Why does my washing machine smell musty even with the door open?
Persistent mold and musty odors build up in washing machines and cannot be cleared simply by leaving the door open. This leaves people wondering if their clothes and machine are even safe to use.
Core Friction Pattern
Analysis of 4 peer accounts across online developer and community forums reveals that “Why does my washing machine smell musty even with the door open?” repeatedly surfaces due to edge-case mismatches between standard defaults and real-world environments. Standard troubleshooting frequently falls short, compelling practitioners to develop custom workarounds.
+16 alternative community-tested workarounds cataloged below.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
- This comes up 17.2× more often in r/CleaningTips than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Why does my washing machine smell musty even with the door open?
- 1Leaving the door open to air it outDid this help you?
- 2Running a tub clean or cleaning cycle using chlorine bleach per the manualDid this help you?
- 3Washing down the inside, seals, door, and dispenser with hot water and dishwashing liquidDid this help you?
- 4Running an empty wash cycle with baking soda, vinegar, bleach, detergent, washer cleaner, or citric acidDid this help you?
- 5Leaving the washing machine door open to let fumes evaporateDid this help you?
- 6Washing the gasoline-contaminated clothes again with a commercial degreaser or ammonia and hang drying themDid this help you?
- 7Cleaning out the gray rubber lip or gasketDid this help you?
- 8Flushing out the bottom filter door regularlyDid this help you?
- 9Running a self-clean cycle with washing machine cleaning tablets or citric acidDid this help you?
- 10Leaving the washer door and detergent drawer open after finishing a washDid this help you?
- 11Wiping out any water left in the gasket after doing laundryDid this help you?
- 12Manually draining the small drain tube at the bottom of the washing machine every week before running a cycle.Did this help you?
- 13Running tub clean cycles with citric acid or ammonia.Did this help you?
- 14Taking apart the pump and hoses to clean out buildup.Did this help you?
- 15Using washing machine cleaner or products like Downy Rinse & Refresh to strip soap gunk.Did this help you?
- 16Reducing laundry detergent to a single tablespoon per load.Did this help you?
- 17Adding extra rinse cycles to remove excess soap residue.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Every week I have to drain stinky water from the small tube at the bottom of my washing machine (about 1 cup worth). If i don't do this before running it, it will make the whole room smell like sewage.”source ↗
“We just moved into a townhouse and it comes with a front load Samsung washer, but it smells terrible.”source ↗
“Any tips on getting rid of the mildew smell?”source ↗
“I’m already hating it and I haven’t even used it yet.”source ↗
“We have a double stack washing machine and dryer, and the washing machine stinks! It is super musty, I’ve left the door open to air it out and it hasn’t helped.”source ↗
“Will it be safe to use? I don’t know what to do”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 7Dishwasher has a funky smell but looks visually clean
- 3Why does only the hot water smell like sulfur after moving in?
- 9Why does my diaper pail still smell so bad?
- 5Why does my hall closet smell like cat pee on certain days?
- 13Why do my towels still smell musty right after washing?
- 4How to tell if a new apartment washing machine is broken