Smelly Washing Machine

[Curious]

My washer smells horrible. I've had the outlet pipe off, I've had the pipe to the pump off, but these were all OK. The smell seems to come directly from the drum. I've tried washing using bleach and even dishwasher tablets but the smell comes back as good as ever. I can see some black "mould?" inside the expansion plastic "boxes", at least I think that's what they are but so far I haven't attempted to take these off. I'm wondering if something has got into the tub somehow but I've never had any trouble emptying etc. If that's the case is it easy to get into it?. Please help I'm fed up of wearing a nose clip.

[Whitegoodshelp]

Your washing machine could be covered in gunge inside, which can be difficult to shift. I've also known cases where an old sock or cloth was stuck inside the tub (rotting away) although it's rare because a sock would normally find its way into the sump hose and fairly quickly stop the water pumping out. I'd be hesitant to strip the washer down to look though at this stage.

The main cause of washing machine gunge building up, and how to prevent and deal with it is explained here - I only use 40° washes is that OK? - Washing machine smells (gives off bad odour)