If you’ve noticed a musty odour emanating from your washing machine, it’s time to inspect the front door seal, which is a notorious hotspot for mould and bacteria.

The rubber seal around the door is a common breeding ground for mould, which can leave both your laundry and home smelling unpleasant.

Lynsey Crombie, otherwise known as the “Queen of Clean”, revealed a straightforward solution to combat the stench of a smelly washing machine and to prevent mould from reoccurring.

She recommended using baking soda, which has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties – 500g Elbow Grease Bicarbonate of Soda is available in Asda for as little as £1.75.

And considering you may only use 50g for one cleaning job that works out at 17.5p. Other retailers include Tesco and Amazon.

Lynsey instructed: “Sprinkle into the rubber seal some bicarbonate of soda, spritz with water, scrub with a small brush, leave for 10 minutes, and then run a rinse cycle.”

She assures that “the bicarb will soak up the odours and clean up the seal with ease”. Lyndsey promised: “No more smelly washing machine!”

After the time is up, use a small brush to scrub the baking powder into the seal and then wipe it off with a cloth. For an extra step, you can also use white vinegar to spray onto the rubber seal.

While baking soda and white vinegar are great cleaning solutions, they work best when cleaning is done on a regular basis.

It’s important to clean your washing machine at least once a month to stop mould from accumulating in the seal. You can also keep the washing machine door open to fully dry out after a wash, which will also help to prevent mould growth.

In Lynsey’s comments section, her fans expressed their amazement and gratitude for the simple cleaning hack.

One user exclaimed: “Never tried this but will definitely give it a go!” Another added: “This is so good! I was wondering why my machine was smelly.”

A further comment read: “Thank you! This is such a good tip – mine definitely needs doing.”