How do you de-funkify a clothes washing machine?

Question

It looks clean, but it still smells bad...

Answer 1

Preventing odors.
Dry around the tumble action washer's door opening, flexible gasket, and door glass to prevent odors.
Preventing moisture
Leave the lid/door/dispenser drawer open when the washer is not in use.
Removing oders.
To remove odors, add one cup chlorine bleach to the empty tub. Complete the Regular cycle using hot wash water and cold rinse water.
Open windows to ventilate the room.

Answer 2

The smell is from mold growing underneath the rim from soap sticking there. It has to be cleaned and scrubbed away.

I always clean that by: filling machine with half bleach and half detergent. Using a green scrub pad, scrub under the rim all the way around. It wouldn't hurt to scrub the entire inside of the washer as well.
Empty washer. Fill to the top level with warm water. You will need a few buckets of water to get it to the rim. Run washer a few minutes to rinse the rim. Empty washer. Leave lid open to dry out. Keep the lid open all the time (except when use washer).

Do this scrubbing every month.

Answer 3

if the drum is plastic and it is a top loader it is most likely to keep the smells. plastic drums have a hard time getting rid of iron stains as well as regular odors. using vinegar in a no clothes cycle will help as will putting a container of baking soda to sit in the machine while it is not running will help too.

if you have a drum that is porcelin or stainless you have better chances of getting the smell out.

sometimes if you do not use the washer for a long time the water that sits under the drum may start to mold. bleech will take care of this problem as well as he detergent contains phosphates which help prevent molding in moderately used washing machines.

Answer 4

Try doing a wash of all whites, using a lot of bleach. I would only use towels and rags though, nothing you wear. Also try the vinegar thing the other answerer said.

Answer 5

Try running a cycle and adding white vinegar to it, about a cup. That should deodorize it and remove mineral build up.

Answer 6

run it through an empty cycle with baking soda (1-2 cups)
works like a charm!
could it be somethimg funky underneath?

Answer 7

Go to your local grocery store and pick up a defunkifier kit. It works wonders.