How to stop mold and bad smells in front loader washers
Front loader washing machines trap standing water and lack adequate ventilation, turning sealed drums into mold and mildew factories when closed. This persistent moisture buildup creates unpleasant odors and forces people to keep doors open or abandon front loaders altogether.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Leaving the washer door open after doing laundry
- 2Pulling out the detergent drawer to let water evaporate
- 3Switching to a top-loading washing machine instead of a front loader
- 4Using washing machine cleaning tablets or packs every month
- 5Running a clean cycle with a specialized washer cleaner
- 6Using PBW from a brewing supplies store
- 7Using less detergent and avoiding liquid fabric softener
- 8Scrubbing the outside of the drum manually with a long-handled bristle brush
- 9Clean out the mold and sludge manually
- 10Empty the detergent tray and leave it open to dry after use
- 11Replace the washing machine entirely
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Years ago I could NOT convince my roommate that closing the door of a front loader washer made it a mildew factory, it's good to have that in the rear view mirror.”source ↗
“Yet I always get annoyed that’s there’s always water in it.”source ↗
“I’ll never buy a front loader again and that’s one of the reasons”source ↗
“Bought the house/appliances from elderly couple with pets and we also have had several pets and never thought to clean it out.”source ↗
“What is happening here? You took the drum out of the machine? And cleaned it? How do I do this?”source ↗
“So how do I keep my washer from getting this frigged? I just got a brand new one last month”source ↗
“To be honest we never saw signs on our clothes or in the washer itself. The reason I wanted to open it to see is because I saw a video of how nasty they can get.”source ↗
“At this point, I feel like the safest assumption is the washing machine internals are all moldy.”source ↗
“We have a baby and are already upset we've been washing clothes in this cesspool over the past week.”source ↗
“That black crud behind the tray is almost always a sign the whole drum spider and outer tub are coated in sludge by now.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 5How to clean mold and gunk trapped inside washing machine rubber seal
- 3Why do my towels still smell musty right after washing?