Clothes Washer- Smell?

[SDSorority]

Does anyone's clothes washer smell sometimes? How do you get rid of it? Mine has just recently started faintly smelling kind of like... eggs? It's very strange. Any tips to get rid of it? I have no idea why it started, and my clothes don't smell funny.

THANKS!!

 

[PinkRhombus]

Do you have a front loading macine? You need to leave the door open when not in use. It's a common thing that people forget to do with those types of washers.

You might try running a couple of loads with bleach and see if that helps.

 

[HoosierMomOf5]

I have a front loader that gets funky from time to time. I hate that thing. lol

Every few months, I'll run an empty washer with the hottest water possible and a quart of bleach....followed up by another cycle of hot water and a quart of vinegar. It cleans the inside beautifully and all funny smells are gone.

Worth a shot maybe.

 

[dawson5]

Does anyone's clothes washer smell sometimes? How do you get rid of it? Mine has just recently started faintly smelling kind of like... eggs? It's very strange. Any tips to get rid of it? I have no idea why it started, and my clothes don't smell funny.

THANKS!!

are you on well water? We've had the front loader for years now, never had the rotten egg smell from it, but have had it in our water. We have well water. We research what to do, hubby doesn't do it and eventually it goes away.

 

[CapnJacksGirl]

I bought some stuff called Smelly Washer that's supposed to work like a dream, but we have a HE washer and it won't work in it. I ran some old junky towels through with vinegar and that helped. Making sure the product dispensers are cleaned out really well helps too. And like one of the PPs said, keep the door open when you're not using it so the moisture evaporates easier. Good luck!

 

[scrapquitler]

I run a hot water cycle with lots of bleach when my (top loader) machine starts to smell funky.

 

[Sadie22]

Our top loader Sears Calypso has some rubber gaskets around the top of the tub that need to be cleaned periodically or gunk builds up on them. I also periodically clean the washer, after wiping around the top of the tub, by running a cycle of hot water with bleach through the detergent, bleach, and fabric softener ports.

 

[MomRN]

I use a washer cleaner Tide makes and it seems to get rid of any funky smells. I have a top loader.

 

[princessfionasmom]

I have a front loader that gets funky from time to time. I hate that thing. lol

Every few months, I'll run an empty washer with the hottest water possible and a quart of bleach....followed up by another cycle of hot water and a quart of vinegar. It cleans the inside beautifully and all funny smells are gone.

Worth a shot maybe.

Thanks for that tip, I have a front loader and it needs a good cleaning!

 

[BrettS]

Front loaders can often get some mold or mildew that builds up in the seals adn that can cause weird smells. Leaving the door open when you're not using the washer can help because that will let it dry out and give the mold or mildew less of a chance to grow. Also make sure that you *only* use HE detergent in the machine. Non HE detergent creates more suds and the extra soap can get into the seal and the mold and mildew will feed off of it.

Running a cycle with a lot of bleach (and no clothing) may help, or try to rub down the seal around the door with some diluted bleach (straight bleach on the rubber would be bad for it).

HTH,
Brett

 

[Evi]

After you run the cleaning cycle to get rid of the funk leave the washer open even if its a top loader. It will keep it dry and funk free.

 

[Cruise]

We have a front loader and leave the door cracked open to let it air out between cycles. I also throw about 1/3 cup of borax in with every 3rd load or so as well. I've heard this helps cut down on the mildew/mold possibility.

We've had our front loader for 3 years now and no smell, so something is working!

 

[lawone]

I run a hot water cycle with lots of bleach when my (top loader) machine starts to smell funky.

Same here!!! Works like a charm.

 

[QVCshopper]

After you run the cleaning cycle to get rid of the funk leave the washer open even if its a top loader. It will keep it dry and funk free.

I always leave my top loader open in between loads, and have never had a smell problem. I read that you shound do that somewhere, so it dries out and doesn't grow mold.

 

[Gigi22]

I have an elderly Maytag top loading washer. Every week the last load I do is just a cleaning load--I add 1 cup of bleach to a full cold water wash, no soap, and let it run. It cleans it out nicely!

 

[DISdreamin']

I've tried the hot water and bleach bit with our top-load washer, but it never really got rid of the smell completely...it helped a bit, but not a cure. I finally broke down and bought the Tide washer cleaner, and it worked wonders! No more smell. When the washer started to smell again ever so slightly - maybe a month or so later - I used the same stuff. Now I just plan on running it ever month or so, as it is well worth the cost to me to stave off that nasty musty odor.

 

[monkey30]

I've tried the hot water and bleach bit with our top-load washer, but it never really got rid of the smell completely...it helped a bit, but not a cure. I finally broke down and bought the Tide washer cleaner, and it worked wonders! No more smell. When the washer started to smell again ever so slightly - maybe a month or so later - I used the same stuff. Now I just plan on running it ever month or so, as it is well worth the cost to me to stave off that nasty musty odor.

ditto!!! this works great

 

[bonoriffic]

There is another possible cause of odor I expensively learned...

One of the problems is detergent ingredients have changed recently due to environmental concerns, but it causes residue. People use too much detergent, as the directions assume you have extremely hard water. Use half the detergent you think you should. Also always do 2nd rinse. While the drum may look spotless, the plastic tub it is actually sitting in is coated with detergent, slowly destroying your washer (and making it smell). You can't bleach that away.

One easy test is to run a small load with ZERO detergent and a few clean towels. After 2 minutes or so of the washer doing its thing, open it up. If you see soap suds... well thats a problem.

If you have a top loader, pop the front panel off and take a look at the plastic tub. Shine a flash light on it, see if it has black "growth" all over it.

This detergent build up killed two transmissions before a GE repairman showed me the real cause. His advice is to use less detergent than you think, always do second rinse to really get it out, and avoid front loaders if you have little kids. Apparently baby socks are the #1 cause of front loader repairs as they easily get into the intake lines.

 

[tkitty]

are you on well water? We've had the front loader for years now, never had the rotten egg smell from it, but have had it in our water. We have well water. We research what to do, hubby doesn't do it and eventually it goes away.

Too funny! We have well water from a community well and get that same smell sometime right out of the tap, I just ignor it.