Washing is coming out smelling musty

another_casualty

Wow! You have tried lots ,and it is still baffling . In my previous home, I had a washer /dryer which lasted over12 years.
In the last couple of years of its existence, there were the cabbage smells coming more frequently 🤮. 

I looked at various ( only stop gap) solutions including the filter. These included just washing no clothes at all and just putting white vinegar in.
Not sure if it’s worth contacting manufacturers and asking what they recommend. Probably nothing , but may be worth a try.

Hope you get a solution, and will carry on monitoring this thread ..

neilmcl

Emmia said:

The smell is probably caused by "sweat" getting embedded in the fabric that touches your body - are clothes or parts of clothes made from synthetic fabrics affected more than cotton, wool, etc.?

I have a similar problem with husband's gym clothes, and now wash them separately with specialist sports laundry detergent...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HALO-PROACTIVE-SPORTS-LIQUID-LITRE/dp/B003WGL0C6

I've used that as well but tbh I don't rate it that much and it can smell as bad as the clothes did originally.

carefullycautious

Make sure you don't throw damp clothes/towels into the machine before waiting to do a wash as this can cause smells. My hubby dries the machine rubber and cleans the dispenser and door glass each time we do a wash. Also leave the door open to allow air flow. Our machines last years.

We also put a limescale tablet in with washing which also helps.

danrv

I found that some garments had a strange odour while others didn’t so used Dettol 5 in 1 washing machine cleaner.
Good stuff and has improved things.

_Jem_

another_casualty said:

Wow! You have tried lots ,and it is still baffling . In my previous home, I had a washer /dryer which lasted over12 years.
In the last couple of years of its existence, there were the cabbage smells coming more frequently 🤮. 

I looked at various ( only stop gap) solutions including the filter. These included just washing no clothes at all and just putting white vinegar in.
Not sure if it’s worth contacting manufacturers and asking what they recommend. Probably nothing , but may be worth a try.

Hope you get a solution, and will carry on monitoring this thread ..

😂 Yes I have tried lots I don't think it's the washing machine because when I do other washing sheets towels etc it comes out smelling nice, I think it's down to the underwear the waistband part maybe they are getting old and the material is breaking down.

I will update this thread once I stop putting putting the trousers in, if the smell continues its got to be the underwear, then the next load of washing I won't put the underwear in.

My last washing machine lasted 12 years, that started making funk smells towards the end of its life but some washes with just vinegar sorted it out. carefullycautious said:

Make sure you don't throw damp clothes/towels into the machine before waiting to do a wash as this can cause smells. My hubby dries the machine rubber and cleans the dispenser and door glass each time we do a wash. Also leave the door open to allow air flow. Our machines last years.

We also put a limescale tablet in with washing which also helps.

Yes that's the number one mistake people do is putting washing in the machine before they do a wash. I do what your husband does I dry the door seal out and dry the draw, that way you are maintaining the machine. But I have to say I have never used limscale tablets. danrv said:

I found that some garments had a strange odour while others didn’t so used Dettol 5 in 1 washing machine cleaner.
Good stuff and has improved things.

I love dettol lol but didn't know they did one for washing machines. 

coffeehound

On another forum, members swore by Vanish Oxi-action gold for smally gym kit

Removes odours from deep within clothing fibres.Our best Oxi Advance formula for your colours. It's multi power removes stains, prevents colour transfer and eliminates odours whilst giving your laundry a hygiene boost in-wash*. A versatile and convenient laundry booster, just add one scoop in every wash to breathe life into your clothes! Safe on everyday fabrics like cotton and polyester, use on colours and whites.

_Jem_

coffeehound said:

On another forum, members swore by Vanish Oxi-action gold for smally gym kit

Removes odours from deep within clothing fibres.Our best Oxi Advance formula for your colours. It's multi power removes stains, prevents colour transfer and eliminates odours whilst giving your laundry a hygiene boost in-wash*. A versatile and convenient laundry booster, just add one scoop in every wash to breathe life into your clothes! Safe on everyday fabrics like cotton and polyester, use on colours and whites.

Anything is worth a try. I thought by adding vinegar to the wash would solve the problem as well as using instead of fabric softener 

danrv

_Jem_ said:

I love dettol lol but didn't know they did one for washing machines. 

https://www.dettol.co.uk/household-disinfection/laundry/dettol-washing-machine-cleaner-original-250-ml/

Got it from Tesco I think. Lemon one.
Empty into filler draw and run at 90 degrees. Certainly foams up.

dekaspace1

Sorry to add my own experience, was about to open a new thread.

Got a new washing machine around March this year, seems to work great I noticed the water seems to trickle fill though which I assume is a efficency thing, and clothes are coming out with all stains removed and smell of the capsules I use.

However what I do now is as i'm a single person and just wear jeans and t shirts, my weekly wash is around 3 t shirts, 1 pair of jeans and shorts I wear indoors, and randomly I add things like tea towels or a bath towel in, they dry fine and smell okn and even then I only wash my jeans about once every 2 weeks

But when I do a quick wash which takes 15 minutes inc spin which is 20 degrees and a 400 setting on spin which I do about every 2 weeks it doesn't matter if its a t shirt or jeans (which is more understandable) by morning they are still damp and stink, which makes no sense to me as I used to soak and hand wash t shirts and jeans and despite them being soaked though the t shirts at least would be dry by the morning and even if it took a day to dry the jeans they didn't smell badly of damp.

I'm thinking of doing a faster spin but I don't see how that is the main problem if hand washing things and hanging them up they don't smell damp!

_Jem_

dekaspace1 said:

Sorry to add my own experience, was about to open a new thread.

Got a new washing machine around March this year, seems to work great I noticed the water seems to trickle fill though which I assume is a efficency thing, and clothes are coming out with all stains removed and smell of the capsules I use.

However what I do now is as i'm a single person and just wear jeans and t shirts, my weekly wash is around 3 t shirts, 1 pair of jeans and shorts I wear indoors, and randomly I add things like tea towels or a bath towel in, they dry fine and smell okn and even then I only wash my jeans about once every 2 weeks

But when I do a quick wash which takes 15 minutes inc spin which is 20 degrees and a 400 setting on spin which I do about every 2 weeks it doesn't matter if its a t shirt or jeans (which is more understandable) by morning they are still damp and stink, which makes no sense to me as I used to soak and hand wash t shirts and jeans and despite them being soaked though the t shirts at least would be dry by the morning and even if it took a day to dry the jeans they didn't smell badly of damp.

I'm thinking of doing a faster spin but I don't see how that is the main problem if hand washing things and hanging them up they don't smell damp!

That wash is too quick I would say, but like others have said leaving clothes damp will make clothes smell. The fastest spin is probably the best, mine is a 1400 and what I do when the wash has finished is to put it on spin again. What washing machine do you have?