T/J mildew clothes thread...

[pigletto]

I seem to have a problem with my laundry room. I read the post about someone leaving their clothes in the washer for a few days and getting that mildew smell.
I have a similar problem.. but our clothes smell mildewy coming out of the washer if I leave them any longer than 3 or 4 hours
WHY?? I can't figure it out.
The washer is 4 yrs old. The house itself is a year old.
I am thinking maybe because it is a new home. Our builder did tell us that there is alot of excess moisture in the air in a new home and that we had to run fans and vent by leaving the windows open as often as possible for the first few years. Could this be affecting my laundry?
If I put a load in at noon and forget to change it right away I will have to rewash it by dinner time Which happens more than I would care to admit. It is a horrible budget buster.
Any ideas?

 

[Michelle67]

We have problems with that here really bad, because of the contant humidity whether it is warm or cold. I swear western Washington is mold (and spider) heaven. I have discovered three things that help. First, run a load of whites through with bleach and hot water to kill any mildew that is in there. If you don't like bleach in your clothes skip the clothes...just run the bleach through. Second, make sure that you leave your washer door OPEN between loads so it dries and airs out. This makes a huge difference, and I'm having a terrible time getting through to my kids on it. Third, use some Borax in your laundry every few loads. It doesn't bleach anything, it will "boost" your detergent a little, and it cleans out the washer at the same time.

Something else that may or may not pertain to you; we notice this a lot more in our new house than we did in our old house (though it did happen there) and I think part of it is because our old house had city water with chlorine in it, and our new house has a well with no chemicals added.

 

[threecrazykids]

My SIL had this problem with her Maytag Neptune front loader. There was apparently a recall on it because the rubber seal around the door develops mildew and you can't really "clean" it. Believe it or not, they gave her a BRAND NEW one as a replacement because she complained enough about the "repair kit" they tried to fix the problem with.

I seem to be having a similar issue with mine but mine is a top loader HE one with no agitator. I can leave mine for longer than your describing, but check customer complaints or call the company, they may be well aware of the problem and can help you out.

Good luck!

 

[pigletto]

Great ideas .. thank you!
I just went and opened the washer and smelled.. and even though it hasn't been used today it smelled musty and was still damp!
So I bet you're right... it's in the washer.
Off to get the bleach

 

[Michelle67]

My SIL had this problem with her Maytag Neptune front loader. There was apparently a recall on it because the rubber seal around the door develops mildew and you can't really "clean" it.

Ugh, I wish I'd heard that about a year and a half ago! Mine is not a Maytag, it's a Bosch, but it is a frontloader also. I was assuming that the increased problem we were having with it was due to not having chlorine in our water out here, but maybe it is characteristic of front loaders. Grrrrr. Stinks to spend twice as much on a product and then have it NOT get your clothes as fresh as you'd like!

 

[virginiamama]

Okay, do NOT use this in combination with bleach, but white vinegar is great for getting the "funk" out of funky towels and clothes. I add it to the water with the clothes and also to the softener dispenser. Since it's often used for coffee pots and such to remove deposits, maybe it would work for the washer.

 

[CrazedDisFan]

I find that this happnes a lot with front loaders. I have the Maytag Neptune and I get the musty yucky smell too. I started leaving my machine door cracked open a bit (when not in use obviously) and it seems to be helping.
I, too, run vinegar through the softener spot fairly regularly. It also helps.

My friend who has a Bosch must leave her door open on her machine or the odor is horrendous. She is so digusted with the Bosch. She returned her Maytags because they were loud and now the Bosch makes everything stink.