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How do I clean my washer drum and keep it from smelling?

Run a monthly empty hot-water cycle using either your washer's built-in Self Clean / Tub Clean setting, a cup of white vinegar, or an affresh-style tablet. After every wash, wipe the door gasket dry and leave the door ajar so the drum can air out. Front-loaders need this discipline more than top-loaders.

Washer odor — especially in front-loaders — comes from biofilm: a mix of detergent residue, body oils, fabric-softener gunk, and trapped moisture that microbes feed on. The fix is twofold: kill existing biofilm with a monthly hot cleaning cycle, and prevent it from forming by letting the drum dry out between loads.

Monthly cleaning: most washers made since 2015 have a dedicated Self Clean, Tub Clean, or Sanitize cycle — use that with the drum empty. If yours doesn't, run the hottest cycle with either 1 cup of white vinegar or a washing-machine cleaner tablet (Whirlpool's affresh and the generic alternatives all work equivalently).

Every-load habits: wipe the inside of the door gasket with a dry towel (front-loaders especially), leave the door open an inch between washes, and measure your HE detergent carefully — most households use 2-4x the correct amount, which accelerates biofilm growth.

If odor persists after two months of this routine, the drain-pump filter is the next suspect (see 'Why does my washer smell'). If it's still bad after that, have the drain line checked — standing water in the drain creates odor that always migrates back into the drum.

Manufacturer resources

Official support pages for brands commonly referenced in this answer.

Related questions

Why does my washer smell, and how do I fix it?

Washer odor is almost always biofilm buildup from detergent residue and trapped moisture, most often in the door gasket, drum, or drain-pump filter. A monthly hot-water clean cycle, weekly gasket wipe-down, and quarterly drain-filter cleaning eliminates it in most cases.

How much HE detergent should I actually be using?

For a normal load in an HE washer, use 1–2 tablespoons of liquid detergent or a single pod. Most households use 2–4x the correct amount, which causes buildup, odor, and rough fabric. The cap lines on detergent bottles are almost universally too generous for HE use.

How often should I clean my washer gasket or door seal?

Wipe the rubber door gasket of a front-loading washer after every wash, and do a full pull-back-and-clean every week. Top-loaders have far less gasket surface and generally don't need this level of attention. Neglected gaskets are the #1 source of washer odor and cause most mold complaints.