HELP!! Mildew Odor Coming from My Front Load Washer

Do you leave the door open for a while after doing laundry. I noticed that with mine too and I read in the book that you need to leave it opened due to the seal on it it doesn't get any air circulation to dry. Since then I don't have much of a problem. I usually leave mine open over night to dry.

I just had someone out looking at my machine and was told to put 1cup of clorox in the machine and run the sanitary cycle followed by 1 cup white vinegar run on the sanitary cycle. The first few times it made my machine and laundry room smell worse but now I do not notice the smell in my machine as much. Good Luck

Hi there-
I was told to leave the door slightly open after each load, and it solved the problem. Hope this helps!
I'm sure running a load with bleach would help as well.
Good luck.
P.S. Aren't they great? I LOVE mine!

I had this same problem with my front loader. I did a number of things to solve the problem and it is finally gone. Since I did so many things I can not tell you for sure what exactly worked. The things I did was I ran a load with bleach, ran a load with vinegar, bought some actual front loader cleaner (Sears) and wiped the whole inside of the washer down with the cleaner and ran the cycle with it. Good luck! I know how awful it is...it was making our sheets smell to the point where I almost could not sleep on them.

I had the same problem and I put 1/2 a gallon of bleach directly and the washer and ran it through the long cycle on hot. I then was a load of whites to make sure all of the bleach was out. Now, I never close the door to the washer. I leave it open , at least a crack and the problem seems to be gone. Good Luck

Hello,

I leave the door open after loads and I always wash the bleach load last on laundry day.

Is it a "low flow" washer - my sister had one of those and was not using low flow special soap for it - once she started using "low flow" Tide, the mildewy smell stopped. Hope it helps.

I know exactly what you are talking about! We have the Whirlpool Duets and same problem. They told me to run a few rags through a Quick cycle using a little bleach, then after every load, DO NOT close the door all the way, keep it open to let the water dry out inside (usually a few hours after wash cycle) then you can close it. I haven't had the mildew smell in a year! Try it:)

We just got a new front-load washer and dryer and so far there has been no mildew problem. But we have a different problem... we can't seem to get our washer leveled right and now it shakes and vibrates so much that we can barely use it. I know it has adjustable feet to make leveling easier, but we haven't been able to get it right. Does anybody have any suggestions? Or should we just call a service guy?

Hi J.:

I had the same problem with my front loading machine. I was very upset that I had spent so much money on my new washer only to have it make my clothes smell like Mildew. I called Sears where that I purchased the machine and they told me that I should only be using powder HE detergent when I run the cold cycle. I guess the liquid leaves a residue behind and when you use the cold cycle the liquid is not dissolving completely which makes the mold grow. They told me to run one cycle with no clothes and just one cup of bleach and then to leave the door cracked after use. They also sent me some tablets to use once a month to aid in the cleaning of the machine called Afresh Tabs. I have done all of these things and I have no more stinky mold smell!

Good Luck!!

I'm on my second front loader...haven't had the problem with this one but I do clean it once a month using a bleach cycle like the other moms recommended. Depending on the age of your front loader (my first one was nearly ten years old), and if cleaning it doesn't help, I would strongly suggest having it checked by a professional. My first one was not draining completely, and some water had built up in the motor, which was a great breeding ground for mold. My heating/cooling guy (aka my best friend's husband) came over and cleaned the motor out, temporarily fixed the leak since we were only going to have the washer for a month more, and the smell disappeared.

Another suggestion is to add vinegar or ammonia to every wash cycle, using the bleach compartment (only when bleach is not used). It not only freshens clothes, it tends to make them whiter and brighter.

Good luck!

Hi J.,

There was actually a recall on at least one model because of this. I know they've had issues w/ mold. I recommend contacting Maytag.

In the meantime, I use a non-toxic product called "Sol-U-Mel" (from Melaleuca) to regularly clean mine. You can also run dishwashing liquid (I recommend a non-toxic brand) through the washer regularly (like once/mo).

Good Luck!
Warm Regards,
G. Van Luven
Health and Nutrition Consultant
Healthy Habits Wellness Center, LLC
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J.,
Try looking in the rubber that goes around where the door closes...it will fold in if you push on it. mine was doing the same thing and I found a couple of baby socks stuck in there that had been in there for who knows how long. I just pulled them out and the smell went away. now i check it all the time, but i never find anything in there so hopefully his socks are just bigger now and won't go in there anymore! :) good luck!
J.

Hi J., I had the same problem with my Maytag front load machine. Not sure how old yours is (mine is about 7 years old), but there was an issue with the seal or something like that with the Neptune regarding this very problem. They were reimbursing you if you had a repair already done or scheduling repairs. This was a few years ago, however. I would contact a Maytag store and ask them about it if yours is older.

The bad thing about the front loader is how it seals for the loads. You have to prevent the mildew from building up in the first place. Check in the rubber "boot" to see if you have a build up there and clean it out. After you run your load of laundry (or if you're like me, all 9 of them), leave the door open for a few hours to let it dry out. Finally, you could occasionally run a short bleach cycle just to clean out the washer. Since I've adopted the habit of letting the door hang open overnight after laundry day, I've not had any problems. Front loaders are great for wear on clothing or water usage, but not without their own set of problems...good luck!

The same thing is happening with my top loader. It comes & goes, and we were chalking it up to age. (It's 8 years old.)

I'll say the same thing as a few of the others, leave the door open after the load for it to dry out. I'm new to the front load washer and a repairman came out for our dryer, he noticed the condensation on the front window of the washer and advised me to keep the door open after washing a load. I've only had the washer for a month and it seems to be working. Good luck!

Run some vinegar through a wash cycle.

Try adding about half a cup of plain white vinegar to a load of towels along with your detergent. Vinegar is a natural fungicide and also helps take care of bacteria. You can even add a tablespoond of vinegar to every load and it will help make all your clothes smell fresh longer.

Hi J., I too had the same problem. You do need to occasionally clean the washer. I use a combo of 1 cup bleach and a good squeeze say 1/2 cup of automatic dishwasher liquid. This combo was recommended to me by a repair man. I now leave the washer open to completely dry out between loads. This has helped tremendously.

Also, when wash items like rugs or garage towels, I run a cycle after to rinse out the washer. These items seem to leave the wash yucky.

Also, I try not to let wet laundry in the washer overnight. That seems to speed up the mildew problem as well.

Good luck!

I have the same problem! Our towels smell like dirt. I hope that someone knows something about this.

Hi,
Did you handbook recomend running an empty load with bleach- Mine has a "clean Washer Cycle" for thsi bery purpose..I would go onlie and see what the maufactor suggests-- This is a common problem for the front load
S. G