My washing machine smells really bad, how can I get the smell to go away?

Question

It really smells bad whenever I wash clothes, and I have no idea why.

Someone mentioned a warm climate, I do live in Hawaii, so it's warm all the time. Thanks to all of you who answered!

Answer 1

run it once empty with a cup of bleach and hot water. then don't close it between washings. keeping the lid closed will make it smell. especially if its in a warm area.

Answer 2

I suggest you fill the machine with HOT water and add at least two cups of bleach but NO CLOTHING. Set the machine to run for as long as the timer will allow and just let it do its thing. If the bleach smell is still strong after the final rinse run it again with no bleach and this time add some borax to the wash cycle.
I use borax with every load of wash because it adds cleaning power to the detergent and it is supposedly harmless to the drains and the environment. My machine used to smell too, but no more since I started using the borax.
Also, leave the lid open between washings if you can. That is not a major thing so long as you use the borax. I do it because I like to let the lint filter dry out between washings.
Hope that helps...

Answer 3

sometimes the dispensers (fabric softener) get gunked up and stink. most of the time it's just that the lid is closed while the tub is still wet. look and see if the agitator has a cup like device on the top, it might just pull off without much effort. look inside, it'll be gross, wash it out with an old tooth brush and bleach and water, then pop it back together. run a load of bleach and hot water through the washer and from now on leave the lid open when done. good luck.

Answer 4

I have a front loader that had a nasty smell also. I realized that because the seal is so tight on the door, I needed to let it air out between loads. Now I wipe down the door and seal and leave it open for a few hours until it dries out. Then I can shut the door until I use the machine again. This seems to have taken care of the odor.

Answer 5

Pour a cup of apple cider vinegar in it on low hot wash . when it comes to the rinse cycle , put another cup of vinegar in it . Open the lid after its done and let it dry .You have soap and conditioner build up in the hoses . The vinegar helps cut through all the scum and leaves the washer fresh . I do this once a month and my washer never smells .. Good Luck and let me know if you tried it and how it worked ....

Answer 6

Have well water? If so, take out the rod in your hot water tank, that will kill a lot of the sulfur odor. If you have a filtration system, a cup of bleach in the filter container will neutralize odor as well. Run your softener more.

If you have city water, run a few empty loads and put a bunch of bleach in the water.

If that stuff doesn't work, lift it up and see what may have crawled underneath and died.

Answer 7

Throw a couple big boxes of baking soda in a tankfull of hot water with no clothes run it i/2 a cycle, let sit 20 minutes and finish the cycle.

Answer 8

grossness! You should run it once without laundry and add some ammonia to the water. Or if you love MOTHER EARTH, run it with a box of backing soda. By the way it could be that the water isn't draining correctly and it's just sitting in the pipe behind your washer.

Answer 9

can you wash an empty load with just water and a lot of bleach, and if that doesn't work i think you can buy a bottle of some detergent like substance at walmart, cosco, ect that is made to run with an empty load for this very reason.

Answer 10

sounds like its not draining all the way, which may mean the pump is going bad that pushes the dirty water out of the house, use baking soda in your washer and white vinegar in your rinse cycle. and call the repair guy.