Washing Machine/Clothes help

charlie792

Hi, Im not sure if this is the right board for this but I wondered if anyone here had some ideas about my washing machine/clothes.

The washing machine isnt ours (rented accom) so its probably a good few years old but Ive tried to keep it clean - cleaned out the filter etc but the clothes come out smelling not great, and they get even worse as they dry (naturally - no tumble).

The machine itself doesnt smell bad - putting your head in the drum doesnt smell, it just seems to be leaving a bad smell on the clothes.

I tend to use a cool wash (40) and thats the lowest my machine goes to - not sure if that makes any difference.

I tried switching from liquid tablets to powdered tablets but that doesn't seemed to have made any difference with it.

I would really appreciate some advice

todolistsocd

Hi,

This sounds really stupid of me but...do you use fabric conditioner?

charlie792

todolistsocd wrote: »

Hi,

This sounds really stupid of me but...do you use fabric conditioner?

Haha not stupid - now I feel stupid for saying 'should I do so?'

Ive never used fabric conditioner before but figured I didnt need to as its never smelt bad at any other house Ive lived in

todolistsocd

Lets feel stupid together...:rotfl:

Sometimes, I notice that when I put like sheets in together with tabs and conditioner, they sometimes come out smelling like metal...if that makes sense.
I then have to separate them and condition and spin again....smells lovely afterwards.

I would say...try some conditioner, see if that works for you.;)

ankspon

Clean the washing machine drawer out and put it on the hottest wash with a bit of bleach in,no clothes.

belfastgirl23

David above is right, it's some kind of problem in the machine. It's common if you only do low temp washes for bacteria to build up in the machine. You should do a boil wash reasonably regularly (I do it maybe every couple of months) just to keep the pipes clean. Personally I don't like the machine going on empty even for this so tend to use eg soda crystals and throw in my teatowels for a good boil. I have also done it with bleach in the past although did read somewhere that this might not be so good for the seals etc in the machine, but I didn't have any problems with it.

Another idea is to use white vinegar as your rinse instead of fabric conditioner since it kills bacteria.

Fabric conditioner doesn't help if you don't address the underlying problem, instead it just creates a nice smell on top but the bad smell is still lurking underneath waiting for your clothes to get damp again

kimmy112

Im having this problem also, ive cleaned my washing machine and ive left the door open and the smell is so bad its making my kitchen smell...

gizmo111

I can't give you the technicalites but I had clothes coming out that smelt awful - it was the dishwasher/waste disposal out pipe blocked slightly that was not on the right level - tilting up rather than down and the water was running back down the pipe and not all the clean water was getting to the clothes

BitterAndTwisted

I think Gizmo is onto something. It's entirely possible that waste-water from the sink is draining back into the machine. Check the connection popes under the sink.

Another thing is: are you absolutely certain that the machine is draining properly? If not, you're just swishing the laundry around in much the same water and the stuff isn't getting rinsed properly.

Brightness

A friend of mine used to own a chain of launderettes and every Sunday night after closing her hubby would put every machine in all the shops on a boil wash with a few cups of thin bleach (value stuff about 20p a bottle). It will kill any bacteria in the machine and pipes. I have done this ever since with my own machine at home (using just about 100ml bleach) with no problems at all.

I was also told by a washing machine engineer that the worst problems are actually caused by the gels/liquids and fabric conditioners as they leave a residue behind that builds up in the pipes and when bacteria forms it stinks. He also suggested a cup of thin bleach on a 90 degree cycle.

BTW don't use thick bleach as it foams up and causes a right mess if it escapes!

dom300186

as i think someone has previously posted, put a bit of bleach in the powder draw and put it on the hottest wash with no clothes in and it should do the trick also put vinegar in the fabric conditioner section by doing this you are doing a service on your washer.