@wonderingwoman it can but it shouldn't it all should get "flushed down the drain". Now, you do want to make sure that you are cleaning your filter regularly and on some washers you will be surprised about the sludge and stench that may come out of it. So make sure you have a good drain pan and plenty of rags in case it spills ;-) At my house we use about a 1/3 cup of baking soda poured into the drum and 2 good cups of vinegar in the soap dispenser. Then we run a hot water wash cycle. That does seem to keep things relatively clean and gets rid of the typical washer smell.
For more in depth information we would probably needing to know your exact washer model. Hope this helps.