You fill up the washing machine with your load of laundry, input the settings, add the soap, and hit a button. Unfortunately, when the washing machine kicks into the spin cycle, there comes something wafting from your washing machine drain line foul enough to turn even the strongest stomach. It is never a good thing to be getting bad odors in your home from any drain, but bad odors from the washing machine drain when you do laundry can be one of the most frustrating problems. Check out some of the reasons for bad odors from your washing machine drain and what you can do. 

Possible Cause: Your septic tank is getting full. 

Solution: Believe it or not, the bad odors you smell coming from the washing machine drainage line could indicate that you actually need to have your septic tank pumped. If your home's washing machine drain does lead to the septic tank and not a grey water system, reach out to a professional who can help you check your tank. Sometimes when the septic tank gets full, bad odors get pushed back into the house at specific drainage points. 

Possible Cause: Buildup of rotting particles inside the drainage line. 

Solution: Much like the drainage line under your sink or garbage disposal in the kitchen, there is a lot of icky stuff that goes down a washing machine drain line. If this material gets trapped in the drain line, and it often does, you can get bad odors as water rushes through the line and disturbs the foul-smelling stuff in there. Even soap can rot over time, and soap is pretty notorious for building up inside of a washing machine drainage line. To fix the problem, try pouring a collaboration of warm water, lemon juice, and vinegar down the drainage line. 

Possible Cause: Drain blockage somewhere else in the drainage system. 

Solution: A bad odor from your washing machine drain line does not always come with an obvious culprit to blame. You very well could be dealing with a stinky blockage that is somewhere down in the drainage system and not necessarily coming from the washing machine drainage point at all. In these situations, it is best to hire a drain cleaning professional who can do some water jetting and clear out the line or use a sewer line camera to track down the source of the problems and get rid of it. 

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