What is wrong with my washing machine?!

[avocadoramen]

It's under 2 years old. It has this horrible stale damp smell, as does everything that i wash in it.

I do regular 'drum clean' cycles, with just hot water and also with soda crystals / a bit of vinegar. I have cleaned the seal and the filter. I generally use powder and have flirted with those detergent sheets that dissolve - either way it goes straight in the drum (no idea if that's relevant). No softener.

Why, MN, oh why is it still stale and damp and stinky?!

Do you leave the door open between washes?

Too many quick washes..

Agree with pp, you need to make sure you keep the door open else you're trapping the dampness inside the drum. Once I started doing this, I didn't have anymore problems with a smelly washing machine.

Calgon with every wash will help

Not only door open, leave powder / conditioner drawer open a bit as well.

Check the pump, make sure the machine is emptying properly. All sorts of things get stuck in there. Buttons, coins, hair ties...

Mine was like this, till I started at use astonish washing Sanitiser. Only £2. Wee bit in the softener sections of the drawer. Means no stinky designing machine.

Run an empty 90 degree wash, on the longest cycle with nothing added. No detergents or anything. See if that improves things. I do this at least once a month and no longer get this smelly problem.

Get some descaling product suitable for the washing machine and run that through too. I aim for once a month.

Then check the waste hose, where it connects to your drains. If not properly installed then the dirty can run back in.

Don’t use vinegar, it rots the rubber seals.

Don't use liquid detergents. A washing machine engineer told me that it's the liquid ones that cause the machine to smell. Use powder. He also told me that it's perfectly ok to put the powder straight inside the drum if you don't like the mess in the drawer.

Vipers, you're the best. I knew you'd have good ideas. Thank you all. x

Oh, wow, thank you @avocadoramen!

I meant all y'all 😂

Instead of doing a drum clean cycle, do a 60C wash for your towels every week. My machine actually has a symbol to warn me if I haven't done a 60C wash in a while.
Pull out the dispenser drawer every time you have done a wash, dry inside the compartment, let the drawer air dry before reinserting it.
Pour a slurp of household disinfectant in the middle compartment for the last wash of the day. It will kill bacteria in any residual water. The smelly washing machine is a sign of bacteria.