A Maytag MVW6500 that smells worst after a few days of not being used, or after a pet-hair load, is showing the causes that are particular to this model as well as the usual residue. The first is the Pet Pro filter, which traps hair and lint so that it does not settle in the clothes. If it is not emptied, the debris stays damp in a warm drum and sours quickly. The second is the built-in water faucet, whose short line holds water between uses.
The checks in more detail
The third is the usual damp left to ferment: a large 4.7 cubic foot drum holds a lot of air and moisture, and when the lid is closed the tub, the agitator and the hoses stay wet for days. Start by emptying the washer completely. Open the Pet Pro filter, remove the hair and lint and rinse it under running water, then put it back. Check the bottom of the tub for water; if any is standing there, run a drain and spin cycle.
Run the faucet for a few seconds so that stale water leaves the line. Then run the hottest cycle the washer offers with a washer cleaner in the tub, following the product label, with Deep Fill so the water reaches the upper tub wall. While it runs, wipe the underside of the lid, the rim, the agitator base and the dispensers with a cloth. If you have a few towels, run a second hot cycle with them and a little detergent. Then change the habit that caused it.
Empty the filter after pet-hair loads, do not leave wet clothes in the drum for more than a few hours, and be careful with delay start: a load waiting for eight hours in a closed drum starts to sour before it is washed. If you go away, leave the lid open. If a smell returns very soon after cleaning, look at the drain hose: a sagging loop can hold water that never leaves. Contact Maytag if water remains in the tub after every cycle.
Differential
Likely causes of “Maytag MVW6500 top-load washer smells musty, sour or like mildew”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A full Pet Pro filter
What separates it Hair and lint stay damp in the filter
How to confirm Empty and rinse the filter
- 2
Water left in the built-in faucet line
What separates it The smell is strongest when you use the faucet
How to confirm Run the faucet for a few seconds
- 3
Wet clothes left in the drum
What separates it A sour smell on the first wash
How to confirm Empty and clean the washer
- 4
Water standing in the tub or hose
What separates it Water remains after the cycle
How to confirm Run a drain and check the hose
- 5
A closed lid for days
What separates it The smell is worst after a holiday
How to confirm Leave the lid open
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether the Pet Pro filter was emptied
- Whether the smell followed time away or wet laundry
- Whether the built-in faucet smells
- Whether water remains in the tub after a cycle
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedEmpty the Pet Pro filter
ReversibleRinse it clean.
Run the faucet
ReversibleA few seconds.
Drain any water
ReversibleRun a drain and spin.
Run a hot clean cycle
ReversibleWith a washer cleaner.
Wipe the hidden areas
ReversibleLid, rim and base.
Leave the lid open
ReversibleWhen idle.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- What the Pet Pro filter does
- It catches hair and lint during the wash so they do not settle on the clothes. It needs emptying after pet-hair loads; left full it becomes the source of the smell.
- The built-in faucet
- The faucet is for pretreating stains. Water sits in its line between uses, so run it briefly before you rely on it.
- Time and damp
- Odor grows when moisture sits. A large drum shut for days is an ideal place.
- Delay start
- It lets wet clothes sour in a closed drum, so avoid long delays with wet laundry.
- The cleaner
- A washer cleaner used in a hot Deep Fill cycle reaches the hidden surfaces that a normal wash does not.
- Maytag help
- Quote MVW6500 and say whether the Pet Pro filter has been emptied.
- Parts for this problem on the MVW6500 (RepairClinic, 2026-09-20)
- filter-pump, drain, part number W11568797, at $17.45; dispenser drawer, white, part number W11573771, at $60.51; drain pump assembly, part number W11399437, at $142.40.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !Do not mix washer cleaners
- !Switch off the faucet line if it smells until it is flushed
- !Call Maytag if the smell returns within days of cleaning
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Why does it smell after I come home?+
Damp sat in a closed drum.
Is the washer ruined?+
No, cleaning fixes it.
Should I leave the lid open?+
Yes.
Can I use the delay start?+
Not with wet clothes for many hours.
Will the hose matter?+
A sagging hose can hold water.
How often should I clean?+
Monthly.