My washing machine has a funny smell.?

Question

There's nothing stuck in it or anything. I guess it's just smelling from normal use. Does anyone know of anything I can do to stop it from smelling?

Answer 1

great question! My dad owns a laundrymatt and this happens all the time.

there are a couple things you can do to fix the problem, and a few more you can do to prevent it from happening again.

to fix: run a "fake load"
no laundry, just fill the machine and let it run with 3 or four cups of bleach and some detergent (tide, or whatever you usually use). do this twice, although after one time it will smell better, do it a second time just for back up. The bleach will kill everything hanging around, and the soap will make sure it all gets washed away.

we clean all the machines once a month, just as precaution.

to prevent: Get your laundry out fast
why this happens is because you may be leaving your laundry wet in the machine too long, giving it a change to produce a musty smell that a. stays in your clothes, and b. stays in the machine.

hope this helps. :)

Answer 2

Husband works for Whirlpool you know that company that makes appliances.
Fisrt off run a bleach bath using 3 cups of bleach. Second when you do your fist load after the bleach bath make sure it's a load of whites.
Now if you have a front loading washing machine cut down on the amount of soap you are using. The smell is form the soap build up. That is the same if you have a top loading washer as well.

to much soap over time will smell real bad.

Answer 3

This happens when you have left a wet load of laundry in there for a few hours or longer. It's generally a moldy/mildewy smell. The best thing to do is to run a half load of cold water only (no clothes) with two cups of bleach. Then make sure you're leaving the lid up on the machine when it's not in use.

Answer 4

Try running a small load of water with nothing except Baking Soda added to the water...add about 2 cups of the Baking Soda. Let it go through wash, rinse, and spin cycles as usual. This is also done after using a cloth dye such as Rit Dye...to rinse any residue from the washing machine after dying clothing or fabrics.

Also, one other thing that I will mention. Remember to check the agitator in the middle (if applicable) and remove any accumulated lint, threads, or other particles trapped during the wash and rinse cycles. I remove the rinse cup and the cup that it rests in to remove the lint from mine. If you inspect it closely, sometimes there is a build-up of slimey mess that accumulates over time...it looks similar to the gunk that is found in the sink drain. Use cotton swabs to remove it ... to reduce odor causing bacteria.

Happy Homemaking!

Answer 5

Lots of smells from washing machines are caused by a build up of grease and slime inside the tub and the hoses. This can be caused by using detergent without any bleach and mostly low temperature washes. Boil washes and even distilled white vinegar can help remove smells.

There are some tips on avoidance and dealing with this here -
http://www.washerhelp.co.uk/usage_2.html#cl_q1

Answer 6

You're probably smelling a bit of mildew. If that's it, running it with hot water and plenty of bleach will cure that. Others suggest a cycle with vinegar and/or baking soda.

If that doesn't work, there may be a problem with your water.

Good luck!

Answer 7

If you wash it out with bleach that should take care of the smell,unless its coming from the drain.

Answer 8

run a full load cycle with 2 gallons of vinegar to cleanse the machine, make sure to add the vinegar when the machine is not full yet.

Answer 9

Do NOT use it until you have a repairman over that could start an electrical fire. Mine died recently and I cannot afford to replace it yet. You will need some estimates but get it done ASAP, you might have a short.

Answer 10

run a rinse cycle of clear water with a box of baking soda.