Miele W1714 smells of damp cloths

[bisebreath]

My Miele washing machine (14 years old now) is starting to smell pretty awful. It’s almost overpowering and I’d describe the smell as a damp cloth that needs throwing out. Is there an area that I should maybe take out and clean if I try and disassemble the machine? I’ve washed out the soap dispenser area and tried tablets bought on the internet that profess to stop odours and also done several hot washes with bicarbonate soda and vinegar but to no avail. Help is needed please because it’s an expensive replacement if I can’t solve this problem…. It’s smelling out the whole house!!!

[don]

Have you checked the filter at bottom left? is the door seal clean in the bottom lip? Have you checked the waste hose where it joins your plumbing? Sink trap check?

All the above can give the symptoms you are describing. There is a raft of info here on smelly washing machine issues.

Don

[bisebreath]

Thanks Don, I’ve cleaned the filter area and washed it as well as I can, the seal around the door is in good condition and not too dirty too. I’ve not checked the waste pipe though so will do that. Is it likely to smell? If it does should I pop the pipe deeper into the waste pipe so it sits in the water of the u-bend or is there a chance it might suck out the water from the u-bend which will introduce some more lovely (if different) odours…

Regards Pete

[don]

Waste pipe should not go any further than four inches down waste pipe otherwise the machine will not pump out correctly. I would investigate the pipe your waste hose goes into also the sink trap! Smells do have a habit of fooling you.

Is there a dishwasher alongside? If so investigate that as well.

Don

[andyjawa]

Also possible ( apart from rotting cloth trapped inside somewhere though that would be unlikely as this is the only problem you mention ), especially if liquid detergent has been used and running in parallel with “save save low energy low temperature washing” that the spider assembly and back and front of the tank unit or under the drum itself have got a coating of sloshy sludge or even worse the aluminum spider has got a fungal smelly jelly mould ( whether run on hard water soft water seems to make no odds – limescale is one thing ( due to the former ) and sloshy sludge is something else so you can get both together or just one – the sloshy sludge ). Of course, except for an indication under rear of the door seal where it mets the front of the drum, you`ll see nothing. Taking the machine to pieces ( if it can be because I have not checked ) could work out costly, cause more problems such as leaks on reassembly so you are really stuck with trying to do it chemically which may or may not work so as a suggestion, so long as you do not have soft water, you could try what I do with my 22 year old Hotpoint you get get 2 boxes of Aqua Softna pour one box in the drum and the other box in the main soap draw compartment. In that compartment you then pour in 3 CAP full of Flash lemon general purpose cleaner over the aqua crystals and having now closed the door preset the machine up for 60 to 90 degree wash programme press start and run like hell! Seriously, stick around because the machine might froth up badly and if it does just press pause for a few hours but as the machine gets hotter the foam should subside in anycase. When the machine gets up to temperature and is very hot it is a good idea to pause the machine for several hours and then let the machine carry on to the very end. Other than this, which might not work, this I think is your best shot other than the other suggestions already made elsewhere. You should be warned that at the age of your machine the drum bearing spider arms might be on their last legs in anycase meaning a hair line crack can occur ( causes a very loud knocking noise on spin if it happens ) whether you do nothing or the outlined suggestion in which case your machine will be toast based on the horrendous costs of repair i.e. hundreds perhaps inl labour over 400 quid if not much more I reckon – up to you to check that as you know Miele part prices are not for the faint hearted.

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