Ewww my washing machine STINKS :(

Lisa_bromsgrove

If trailingspouse 's machine is as old as mine then it must be washing powder that is the answer. I was told it was better for your machine. We are told to wash on low temp washes and it doesn't kill the bacteria. So to do a occasional 90 wash to kill the bugs is a must. Don't waste your money on fancy washing machine cleaners . Do what I suggested in my previous post.

zippychick

ive merged this with our older smelly washing machine thread

Zip

ravingandsaving

If the vinegar or soda crystals don't work try wiping down your seals with a wet cloth with a tiny bit of washing up liquid on it. Just a tiny bit mind otherwise you'll get a bubble explosion!

nursemaggie

Just in case anyone comes back thanks for these answers I was going to ask the same question. Mine only started when I could not get any vinegar. The best thing about the vinegar as a rinse is it removes residual detergent and is much better for babies and people with skin diseases. My son has eczema so I never use softener for him even the so called dermatologically tested.

mioliere

A washing machine repair man I know says lots of people find their washing machines get smelly, and it's usually because they use liquid detergent instead of soap powder. Once they start using powder all the time, the smell goes and doesn't come back.

jlhmd666

torbrex wrote: »

I am assuming that you have checked all the filters and door seals as a hot wash can sometimes stir things up that have been dormant for a while.

When I do a 'machine cleaning' wash, I stick in a couple of old towels and put it on the hottest wash for the longest time with very little soap and about 2 cups of bleach.

Do you put the bleach in the drum or the drawer and would it be safe to do a dark wash after running the machine with bleach? I've never used bleach to wash the machine before

Haffiana

Agree, don't use washing liquids. They contain no bleach because laundry bleach is not stable in a liquid form. They also leave a gunk in the washing machine sump after each wash which allows mould growth. I suspect that is the reason that laundry liquids are so strongly scented - to cover up the mouldy smell that their use causes! Powder is far better for a clean machine.

The other thing that can cause a smell occurs if the machine waste pipe is plumbed into the kitchen sink waste trap, which it is in many kitchens.
The waste pipe needs either a valve to stop backflow from the sink trap, or to be raised above the level of the sink trap at some point in its run. Often there is a hook to ensure that the pipe is raised. If the hook breaks or comes loose then both waste water and dirty water from the kitchen sink can flow down the pipe into the machine sump and cause very bad smells.

skintsocks

A friend in the Netherlands has said that some Tea Tree Oil in it has stopped the smell in her machine this week. Haven't tried it yet, but may be useful.

Zed42

Pre-child .... we always used washing powder and fabric conditioner and would often get the machine smelling bad.

Tended to be a build up of powder/conditioner in the dispensing tray, the seals getting full of stale gunk and the filters yukky.

When I had a baby, I cloth nappied her ... and changed to non bio liquid and vinegar as a fabric conditioner ... and for the past 10yrs haven't suffered once.

So, I would clean out your dispenser tray and the innards ... wipe round the seals and empty your filter(s).

Then I would do a hot empty wash .... to get rid of excess soap scum ....

zippychick

i've merged this with our stinky washing machine thread

this thread may also help https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/360687

Zip