Do your clothes smell after washing them?

[::Lisa::]

...nappies...

We got a front loader HE washer just to do our son's nappies and never had to do this ceremony to clean them. Just the normal wash cycle got everything out. Didn't use softener on diapers. If your clothes still stink after washing I think you need to check the rubber seals around the door to eliminate any mold that is there and then transfer the clothes immediately to the dryer as suggested above. Also, use a small scoop of oxyclean in your wash and see if that doesn't get rid of the smell.

I didn't for most of the time but once I did leave them too long and they got that smell. Washing diapers your not supposed to use too much detergent as it builds up on the diapers and can stop absorbency so it's recommended to follow those steps using diapers every so often anyway. You don't have to be that dramatic as to follow them all with diapers. You could do one or two.

I used to own a cloth diaper business, I think it's starting to show now lol.

I agree on checking the seals. If there is something wrong you can buy new seals. Another thing to check is the drawer. Mine actually gets mold in there, gross. I have to take the entire drawer out and clean it and get my hand in the drawer hole and clean the sprinklers as the mold goes around there too. Once that's gone I run the washer on a full wash with some detergent to ensure it cleans the drum and every little part the water goes. I'd also put the bleech in there too.

Good luck

 

[njmac]

Try hot water and color safe bleach.

Better yet, can you wash your clothes somewhere else? If you don't know anyone to ask, take them to the laundry mat once and see how it goes. If the clothes come clean there, then its your machines that are the prob. If they don't come clean there, it's the clothes.

 

[Sun Baked]

Try hot water and color safe bleach.

Better yet, can you wash your clothes somewhere else? If you don't know anyone to ask, take them to the laundry mat once and see how it goes. If the clothes come clean there, then its your machines that are the prob. If they don't come clean there, it's the clothes.

Or the person ...

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

1.5 Gallons of Bleach and Hot water through my washer today... Checked around the o-ring / rubber seal for mold / buildup - and found nothing. (this washer is not even a year old - and the *smell* started on day 1 we got it)

Moment of truth in 2 hours...
*prays*

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

VICTORY!!!

The Bleach + 2 "Empty" hot cycles seems to have done the trick.

So it is NOT me that is causing this smell. FYI.

So from now own - I'm going to run a hot water + bleach cycle every other month or so. (or when I start to smell the "moldy" smell again)

And I'm going to try keeping the door open after washing - but it is in the way of my walk-space, so I'm going to have to relocate this washer or something.

I'm all for doing the "right" thing environmentally - but this thing is a pain, top loaders may waste more water, but they're a heck of a lot faster washing, and don't have these weird quirks. Is the 20 gallons of waved water per load worth the gallon of bleach, and wasted energy/water required to keep mold buildup from occurring?

Lets hope this isn't a frequent event down the road.

 

[MonksMac]

VICTORY!!!

The Bleach + 2 "Empty" hot cycles seems to have done the trick.

So it is NOT me that is causing this smell. FYI.

So from now own - I'm going to run a hot water + bleach cycle every other month or so. (or when I start to smell the "moldy" smell again)

And I'm going to try keeping the door open after washing - but it is in the way of my walk-space, so I'm going to have to relocate this washer or something.

I'm all for doing the "right" thing environmentally - but this thing is a pain, top loaders may waste more water, but they're a heck of a lot faster washing, and don't have these weird quirks. Is the 20 gallons of waved water per load worth the gallon of bleach, and wasted energy/water required to keep mold buildup from occurring?

Lets hope this isn't a frequent event down the road.

I was just reading about this yesterday! Odd huh? Mold and Mildew smell seems to be a particularly prevalent problem on US front load washers. Especially Kenmore models. Just a heads up.

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

You'd NEVER guess what I have?

Kenmore.

 

[MonksMac]

You'd NEVER guess what I have?

Kenmore.

It seems to be a big problem on front loaders. I was reading about it on epinions the other day and found some helpful hints but I can't find that page now! Seems to be especially common on the HE3t, HE3,HE 4, and HE4t.

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

What little faith I once had in Consumer Reports is now up in smoke. (for good)

My vacuum was "top rated" and turned out to be a POS. (and I didn't like the way it "felt" - should have gone with my gut and got the Meila instead)

Then this washer - I was iffy, salesman said top rated, busted out the documentation to prove this fact, and even my quick "google" while in the store, yielded the same results.

But obviously - not the case.

Meh. I learned from it. Sucks that it took 900 + dollars to do this, but still
"slightly" cheaper than college courses.

From now own, I'm using my gut.

 

[MonksMac]

Hope things are better from now on!

 

[QuarterSwede]

Um, check their location. NJ. Things are different down there.

Nice try, but I lived in NoVA until 6 months ago. I know how humid it is there.

Good to hear you figured out how to temporarily solve your problem. And thanks for letting me know how much HE washers suck. My gut said the did since every water saving device out there is crap (low flow toilets, shower heads, etc).

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

Nice try, but I lived in NoVA until 6 months ago. I know how humid it is there.

Good to hear you figured out how to temporarily solve your problem. And thanks for letting me know how much HE washers suck. My gut said the did since every water saving device out there is crap (low flow toilets, shower heads, etc).

I wasn't referring to the humidity level.

Now - as for HE washers - trust me they don't all suck. I just happened to pick the series that REALLY does.

Should you get one - just be sure to do "real" research - and not trust any "source" no matter how unbiased and professional they're supposed to be.

That said - the wasteful washers DO wash a lot faster - no argument there.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I was just reading about this yesterday! Odd huh? Mold and Mildew smell seems to be a particularly prevalent problem on US front load washers. Especially Kenmore models. Just a heads up.

I don't understand the correlation between the front loading and mold/mildew. How would that be more of an issue than say top-loader?

From now own, I'm using my gut.

When I quoted this I had some unnecessary sexual reference but I forgot it. Thank Bombay for that memory lapse.

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

Front loaders form a tight seal, and traps moisture inside post-wash.

Top loaders do not tend to be airtight - (most have a large gap around the lid) - so they dry better and don't grow mold.

And if you want more reference:

Q: What do Rubbermaid and a Walrus have in common?

A: They both like a tight seal.

 

[skinnylegs]

Great thread! Compelling reading!

I have a fancy smancy HE front-loader (LG TROMM) and I too have noticed that moldy smell on occasion. Bleach does the trick for me but it also helps to clean out the discharge line filter on a regular basis.

 

[LynneC]

Try Borax

You can buy expensive tablets to put into your machine. Personally, I think using 1/2 to 1 cup of borax (available at grocery stores) into the machine with a load of towels and normal amount of soap will do the trick. It works for me!

 

[scotty96LSC]

I don't know what my wife uses, but my clothes do smell good after she washes them. I need to let her know that.

 

[yojitani]

OK. I haven't read all the posts in this thread so this might have already been said.

Front loaders are notoriously bad for mildew buildup inside the drum. I know about this because we had a problem with our machine (not a front loader) and it was impossible to find the information I needed because so many people were complaining about their front loader! I've heard from a lot of people (online) that this product works well: http://www.smellywasher.com/

I haven't tried it personally. We use a combination of vinegar and baking soda to clean ours about once a month. I'm not sure how well that would work with a front loader.

Anyway, search "smelly washing machine" in google to see what I mean about the ubiquity of these problems.

Incidentally, from what I've read, bleach doesn't work all that well...

 

[marbles]

I've read the whole thread and it was great, thanks,I even voted 5 stars(on the 'I've only just noticed it' thread scoring drop down).

I was so convinced I had the correct answer.....I thought that the filter that was blocked and the stuff in there, trapped-getting smelly...then mixing with the wash water during a cycle
Then he says this:

the *smell* started on day 1 we got it)

I am so surprised that it worked, just bleaching it, though I do run a bit of bleach through our machine once in a while [Bosch Exxel 1200]. Been a great machine....once a penny got stuck in the pump filter, but that's it and we've had it for 7 years now,bought just after our first born arrived.I can heartily recommend this machine btw.

What do you think it was...maybe a residue left on from manufacturing ?.





This comment is pure wisdom imo:

Meh. I learned from it. Sucks that it took 900 + dollars to do this, but still
"slightly" cheaper than college courses.

.

* doffs cap


Edit* Just a tip to save on washing detergents : Recipe; half a cup-a cup of natural soap flakes, 1-2 teaspoons of salt and 6 drops of tea tree oil.Mix it with about half a pint of boiling water and stir till the soap has melted well. It works a treat, cleans everything just great, I sometimes drop a cap full of bleach in with whites, though only if they have very ground in dirt.
so yeah.. you can save a small fortune! annd not have loads of chemicals on your skin after every wash.

 

[és:]

What temperature do you wash your clothes at?

I know the environmental lobby will be onto me about this but I always like to wash at 60c or more (for whites). I'm also pretty liberal with the fabric softener.

Hey, I like to smell like 'summer breeze' or 'linen fresh' ok!

 

[dubhe]

What an exciting thread
Ok, my 2c

Firstly, I think old clothes are more susceptible to smell, not sure why.
Secondly, I always leave the door of my front loaded open after removing the wash to let the drum dry out, maybe this is where the mildew is lurking?

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

I use the Affresh tabs, but the best thing you can do is leave your washer door open, so the excess water doesn't sit and stew. It evaporates instead.......

 

[andreab35]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5H11 Safari/525.20)

I have a Whirlpool front loader and my clothes smell nice.
I'd put the clothes in the dryer asap when they are done.

Additionally, it has been recommended to keep your washer door open a crack when fully finished washing so no mold or mildew builds up.

Good luck!

 

[MonksMac]

Wow- almost a year and a half later I'm back in this thread again...
Yep front loaders are known for having that smell. The front loaders aren't noisy when they spin down for the last load are they? Our washer (Kenmore Elite with Calypso Wash System) is a combination of top loading and HE washer and boy is it loud. I guess it's the best and worst of each!

 

[marbles]

Wow- almost a year and a half later I'm back in this thread again...
Yep front loaders are known for having that smell. The front loaders aren't noisy when they spin down for the last load are they? Our washer (Kenmore Elite with Calypso Wash System) is a combination of top loading and HE washer and boy is it loud. I guess it's the best and worst of each!

Thanks for pointing the threads age, don't I feel silly now

...snip<>!

why did you dig up a year old thread?, I mean , a year old ....it mus have been pages and pages into the depths...I enjoyed the read all the same[thanks] but why ...?