Quick answer
Mold in a washing machine grows on detergent and softener residue inside a drum that stays damp with the door shut — front-loaders worst of all, because the rubber door gasket traps water in its folds. Pull the gasket back and wipe every fold with a cloth and diluted bleach or a washer cleaner, clean the detergent drawer, empty the drain pump filter, then run the hottest empty cycle with a washer cleaner or a cup of bleach. It stays gone only if you leave the door and drawer open between loads, use the right dose of HE detergent, and wipe the gasket dry after wash day. A gasket with mold grown into the rubber gets replaced, not scrubbed. Call (888) 840-6512 to reach a certified water damage restoration company in your area; the line is answered 24/7.
Press 1 for water damage or 2 for mold, then your 5-digit ZIP. The line goes quiet for about half a minute while it connects — that is normal, stay on.
Written & reviewed by Marcus ReedIICRC WRT
Reviewed August 30, 2026· Next review Feb 2027
Why the Machine That Cleans Everything Grows Mold
A washing machine is a sealed, warm, wet box with a steady food supply. Detergent that does not fully dissolve, fabric softener, body oils and lint settle in the places water does not drain — the folds of the door gasket, the detergent drawer, the drain pump filter — and stay damp between loads. Mold does not need anything else. Front-loaders get it worst because the rubber door seal that makes them water-tight also traps a puddle at the bottom of every wash; top-loaders get it in the dispenser and under the rim.
The smell arrives first: a musty note on towels that just came out of the wash. Then the black film in the gasket folds. Neither is a defective machine. Both are a machine that is never allowed to dry.
Where It Lives
| Place | What you'll find | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Door gasket (front-loaders) | black film in the inner folds, a puddle at the bottom | water trapped by the seal after every cycle |
| Detergent drawer and its cavity | slimy grey or pink residue | undissolved detergent and softener |
| Drain pump filter | lint sludge, coins, a smell | catches everything the drum sheds |
| Drum, under the rim (top-loaders) | dark ring | splash line that never dries |
| Door glass and hinge | spots | condensation |
The Cleaning That Actually Works
EPA's guidance for mold on hard surfaces is to scrub it off and dry the surface, and a washing machine is hard surfaces all the way down. The order matters, because cleaning the drum before the gasket just re-seeds it.
- 1Gasket first. Pull the seal back with your fingers and wipe every fold — there are usually two or three channels — with a cloth wet with diluted bleach (about 1 cup per gallon, per CDC guidance for mold cleaning) or a commercial washer cleaner. An old toothbrush reaches the inner channel. Gloves and an open window; bleach fumes in a small laundry room are unpleasant. A gasket with mold grown *into* the rubber — black that will not wipe off — is replaced; it is a $30–$80 part on most machines and the folds are unreachable once the colony is inside them.
- 2Drawer and cavity. Most drawers lift out with a release tab. Scrub the drawer and the slot it came from; the back of that cavity is where the pink and grey slime lives.
- 3Drain pump filter. Behind the small panel at the bottom front. Towel down, shallow tray under it, unscrew slowly — a cup or two of water comes out — and clear the filter. Most people have never opened this. It is where the smell usually is.
- 4Hot empty cycle with a washer-cleaning tablet or about a cup of household bleach. Longest, hottest program the machine has. If the machine has a *tub clean* cycle, that is what it is for.
- 5Dry it. Wipe the gasket and glass, and leave the door and drawer open.
Vinegar is a common alternative in the drum — it kills much of what grows there — but not in the same cycle as bleach, and repeated vinegar cycles are hard on rubber seals. One or the other, and bleach is the one that reaches the gasket.
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The Three Habits That Keep It Gone
Cleaning is the easy half. The machine grows the same colony back in six weeks unless the conditions change.
- Leave the door and the drawer open between loads. The single most effective step, and the one people resist because it looks untidy. A front-loader with the door shut holds a puddle in the gasket for days.
- Use HE detergent at the dose on the cap, not more. Over-dosing is the residue. High-efficiency machines use less water; the extra detergent has nowhere to go.
- Run one hot cycle a month — a tub-clean cycle or an empty hot wash with a washer cleaner — and empty the drain filter every couple of months.
Wipe the gasket dry at the end of wash day and the colony has nothing to work with.
When the Machine Isn't the Problem
A laundry room that is itself damp grows mold on walls, ceilings and the back of the machine — condensation streaks, a musty smell that is *not* coming from the drum, a hygrometer reading over 60%. That is a ventilation problem, and the humidity guide covers the targets and the equipment. Mold on the laundry room wall follows the wall rules, not the appliance rules. A leaking supply hose behind the machine soaks the wall and floor quietly for months — check the hoses when you check the filter, and replace rubber hoses over five years old with braided stainless ones.
Bottom Line
Gasket, drawer, filter, hot cycle, dry — then leave the door open. Washing machine mold is a habit problem dressed as a cleaning problem, and the machines that stay clean are the ones that are allowed to dry. If the smell survives a proper cleaning and an open door, the gasket has mold in the rubber and gets replaced.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my washing machine smell like mold?
Because a colony is growing inside it — usually in the door gasket folds, the detergent drawer, or the drain pump filter — on a film of undissolved detergent, fabric softener and lint that stays wet between loads.
Front-load machines seal tightly and hold a puddle in the gasket, which is why they smell first. Cleaning removes the colony; leaving the door open between loads removes the reason it grew.
Can I use bleach to clean mold in a washing machine?
YesOn the gasket, the drum and the dispenser, diluted, with the room ventilated and never mixed with vinegar or ammonia.
Run an empty hot cycle with about a cup of bleach, or a commercial washer cleaner, once a month. Do not use bleach and vinegar in the same cycle; use one, rinse, then the other on a different day if you want both.
Is washing machine mold dangerous?
It is an irritant more than a hazard for most households, but it does transfer to laundry — the musty smell on 'clean' towels is the giveaway — and it matters for anyone with asthma or mold allergies.
It is also a sign the machine is not drying, which shortens the life of the gasket and bearings. Clean it, then fix the habit.
Does mold in the washer mean I have a mold problem in the house?
Usually notThe machine makes its own microclimate.
But a laundry room that is itself humid, with condensation on the walls or a musty smell that is not coming from the drum, is a room problem. A hygrometer over 60% in the laundry room points to ventilation, and mold on the walls or ceiling there follows the same rules as anywhere else in the house.
Who do I call right now for water damage?
Call (888) 840-6512. The line is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and connects you with an IICRC-certified water damage restoration company that serves your area. A recorded menu picks up first: choose water damage or mold, key in your 5-digit ZIP code, and hold through the short silence while the call is passed to the company.
Describe what you can see — where the water is coming from, how long it has been there, and whether it smells — the more specific you are, the faster the right company is on the line. If the source is a pipe or an appliance, shut the main water valve first. Have four things ready and the call goes quickly: the address, when the water started, what is wet now, and whether you have filed an insurance claim.
Still not sure which of these is your situation? (888) 840-6512 · toll-free · answered 24/7
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Disclaimer: HearthDry is an independent educational resource. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional, legal, or insurance advice. Consult licensed professionals before making decisions about your property or insurance claims.
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