“I believe the attached picture shows deceased earthworms in my front loading washing machine filter”, states this reader about the slimy-looking, brown worms pictured below. “The odor was enough to blow a person into the next county! I saw an article of Dori’s from 2018 saying she wasn’t sure it was a worm that a previous person wrote about (2018). I clean this filter faithfully every month. This is the first time it has happened. Since I discovered this I have used baking soda and white vinegar in every drain in the house. Any other suggestions you might have to prevent this occurring again would be greatly appreciated!”

This situation is very strange indeed, and we can imagine how disturbing this discovery was for our reader, especially considering she cleans her filter every month. We think it is good that she is cleaning the drains in her home thoroughly, as this is important to prevent organisms that tend to come up through people’s drains, like earthworms, as well as drain fly larvae and bloodworms. And with that said, it is likely the worms came up through the drain of the washing machine and ended up in the washing that way. We considered other alternatives: like eggs being present in the washing detergent, or worms being on the clothes that were put into the machine, but both are extremely unlikely given that, in the first instance, our reader has already said that she cleans the drain every month, so the eggs would likely not have hatched that quickly, and in the second instance, our reader would have noticed such worms in her clothing.

Of course, our reader is not asking how these got into her washing machine, but rather about how to prevent something like this from occurring again. Well, the best way to prevent worms coming up from one’s drains is to clean them frequently. We recommend that our reader do what she has been doing with the baking soda and vinegar relatively often: as often as she would clean her bathroom. Additionally, our reader may also want to keep an eye (or nose) out for signs of a leak. Usually, worms will only be able to find their way up someone’s drains if there is a leak in the pipes somewhere underground. To check for signs of a leak, our reader can see if the water in her taps is discolored or smells/tastes weird, or if there are any inconsistencies in the water pressure. If she thinks she may be experiencing a leak, she should contact a professional to deal with the issue.

In conclusion, we sympathize with our reader and her situation: we certainly would not like to find a group of worms in our washing machine. We hope that the information provided in this article proves useful, and we wish her the very best!

Summary

Article Name

Slimy, Brown Earthworms Found in Washing Machine Filter by Woman Asking for Advice

Description

"I believe the attached picture shows deceased earthworms in my front loading washing machine filter", states this reader about the slimy-looking, brown worms pictured below. "The odor was enough to blow a person into the next county! I saw an article of Dori's from 2018 saying she wasn't sure it was a worm that a previous person wrote about (2018). I clean this filter faithfully every month. This is the first time it has happened. Since I discovered this I have used baking soda and white vinegar in every drain in the house. Any other suggestions you might have to prevent this occurring again would be greatly appreciated!"

Author

Worm Researcher Anton