with a flashlight. With the cuvette open, you need to shine inside the machine, if mold is visible, then mechanical cleaning will be required. It is produced by a brush independently or a qualified master is called.
   

   Dirty detergent container

5. The need to flush the drain filter. Its main function is to prevent pollution of sewage, so all the small debris (buttons, threads, animal hair) remains in it. It is best if it is cleaned every 6 months. But in practice, rarely do any of the owners of automatic machines do this, so the contents of the filter turn sour and a smell appears.
   

   Dirty filter hole

1. The accumulation of water in the car. Some owners trying to clean their washing machine from smell, but tightly close it after use.Inside the device, very little water may remain, which begins to sour.
2. Partial blockage of the drain hose. Here we are talking about the accumulation of mucus, debris, powder particles or other detergent on its walls. Often a similar problem is typical for cars that are more than 5 years old. In this case, you can try to get rid of the smell using a washing cycle at a high temperature without linen.
3. Scale and sediment. Smell mold in an old washing machine appears as a result of accumulation of deposits on the heating element. However, the bulk of this plaque is made up of residues of detergent, litter, and mineral salts. The stench is felt mainly when washing at low temperatures (up to 40 degrees). If you choose a different temperature, you can smell the burning.
4. Malfunctions in the functioning of the sewer and errors in connection. If the smell comes not only from the car, but from other plumbing fixtures, then the problem is in communal utilities.
5. The accumulation of bacteria. Actual when washing is carried out at low temperatures and with a slight rinse (programs like "express" and "daily").

How to get rid of the smell in the washing machine: the most affordable ways

It is not at all necessary to immediately contact the master or send the device to a service center, eliminate the smell in your washing machine. You can solve the problem yourself, using affordable and quite cheap means. We will name the simplest ways to remove stench from the device.

Idle wash

The powder cuvette is completely filled with detergent (you can take an industrial cleaner). No need to load laundry. Of all the existing modes, you must choose one where the maximum time and temperature are set (usually about 90-95 degrees). Similar drum washing will get rid of bacteria and mold.

Descaling with citric acid

The heating element is subject to scale formation, since the water in multi-storey buildings, as well as in private houses, leaves much to be desired. Also granules of powder can stick to the heating elements, forming a thick layer.

Citric acid will help get rid of scale and deposits.. Take about 100-200 grams of acid, pour it into the compartment or into the drum. Then choose a mode with a temperature of 90 or 95 degrees and the longest time and start the device.

Sometimes the scum begins to break off in large pieces, which is accompanied by the appearance of a buzzing sound when draining. If you notice it, you need to turn off the machine and remove the particles that appear, start the washing process again. At the end, you also need to check the drum and the sealing gum.

Dishwasher cleaning tablets

Tools (salt and tablets) for dishwashers help remove odors from a conventional washing machine or vending machine. 5-7 pieces are placed in the drum, no laundry is needed. The machine is turned on at the highest temperature for the longest possible time. In the middle of the cycle, the device is paused or completely turned off and left for 3 hours so that the chemical has time to act.

Soda Wash

First, a pasty preparation is prepared from soda and water - it is obtained by combining them. When it is done, they lubricate the sealing gum, cuvette, drum and other contaminated places as far as possible. The product is left on the surface for 40 minutes, then washed off. You can also carry out a washing cycle with the addition of 400 grams of soda.

Cleansing using copper sulfate

In order to combat mold on an elastic band, 3% copper sulfate is used (the product is diluted in an amount of 30 grams in 1 liter of water). The ring is lubricated with the resulting solution and left for 1 day. Then it is thoroughly washed off the surface, wiped dry.

Preparation of a mixture with vinegar

Washing the drum with a mixture of washing powder, apple cider vinegar and citric acid helps to get rid of the smell of dampness and fungus. Take 2-3 tablespoons of detergent, 100 ml of vinegar and half a glass of acid. All this is placed in a cuvette, and the machine is started at maximum temperature. It is advisable to repeat this “wash” 2-3 times. To achieve maximum effect, the device is turned off in the middle of the cycle and left for 2 hours.

Wash with oxalic acid

It is made without loading of linen. Acid is placed in the powder container and the device is turned on for 30 minutes. Temperature is maximum.

Acquisition of industrial facilities

If there is no desire to mix and select chemical compounds on your own, then you can buy in the store special means for washing washing machines. It can be powders and gels from scale, fungus, mold. Among them: Calgon, Dr. Beckmann, Scrubman and others.

Some housewives, when they smell of rotten water or rotten meat from a typewriter, try to wash the drum and other elements with chlorine-containing preparations. Of course, there is definitely a benefit from them, but there is also a risk of damage to the case or components of the device. Chlorine can corrode not only scale, mucus and dirt, but even rubber, plastic and metal parts, if they have been used for a long time.

How to prevent odor

To prevent the smell of swamps, dampness, and mold from the drum, powder cuvette or filter, do not forget the simple rules for using a washing machine. Of these, you can call:

1. All washings should be completed by wiping the inside. If a powder container is pulled out, then it should be washed. Particularly carefully you need to wash the rubber insert and door, dry.
2. Regularly (every six months) check the drain hose filter and wash it if necessary. The procedure helps get rid of mold and organic deposits.
   

   Dirty filter
3. Periodically clean the heater using special products or acids. If it smells from the washing machine, then such a “wash” without laundry should be carried out at high temperature.
4. Once a month it is useful to flush the machine. Use citric acid, bleach, or vinegar. Washing is carried out at 95-90 degrees without putting laundry in the drum.
5. Limit the use of rinsing agents and conditioners, especially if you see that they remain on the walls of the cell.
6. Choose detergents from well-known manufacturers.
7. Dry the drum well for 1-2 days, do not close the machine tightly.

Finally. It is not so difficult to get rid of the smell from the washing machine, but it is best not to allow it to form and to observe the rules of operation of the device.