Stinky Wash Machine

Hello A.,

Try Vinager use as much as you like and just put it on a regular wash cycle and then an extra rinse.

Hope this Helps : )

I have heard that you have to clean a front loading washing machine with ammonia after each laundry session.

A.,

My washer had the same problem...front loads have a tendency to develop mildew. My husband ran the washer with a shock treatment from the pool...major chlorine. Worked beautifully and then he ran it a few more times with just water than rags so no residual was left in the machine. An extreme suggestion - but I hadn't found any thing that killed the mildew since you could never soak it since it was in the rubber ring at opening.

Ugh, we just had the same exact thing with our front loader. Turns out, it was mold growing in the rubber around the door. You can pull it inside out a bit and see. What worked for us was I put some gel bleach directly on the mold and let it sit for a while. Then I ran the washer on the hot cycle with an extra rinse to get the bleach out (I normally don't use it so I didn't want any residue). Next, I scrubbed at the rubber really well to get anything left on there off. After that, I ran another hot cycle but put baking soda in the detergent compartment and white vinegar in the fabric softener compartment. That seems to have rid our washer of the smell. We always leave the door to the washer open too to let it air so I did some research as to why this may have happened. From what I read, too much detergent and/or fabric softener can cause this. Now, I only use 1/2 the recomended amount of liquid detergent and no longer use softener. Instead, I put white vinegar in the fabric detergent compartment and use dryer balls in the dryer to soften. I also wipe down the rubber in the washer after every wash as well, just in case. It's been about a month and so far, the smell has not returned. Hope this helps!!

You have mold in you washing machine. You need to leave the door open after each use to dry out. There are several options to clean and you can find them on the web.

We ran hot water to the machine and mixed in 1 cup of bleach. Used this water to scrub all areas that we could see (in particular, gently pull back the rubber around the front of the drum and you'll see lots of mold - you need to 360 degrees around the front of the drum). We used cotton rags so not to damage the rubber. Let this bleach water sit for several hours and then finish the short cycle. Some have suggested using this water to wash whites but we passed since it is full of mold. We are odor free for 2 weeks now. Good luck

Hi A., I have heard white vinegar helps, probably just run it thru with the laundry. Good luck!

Hi Allison, we had the same problem a couple of years ago. Google it and you will find this whole recipe where you have to actually wash your machine. It is craziness, but it works. Then you can continue all the things you are doing and it works. Good luck!! C.

I have owned two different front load Maytag Neptunes and they all develop the same problem over time. The one I have now is about 2 1/2 years old. After we moved I really started to notice a smell coming from the washer, our washer is now closer to the kitchen and main living areas of the house than our old house, I felt like the whole house smelled like the washer. I ran White Vinegar through mine and it not only fixed the musty, mildewy smell it also took off the lint that had gathered just outside the stainless washer barrell, which I wasn't looking forward to cleaning. I just filled all of the various cups with vinegar (detergent, bleach, softener - all full of vinegar) so the vinegar would keep getting added to the wash and ran a Superwash on warm with no clothes which on my machine takes 1 hour 42 minutes. It has been fine ever since. I don't know how but I acquired a gallon of white vinegar somewhere along the way so I decided rather than wait for a smell I'll run a vinegar load every couple of months.

We were having the same problem and our washing machine was new. Found a product called Tide Washing Machine Cleaner. Worked great, no more smell. Also, make sure you are using laundry soap that says HE on it.

I have an LG machine and in addition to the bleaching recommendations they also suggest draining the water by the filter. I also noted that even though it said it was HE detergent one of the natural brands was clogging thins up. I switched back to tide and have less of an issue. Good luck.

Run a cycle or two with just chlorine bleach and hot water. Then let the door stay open for at least 2 days prior to doing any more loads. Of course after that always keep the door propped open between loads. This fixed mine. I also use my everyday towell loads as a washer treatment by always washing them with detergent and a little bit of chlorine bleach. They come out fresh and clean and the washer gets its needed treatment at least twice a week. Good luck!

Hi! It sounds like you have one of the machines that was recalled. The water in the barrell gets moldy. We have a newer one, but if we don't use regularly it starts to get an odor. Good luck! (And it stinks not being able to add clothes a few minutes after you start the machine, huh?) :o)

I have seen a product that is esp for front loaders for this very problem. (Saw it at best Buy near the machines)
But bleach probably does the same thing. I hate bleach...but stink is worse.

We have that problem. You may want to see if you any socks stuck in your machine. We found 3 baby socks between the actual part that spins and door (if you have the same model as us the rubber on the part that spins can be pulled back and you can look in there. You can also look in the filter (we found one there), but my husband did it so you will have to google how to do it. I am sure bleach and vinegar work too. Taking out the socks did it for us.

They make a cleaning tablet you are supposed to use about once a month with the front load washer. The ones we use are called "affresh" and were recommended by the manufacturer. Also what helps is to run it on a sanitize cycle if you have one. But the tables are really the best way. Use them at least once a month.

A.,
Run a long wash cycle with bleach and no clothing to disenfect the washer. If you still smell it do this again and possibly several times until the smell is gone. Then EVERY time you use it leave the door open for at least one hour if not always so the interior has an opportunity to dry. What you are smelling is mold an mildew which creates a unhealthy environment not to mention that all you clothes will start taking on that same odor. All the softner in the world won't cover the smell! This should end your problem. Good luck!!
J.

Try searching for a lint trap of some sort. I know on a top loader, the middle pedestal has a cap that will come off and it can be cleaned of all gunk. Stopped the mildew smell we had... Don't know about the front loaders though. Perhaps where you add soap, softener, bleach??

Hi A.,
Just bought a new front-loader. Don't know when you bought yours, but the manufacturers now recommend a cycle with just bleach once a month for that very reason. (My Kenmore has a self-clean cycle built in).

T

I run mine about once a month with just bleach, it might have a clean cylcye (which ours does) but thats what I would suggetest, try it on the longest setting so the bleach will really do the trick.

I have a front load with the same problem and run a quick cycle wash with just vinegar. If that doesn't help I do a cycle with bleach. Make sure the rubber gasket in the opening is clean too. Hope that helps.

have you tried running it on sanitary cycle with just bleach? Put the bleach in the detergent dispenser part AND the bleach dispenser part. Ours gets stinky too because we run cloth diapers in our machine and I have to do this every few months to get the stench out. Oh, and in the fabric softener dispenser, fill it up with a strong smelling fabric sofener. Maybe one that smells like roses.

I have the same issue with my machine. I read my owner's manual which says to run white vinegar through the machine instead of detergent periodically. But this only helps remove hard water deposits. I thought that the smell was from the hard water. I'll let you know if I find something else that might work.

Have you cleaned under the rubber seal? Where the door closes there is a rubber seal and you need to lift that up, use a Lysol wipe and get the mold out. You can also run a load without any clothes and use a product that you find at Home Depot for cleaning your washer machine..sorry I forgot the name.
K.

Call the manufacturer. I had the same problem with my machine, Company came out and replaced a part for free which helped. I leave my machine open after washing and have not had a problem. You may need to use bleach or alternative to get rid of smell and or mildew. Ask manufacturer before using any product.
Good Luck!

I use white vinegar. I prefer it over the bleach because it's not going to damage any of your clothes. Vinegar is a smell nutralizer, so it works great for things like this. You can also use it to help with smelly clothes and other thing. Now, if you can't stand the smell of vinegar (which eventually disapates) you may want to try another option. Good luck!

Run it on hot with 1/2 gal of vinegar for a full cycle.

I didn't see baking soda mentioned, and I am not sure if it will stop the washer from stinking, but I do several things with my front load washer (2nd one I've had - the first wore out and I think bleach accelerated that)

1- don't shut the door after washing, while it is still wet inside. I leave my door open until it is dry then shut it.

2- I do run washer loads with baking soda added. Especially if they contain towels or anything stinky.

Hot water - really hot - stops the stink. (Whenever I need to drain boiling water from, say, a pot of pasta, I pour it over the dishrag or sponge in the dishwasher. It isn't stinky after that, if it was before!)

I also always pull the rubber at the bottom of the opening to check for socks or any little things (I used to *always* find a baby/toddler sized sock in there, now I only occasionally find a 6yo's sock or something in there.) Good habit to have!

An appliance guy told me that there are tablets called Aquafresh that you can use to clean the front loaders. I was just told this Wednesday so I haven't had a chance to check it out.

Also, you may want to check one of the newer Queen of Clean books. She has a recipe using bleach and then vinegar but that was for top loaders. The book I have is older and front loaders weren't really around then so maybe she has something new in one of her more current books.

My friend who works on appliances for BestBuy recommends "Affresh" for front loaders. You can purchase it at any place that sells appliances. Hope that helps. ~Shannon

A. -
I have this same problem, and from what I understand, it will always be a battle with the front-loaders. You have to do two things, and the first is clean the gasket. On initial inspection, you may be see all the little folds in it that needs to be cleaned. Really look it over, tug it around with your fingers, then get into all the little creases with a damp rag. You'll be amazed how much "goo" you can collect. The second is to run an empty load with a bunch of bleach in it. Super long, super hot wash.
I do these two things every time I notice that my towels are smelling bad, and it helps for some time.
Good luck.

The manufacturer recommends a cycle with bleach and hot water every month or so to keep the machine clean. Also, I NEVER keep the door shut on my front load washer. It is always open when it is not running.
It has worked for me. I've had mine 3 years now.

You should be able to clean it by running a cycle with only bleach. My particular front-loading has a specific "clean washer" cycle, but I am sure you can do a normal cycle with bleach. I try to "clean" my washer every other month and that has cut down on the mildew smell! Hope that helps.