After you have finished washing your clothes and folding or ironing them, you can be surprised that the clothes smell like diesel. Moreover, the fact that none of the clothes you have just washed had diesel stains on them before you washed them would make you wonder where the diesel smell is coming from and how you can get rid of the diesel smell in your washer.
To remove the diesel smell from the washer, you can; use white vinegar and baking soda, leave the washer door open for a long time, clean the washer’s door seal, clean the washing detergent dispenser compartment, and sterilize the machine with bleach.
This article discusses different methods that you can use to get rid of the diesel smell in your washing machine. In addition, it will help you understand how you can fix the issue on your own.
Why Is My Washing Machine Smelling Like Diesel?
It is common for washing machines to smell. In most cases, the smell is mainly a result of bacteria buildup and a combination of mildew, limescale, and even soap scum. If you wash clothes with diesel stains regularly with your washing machine, that could be why your washing machine smells like diesel.
In addition, when using the machine to wash clothes with a strong smell, the smell could be left on your washer. As a result, the smell on the washer could be passed on to the clothes you wash next, thus making your clothes smell. The same is also the case when washing fiberglass particles from clothes since some particles are left in the washer.
If your washing machine smells like diesel, you have to get the diesel smell out of the washing machine. Indeed, unless you fix the issue, any clothes you wash with your washer will smell like diesel.
How To Get Diesel Smell Out of Washer
1. White Vinegar
You will pour white vinegar into the washing machine’s detergent compartment. Set the washing machine to a hot wash cycle and run the entire cycle. If the smell is quite strong, you can mix white vinegar with baking soda.
Most vinegar have 4 – 8% acetic acid in them. The acetic acid in the vinegar will neutralize the diesel smell in your washer and ensure that you get rid of the smell. However, don’t load any clothes in the washing machine when using vinegar to remove the diesel smell in the washing machine since if you do, the clothes will obstruct vinegar from absorbing the smell.
2. Baking Soda
Mix one cup of water with a quarter cup of baking soda. Put the solution in the washer’s washing detergent compartment and run a complete normal wash cycle. The baking soda will absorb all the diesel smell in the washing machine, while the wash cycle will ensure that all residue and contaminants that may be causing the diesel smell are washed from the machine.
Baking soda is an amphoteric compound – it can either be a neutral or ionic molecule. Since smells are acidic, baking soda will be a pH neutralizer. Thus, various chemical properties of baking soda will effectively neutralize the acids causing a diesel smell in your washer and get rid of the smell.
When using baking soda to get rid of the diesel smell in the washing machine, do not load any clothes in the washing machine since if you do, baking soda will not be able to absorb the odor in the washer fully.
3. Leave The Washer Door Open
Once you have finished washing your clothes, you can leave the door of your washing machine wide open. However, this method will only work if adequate fresh air circulation is in the room where the washer is placed. You might also consider having a fan or dehumidifier installed in your room.
4. Clean Washing Machine’s Door Rubber Seal
By leaving the door of your washing machine open, fresh air will freely circulate in the washing machine. The fresh air circulation will help eliminate dampness, thus ensuring that your washing machine will not smell.
Since the diesel-like smell in your washing machine might be caused by the accumulation of mold and mildew on the rubber seal in the washing machine’s door, the door rubber seal must be cleaned.
To clean the door rubber seal, you can use washing detergent or a mixture of water and vinegar. First, ensure that you have thoroughly cleaned the seal. After cleaning, leave the door open to completely dry and get rid of bad smells while avoiding mold growth.
5. Clean The Detergent Dispenser
As I already pointed out, the accumulation of mold and mildness could be one of the reasons why your washing machine smells like diesel. Thus, to fix the issue, you must ensure that any potential areas of your washing machine where mold and mildew can grow are well cleaned.
To thoroughly clean the detergent compartment, take it off the washer and soak it in warm soapy water. Then, use a soft bristle brush or an old toothbrush to brush any dirt on the compartment. Before putting the detergent compartment back in its position, clean all the compartment’s sections.
6. Clean The Pipes
Clogged and unclean pipes can cause bad smells, which might smell like diesel in extreme cases. Therefore, when there is a diesel-like smell in your washing machine, you should ensure that the p-trap, drain pipe, and vent pipe is not clogged and are always clean.
If you are not good at plumbing, you can call a professional to come and clean the pipes for you. After cleaning the pipes, you will be surprised to find out how simple care maintenance can help prevent foul smells in your washing machine.
7. Use Special Washing Machine Cleaning Product
You can buy cheap washing machine cleaning products from most stores. These products are developed by washing machine manufacturers and have special chemicals that ensure that dirt accumulation is washed as the machine washes clothes.
Load your washing with a full load. Add the washer cleaning product to your laundry and turn on the washing machine. The full load on the washer ensures that water rises to all parts of the washer, thus cleaning the machine at the same time as your clothes are washed.
8. Sterilize With Bleach
Add two teaspoons of bleach to the washing machine’s detergent compartment. Turn on the washing machine and run it on a hot cycle. However, don’t wait for the cycle to complete. Turn the machine off immediately you notice that the water is starting to be splashed around.
Let the water and bleach rest in the washing machine for about half an hour. Then, continue the wash cycle and ensure that the bleach is completely rinsed so that there will be no bleach residue to ruin the next laundry.
How To Get Diesel Out Of Washing Machine
If you have diesel in your washing machine, it might be hard to explain how diesel ended up in the washer. However, accidents happen, and the ensuing mess has to be fixed once they have happened.
To get diesel out of the washing machine, you can use the following procedure:
Step 1: Turn off the power and lay down towels
Step 2: Locate the drain hose
Step 3: Drain the diesel
Step 4: Scrub the filter
Concluding Remarks
You can use any of the eight methods discussed to remove the diesel smell from your washer. As you will find out, you don’t need a professional to fix the issue as the methods suggested can be used by anyone.
