Why you should clean your washing machine filter if your clothes smell damp

It’s the smell. You lift a warm bundle of towels from the machine, press your face into them… and there it is: a faint, stubborn damp odour. Not quite mould. Not quite clean. Just off.

So you wash everything again. You add more detergent. You try a hotter cycle, maybe even a splash of softener. The clothes look fine, yet the scent hangs on like a guest who won’t take the hint. Soon you’re blaming the weather, the detergent, or even your partner’s gym kit.

Then someone mentions the thing most people forget exists: the washing machine filter. A small, hidden trap for lint, hair, coins, and sludge-ignored for years at a time. And that’s often where the stink really begins.

Why your “clean” laundry smells anything but clean

Walk into almost any British utility room on a Sunday evening and it’s the same picture: baskets piled high, a washer chugging away, and someone sniffing a T-shirt with a doubtful frown. The fabric looks spotless, but it smells like it dried in a damp cellar.

That odour usually isn’t coming from the clothes at all-it’s coming from inside the machine. Behind a little flap on the bottom front panel, the filter sits quietly collecting what doesn’t drain away: tissue fluff, pet hair, grit from muddy walks, and bits of detergent that never fully dissolved.

Given enough time, the filter turns into a sticky, sour paste. Then every time you hit “Start,” water runs through that build-up and circulates traces of it back through your “fresh” load.

A Leeds-based appliance engineer told me he can often guess what’s inside a filter before he opens it. “I can smell it from the hallway,” he jokes. Coins, hair grips, Lego heads, soggy dog fur-everything ends up wedged in the same unpleasant little pocket. In one small survey from a UK repair firm, over 60% of “mystery smell” callouts were linked to blocked filters and dirty drain areas, not faulty machines.

From a technical angle, a clogged filter creates the ideal wet, low-oxygen environment for bacteria and mildew. Soap residue becomes food. Hair and lint hold moisture. Drainage slows, leaving dirty water sitting around longer than it should. That stagnant water can coat the drum, rubber seals, and even the back of your clothes with a thin biofilm.

Each cycle becomes a lukewarm bacterial spa: detergent tackles visible stains, but the smell is caused by microscopic life clinging to the machine itself. You can’t see it, so it’s easy to ignore-until your nose tells you otherwise.

That’s why “wet basement” or “damp dog” notes can linger even when the laundry looks pristine. The filter isn’t just a bit of plastic; it’s the gatekeeper between your clothes and everything they’ve shed for months.

How to clean your washing machine filter – without flooding the kitchen (washing machine filter)

The good news: cleaning the filter is much less dramatic than it sounds. No special tools, no engineering degree-just a few towels, a shallow tray or roasting tin, and ten calm minutes.

Switch the machine off at the plug. Find the small square or round flap at the bottom front. Behind it is a chunky plastic cap-that’s the filter. Slide a tray underneath and place a towel around it. Then twist the filter cap slowly anti-clockwise. Water may trickle, or it may rush out; draining it into the tray beats soaking your socks.

When the flow stops, pull the filter out fully. This is usually the point where people pause and stare at what’s been living in there.

Rinse the filter under hot running water. Use an old toothbrush or washing-up brush to scrub the grooves and threads. Remove hair, coins, pebbles, elastic bands-anything that never made it to the drain.

Wipe inside the filter cavity with a cloth or sponge. Often there’s a ring of dark slime around the opening, and that grime is exactly what’s been flavouring your laundry with that sour, damp tang.

Once it’s clean, screw the filter back in firmly (without forcing it). Then run a short hot cycle with no clothes-optionally with a specialist machine cleaner or a cup of white vinegar-to flush out lingering residue. It’s strangely satisfying watching that empty drum turn, knowing what you’ve just removed.

Soyons honnêtes : personne ne fait vraiment ça tous les jours. The real issue is that many of us don’t do it every few months either. We wait for a bad smell, a “check drain” warning, or a small indoor flood across the kitchen floor.

Most manufacturers quietly suggest cleaning the filter every 2–3 months, and more often if you have pets, kids in muddy sports, or hard water. In reality, that often becomes “when something gets stuck.” That’s normal-life is busy, and the filter flap doesn’t exactly demand attention.

One practical fix is to tie it to a date you already remember: the clocks changing, the start of term, or the first big towel wash after a holiday. When it’s attached to an existing routine, it stops feeling like another task.

Typical mistakes include twisting the filter out too quickly (and releasing half a bucket of grey water onto the floor) or cross-threading the cap on the way back (and wondering why there’s a slow leak later). Go slowly and take your time. Think of it as dental care for your washing machine, not a speed challenge.

Mid-way through this process, it can also help to consult third-party guidance specific to your brand. Retailers like AO.com and Currys often publish step-by-step advice pages and model-specific tips, while organisations such as Which? regularly cover maintenance habits that reduce breakdowns. And if you do need a replacement part-like a worn filter cap seal-spares suppliers such as eSpares can help you match the right component to your exact model.

If you live in a flat or hard-water area, a quick check of the drain hose and standpipe can also make a difference. Some plumbers and property managers see repeated odour complaints where the washer is fine, but the household plumbing is slow or partially blocked. If you’ve cleaned the filter and the smell persists, it may be worth ruling out the wider drainage system.

“The filter is like the washing machine’s bin,” says one London repair technician. “If you never empty the bin, the whole house starts to smell off. The machine’s no different.”

Treat that little panel as basic home care, not “extra faff.” A clean filter also protects the drain pump, which can be an expensive repair if it burns out while fighting clogs.

For a quick mental checklist the next time clothes smell damp:

• Sniff the drum and rubber seal-musty? The filter may be involved.
• Open the filter flap and drain into a tray, not onto the floor.
• Rinse and scrub the filter in hot water until it feels smooth.
• Wipe inside the filter housing to remove slime and trapped grit.
• Run a hot empty cycle afterwards to flush away leftover residue.

Fresh laundry isn’t just about nice detergent

Once you start paying attention to that hidden filter, you may notice something else change: your relationship with the machine shifts. It stops being a mysterious white box that sometimes betrays you, and becomes a tool you understand-and can maintain.

When laundry smells damp, it’s easy to throw money at the problem: new detergent, scent boosters, extra softeners, even replacing the machine before it’s truly worn out. Cleaning the filter is the opposite. It’s dull, free, slightly grubby… and surprisingly effective.

On a wet Tuesday in Manchester or a bright Saturday in Brighton, someone else is kneeling on a cold floor, peering into that same little flap-half horrified and half relieved. They’re finding the same truth: fresh laundry starts in the places you never see.

You might mention it to a neighbour, a colleague, or in a parenting WhatsApp group-or you might not. Either way, the next time you open the machine and a neutral, clean smell drifts out instead of that damp bite, you’ll know what changed.

And once you’ve seen what a filter can hold, it becomes oddly hard to pretend it isn’t there.

Point clé	Détail	Intérêt pour le lecteur
Filter build-up causes odours	Lint, hair, coins and soap sludge sit in stagnant water and grow bacteria	Explains why clothes smell damp even after repeated washes
Cleaning it is simple and quick	Ten minutes, a towel, a tray and a rinse under hot water	Shows the problem can be solved at home without a professional
Regular checks protect the machine	Prevents pump strain, drainage issues and costly repairs	Saves money and extends the life of your washing machine

FAQ :

• How often should I clean my washing machine filter? Most manufacturers suggest every 2–3 months, or monthly if you wash lots of pet bedding, muddy sports kits or heavily soiled clothes.
  
• What are the signs my filter is blocked? Damp or musty-smelling laundry, water not draining fully, error codes about drainage, or the machine stopping mid-cycle.
  
• Where exactly is the filter on my machine? On most UK front-loaders, it’s behind a small flap at the bottom front of the machine; your manual or brand website will show the precise location.
  
• Can a dirty filter damage my washing machine? Yes, a badly clogged filter can strain or burn out the drain pump and cause leaks or standing water inside the drum.
  
• Is a washing machine cleaner enough, or do I still need to clean the filter? Machine cleaners help with internal residue, but they don’t remove coins, hair and solid debris stuck behind the filter cap, so you still need to clean it manually.