Washing machine detergent drawer mould? Clean the housing, not just the drawer
Black gunk in the soap drawer? The housing it slides into and the siphon cap need cleaning too. How to do all three, and why the drawer fills with water.
You ran the hot cycle or a cleaner tablet and the musty smell came back, or you pulled out the detergent drawer (soap drawer, or dispenser in the US) and found black gunk that looks like mould (or mold). Here’s what it is, how to clean the drawer and the housing it slides into, and what standing water in it means.
Why the detergent drawer goes mouldy
Much of the gunk is likely leftover product with microbes growing on it. Samsung says residue build-up can block the dispenser, and on some of its top-loaders detergent and softener can harden in the siphon tubes. Researchers who swabbed ten washers describe the drawer and the door seal as important sites for microbial life. The cleanest spot they sampled was the top of the door seal, which they put down to lower humidity.
Damp is the point. On most machines the rinse water runs through the drawer, but no cycle scrubs the housing (the slot the drawer slides into) or the siphon cap (a small plastic cap at the back of the softener section). Those spots can stay damp, and what’s left there can reseed the drawer you just rinsed: the same regrowth loop as the rest of the machine.
How to take the drawer out
Pull the drawer out until it stops. Most then need a release to come free, and where it sits varies by maker, so don’t force it.
| Maker | Release |
|---|---|
| Samsung front-load | Hold down the release lever inside the drawer |
| LG | Pull out fully, push upward, pull firmly |
| Beko | Press down the cover over the softener section |
| Zanussi | Press the button lock (on the side on some models) |
Other makers, a stuck drawer or one with automatic dosing: check your manual. Top-loader? See what differs.
How to clean the drawer, the siphon cap and the housing
You’ll need an old toothbrush, a bottle brush or pipe cleaner, a plastic scraper, a cloth, warm water and a torch (flashlight). Unplug the machine first.
The makers’ pages call for water and a brush: Zanussi says no detergent or bleach on its drawer or housing, and LG says not to use soap on its drawer. If your manual allows a cleaner, use only that, and never mix bleach with vinegar, ammonia or other cleaners, or run one straight after the other.
- The drawer. Lift out the inserts. Rinse the drawer under warm water, soak it, and scrape off waxy softener with something non-metal, as Zanussi advises; Bosch suggests a toothbrush for stubborn residue.
- The siphon cap. Pull it off and brush out the cap and its tube under hot water. That cleaning step comes from Whitegoods Help, a UK appliance-repair site, which also says a missing cap or tube needs a replacement part. Refit the cap firmly.
- The housing. Shine the torch in, brush the floor, walls and roof, and wipe it out with a damp cloth. Zanussi says to clear build-up from the water-supply “shower holes” in the roof of its housings.
- Dry, refit and flush. Dry everything, refit the drawer and run an empty Rinse + Spin, as Samsung advises.
Top-loaders with a dispenser drawer
On Samsung top-loaders with a built-in sink, the drawer sits under the sink and has a rinse cap that lifts out; otherwise the clean is the same. For an agitator’s softener cup and a top-loader’s other musty spots, see where a top-loader hides the gunk.
Detergent drawer full of water or not draining?
A little water after a wash is normal, say Whirlpool and LG. If there’s more, work through these:
- Blocked siphon. Clean the cap (step 2), then test it: hold the drawer under a running tap, fill the softener section until it overflows, and turn the tap off. Whitegoods Help says it should drain within 20 to 30 seconds. The section empties by siphon, not a pump, and the same site names softener build-up in the tube and cap as the most common cause.
- Water pressure. Check the inlet hoses are clear and the water supply is strong; Samsung says low pressure can delay the softener’s release. Very high pressure can also affect how the dispenser works, Whitegoods Help notes.
- Overfilling or thick softener. Fill only to the MAX mark, as Electrolux says, and Whitegoods Help says thick or concentrated softener and overdosing both speed up siphon build-up.
- Drawer not home, or machine not level. Press the drawer firmly back in and level the machine: LG says an unlevel machine may leave more water in the dispenser, and Whirlpool’s top-load page gives the same levelling advice.
Still more than about 1.3 cm (1/2 inch) after all that? Whirlpool says to contact service.
Still musty with a clean drawer?
On a front-loader, the next spots that hold water are the rubber door seal and the pump filter behind the little hatch at the bottom: clean the gasket first, then the drain filter.
Should you leave the detergent drawer open?
Yes, a little. Electrolux says to open it slightly after every wash “so it can dry out”, which airs the housing too.
How often to clean it: LG recommends cleaning the dispenser once a month; Whitegoods Help says to remove and rinse the drawer every month or two. Do the siphon cap and the housing at the same time.
The drawer is the small half of the habit. The door is the big one, and it decides whether the rubber seal dries: why leaving the door open works, and how far to open it.