How to remove mold from washing machine?
- Mold
Front-loaders grow mold in the door gasket and the detergent drawer, where water sits after every cycle. Wipe the gasket dry, leave the door and drawer open between washes, and run the machine's own cleaning cycle. If the smell persists after that, the problem is usually the drain pump filter.
The short version
- The gasket is designed to hold water in, so it holds water in after the cycle ends too.
- Cold, quick washes and liquid detergent leave more residue for mold to feed on than hot washes do.
- Leaving the door and the drawer open between loads is the single most effective change.
- The drain pump filter collects lint and debris and is the usual source of a smell that survives cleaning.
- Detergent overdosing is a common cause. Excess suds leave residue in places the rinse does not reach.
Why front-loaders in particular Link to this section
A front-loading machine seals against a flexible rubber gasket, and that gasket does its job well — it keeps water inside during the cycle. What it also does is trap a small amount of water in its folds afterwards, along with detergent residue, fabric softener, lint and fibers from the wash.
That is warmth, moisture, and an organic food source, in a dark enclosed space, several times a week. It is close to ideal.
Top-loaders are less prone to it because they drain more completely and dry with the lid open, though the dispenser and the area under the agitator can still grow it.
The three places it lives Link to this section
The door gasket. Fold it back — the growth is usually inside the fold rather than on the visible face, which is why wiping the front of it appears to do nothing.
The detergent drawer and its housing. Residue builds where the water sits after dispensing, and the housing behind the drawer is rarely inspected.
The drain pump filter. Usually behind a small panel at the bottom front. It catches lint, coins, tissue and hair, and it is the most common source of a smell that survives everything else. Most owners do not know it is there.
What actually fixes it Link to this section
EPA’s method applies here as it does anywhere else — clean hard surfaces with detergent and water, and dry completely — but the durable fix is habit rather than product:
- Leave the door and the drawer open between loads. This is the single most effective change and it costs nothing.
- Wipe the gasket dry after the last wash of the day, folding it back.
- Run a hot cycle periodically, or the machine’s own cleaning cycle, to clear residue that cold washes leave behind.
- Use less detergent. Modern machines need far less than people use, and excess is the food source.
- Clean the drain pump filter on the schedule in the manual, which is more often than anyone does it.
If the smell survives all of that Link to this section
Check the filter first, then the drain hose for a sag holding standing water, then the housing behind the detergent drawer. If it still persists, the growth may be in the outer drum or the sump, which is a service call rather than a cleaning task.
And check the room. A laundry space with no ventilation, or a machine in a damp basement, is a humidity problem the machine is merely reporting.
What this means for your claim
This is maintenance, not a claim. It matters here for a different reason — a washing machine is one of the most common sources of a genuine water loss in a house, and a machine you are already inspecting is a good moment to check the two things that fail.
The supply hoses. Rubber hoses under constant mains pressure fail, and when they do while nobody is home, it is one of the largest internal water losses a house can produce. Braided stainless hoses cost little and fail far less. The drain hose connection, which can work loose and discharge a full cycle onto the floor.
Both are covered as sudden and accidental if they fail. Both are cheaper to replace than to claim.
What comes next
A machine that smells is a humidity problem in a small space. If the laundry room itself is damp, see mold and the drying window — and if a hose has ever let go, see water categories for what happens next time.
Common mistakes
- Closing the door immediately after a cycle, which seals a warm wet drum.
- Using more detergent than the machine needs. Excess residue is what growth feeds on.
- Only ever washing cold and quick, which never gets hot enough to clear the residue.
- Ignoring the drain pump filter, which most people do not know exists.
- Cleaning the visible gasket surface without folding it back, where the growth actually is.
Common follow-up questions
Should I use bleach in the machine?
A hot cycle with a machine cleaner or with bleach will kill surface growth in the drum, and EPA's point still applies — killing is not removing, and the residue in the gasket folds and the filter is untouched by anything running through the drum. Never combine bleach with an ammonia-containing cleaner, in the machine or anywhere else.
Can the mold get into my clothes?
Clothes washed in a machine with growth in the gasket can pick up the smell, and it is stubborn because it is being reapplied every wash. Fixing the machine fixes the laundry; rewashing the laundry without fixing the machine does not.
Is it worth replacing the gasket?
If growth is established in the rubber rather than in the film on it, a replacement gasket is a modest part and it resets the problem. It is worth doing only alongside the habit changes, though — a new gasket in a machine that is still closed wet after every load grows the same thing.
Sources
Every source cited on this page
- T1Mold Cleanup in Your Home — US EPA (accessed 2026-08-25)
- T1Ten Things You Should Know About Mold — US EPA (accessed 2026-08-25)
- T1Mold Clean Up Guidelines and Recommendations — CDC (accessed 2026-08-25)
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