Laundry Drum Smelling Musty: Door Boot, Drain Filter and Detergent

What it
usually means.

A washing machine that smells is growing something, and it is almost always living in the places that stay wet between loads. On a front-loader, the folds of the rubber door boot hold water, lint and softener; the detergent drawer and the channel behind it keep a gray film; the drain pump filter at the bottom front holds standing water, hair and pocket debris; and the outside of the drum, which you never see, collects scum. On a top-loader the same film forms under the agitator or impeller and around the tub. Cooler wash settings, small doses of detergent used wrongly, too much softener and a door shut tight between loads all help it grow. The smell is a sign of upkeep that has slipped, not of a broken machine. The fix is to clean each hidden wet spot: the boot folded back and cleaned, the drawer taken out and washed, the drain filter opened and cleared, and the tub clean cycle run with a cleaner the maker allows. After that, habits keep it away: the right dose of high-efficiency detergent, a hot cycle now and then, the door and drawer left slightly open to dry. If the smell is of sewage, the drain standpipe or its trap may be the source, which is a plumber's job; a pump that no longer drains is a repair for the sister washer repair site.