Leaving the stuff in the machine for half a day can let it develop a bit of a niff, and you can also have little pools of stagnant water in the machine to help that along.

One thing that also helps is Vanish - the powder in the screaming pink plastic tub. It is a species of bleach, but doesn't take the colour out of things.

When did you last clean out your dispenser drawer? It is amazing how much nastiness can accumulate around that. And the lint trap is a fruitful source of niffiness unless you cleared it out last week. When I say 'cleaned your dispenser drawer' I am talking taking it out and scrubbing it under the tap.

I don't take prisoners!

It occurred to me as I did the empty wash last night, that you may be a neat and tidy chap who shuts the door of the machine when it is not in use - I used to. I says somewhere in the small print that it is not a good idea, and 'tis true - ventilation discourages the algal growth, for that is what the smell mainly is.

We have a very good way of remembering - once a month we put the flea drops on the dog, and wash the throws off the sofa - this puts so much hair in the machine that it is the perfect time to give it a clear out, if only to prevent the next load of laundry becoming coated with silky golden hair.

I still get irritated by the half open door of the machine, but try to control myself, remembering the smell of sun-rotted seaweed that used to arise when I kept it closed.