Dettol Washing Machine Cleaner vs Dr Beckmann Service-it Deep Clean: A Real-World Washing Machine Odour Test

A British front-loader washing machine developed a strong, cellar-like smell even though the drum and door glass looked spotless. Rather than calling out an engineer straight away, the owner put two widely available specialist cleaners head-to-head: the liquid Dettol Washing Machine Cleaner and the powdered Dr Beckmann Service-it Deep Clean. Both claim to restore hygienic freshness - but a real-world comparison revealed which one actually removes stubborn washing-machine odours.

Why washing machines can smell even when they look clean

From the outside, a machine often appears faultless: no grime line in the drum, clear door glass, everything seemingly fine. Yet the smell tells a different story. Over months, detergent residue, grease, skin flakes, lint and limescale build up in places you can’t easily see - inside hoses, behind the drum, in the detergent drawer housing and within the rubber door seal. Those hidden areas are exactly where bacteria and mould thrive.

Certain everyday habits make the problem much more likely, including:

• frequent short cycles at 30°C or 40°C
• constant eco programmes at lower temperatures
• washing mainly with liquid detergent and fabric conditioner
• keeping the door and detergent drawer shut after washing

The result is a warm, damp environment - ideal for micro-organisms. As they break down the residue, they create the musty smell that can then transfer to towels and bed linen.

"A drum can look gleaming clean and still smell awful - the real trouble spots are hidden behind plastic and metal."

The test set-up: Dettol vs. Dr Beckmann

The comparison was carried out on a persistently smelly front-loader in a British household. The owner had previously tried washing soda crystals without success - the odour returned after every wash.

Both products were supermarket buys and priced in a similar range: Dettol as a liquid washing-machine cleaner, Dr Beckmann as a portioned powder. To keep things fair, each product was used with the same maintenance wash: an empty 60°C cycle with no laundry. That made it easier to judge how much the smell changed - and whether any visible residue shifted - after just one use.

What Dettol actually cleaned on the machine

Dettol was used first, with a small tweak to ensure the visible surfaces were properly tackled too. One tablespoon of the cleaner was mixed into roughly 200 ml of hot water. That solution was then used to scrub three common problem areas:

• the detergent drawer, where dried-on detergent crust had formed
• the rubber door seal, which had soap residue and black specks
• the door glass, which showed light film build-up

Visibly, the improvement was clear: the drawer deposits softened and lifted, the seal looked noticeably cleaner, and the glass was free of smears. In other words, Dettol performed well as a front-of-machine cleaner for the areas you can see and touch.

After that, the drawer was put back in, the remaining Dettol was poured into the machine, and an empty 60°C cycle was run. Once finished, the drum looked slightly shinier, suggesting some internal build-up had been loosened too.

However, opening the door still released a lingering musty odour. It was less intense than before, but it was definitely still there. So while the machine looked better, the deeper, embedded smell wasn’t fully eliminated.

"Dettol added shine to the drawer, glass and seal - but the deeply seated odour inside needed more than this treatment alone."

How Dr Beckmann came out ahead in a direct comparison

For the second run, Dr Beckmann Service-it Deep Clean powder was used. This time, the tester deliberately skipped extra scrubbing because the obvious areas were already clean - making it easier to see what the product could achieve inside the machine itself.

The full sachet of powder was tipped into the detergent compartment. Although the packaging recommends a 40°C programme, an empty 60°C wash was selected again so the conditions matched the Dettol test. No detergent or other additives were used.

After the cycle came the key check: on opening the door, the damp cellar smell had gone. Instead, there was only a light, floral scent. Towels washed afterwards no longer picked up a dull, stale note - a strong sign that the odour wasn’t merely masked, but largely removed from within.

Dr Beckmann positions its product as a deep cleaner that removes residue and limescale, kills 99.9 percent of bacteria and fungi, and can therefore support longer machine life and better efficiency. In this practical comparison, that claim was reflected in the outcome: in terms of odour removal, the powder clearly beat the liquid competitor.

"In the test, the stubborn washing-machine stench only disappeared with Dr Beckmann - and later loads smelled neutral again."

Which cleaner is best for which situation?

A few useful, everyday takeaways emerged from the trial:

Product	Strengths	When does it make sense?
Dettol Washing Machine Cleaner	strong visible cleaning on the drawer, glass and seal; antibacterial action	for mildly musty machines; as interim upkeep when appearance is the main issue
Dr Beckmann Service-it Deep Clean	powerful against deep-set odours and hidden residue; also tackles fungi	for long-lasting, strong smells; as an occasional intensive treatment

Regular hot washing prevents many issues by itself - for example, running bed linen and towels at 60°C with a powder detergent. In homes with children, lots of sports kit and mostly 30°C washes, biofilm tends to form faster, so a specialist cleaner every one to two months can be worthwhile.

How to prevent washing-machine odours

Whichever product you choose, a few simple habits help keep smells under control long term:

• leave the door and detergent drawer open after each wash so the machine can dry out
• run a 60°C programme at least once a month using a powder detergent
• dose liquid detergent and fabric conditioner sparingly - don’t exceed the fill line
• wipe the rubber seal and drawer every few weeks with a cloth
• clean the lint/pump filter regularly, especially in homes with pets

People who prefer home remedies often reach for vinegar or bicarbonate of soda. In the short term, these can help loosen deposits, but strong acid concentrations can damage seals and metal over time. Purpose-made washing-machine cleaners are formulated to work effectively without harming internal materials - something that matters particularly with newer appliances.

What this test suggests for UK households

Many UK households will already recognise both brands from the supermarket aisle. These products are aimed at anyone who wants their machine to be clean not only on the outside, but also where odours quietly develop.

The comparison made one point fairly clear: liquid cleaners like Dettol tend to excel at quick freshening and visible grime, while a stronger powder such as Dr Beckmann can penetrate further into the machine’s system.

If you keep noticing a hint of cellar or wet-dog smell on “freshly” washed laundry even though the drum looks immaculate, it’s worth planning a proper deep clean - not just scrubbing the door seal. An intensive cycle with a deep-clean product, followed by regular hot washes and allowing the machine to dry properly, can be the difference between “good enough” and genuinely fresh washing.