fresh washing keeps smelling awful, like blocked drains

[casusally]

I've done a 60 degree wash but everything still comes out smelling of drains. Cleaned the draw and rim but no change. It's a machine about 10 years old,but still works and is a rated.

Is there anything else I can do? Was thinking about washing with some bleach but not sure if that is safe

[olbas]

Run your machine at the highest temperature with either some soda crystals or vinegar.

[casusally]

Thanks, should I put the vinegar in the draw or in the drum?

[rabbit123]

Are you using liquid or powder? Power contains oxi bleaching agents which keep your washing machine clean, liquids don't. Try switching to powder if you're using liquid and you'll have to clean your machine a lot less often

[casusally]

Ah thanks. I'm using eclove so that's probably why its smelling so badly now I'm not sharing it with people that use powders and harsher stuff

[dementedpixie]

clean the drawer and the bit the drawer fits into as the roof of that bit gets black and mouldy. Clean the filter and run a hot wash with soda crystals and then one with vinegar. Consider a switch to powder

[OhOneOhTwoOhThree]

Be prepared for it to smell worse before it gets better - mine took 3 or 4 back-to-back boil washes with soda crystals for all the sludge to shift.

[headinhands]

Is it all your laundry? A while ago I noticed my clean bedding was coming out of the airing cupboard smelling a bit whiffy so I then started adding some anti bacterial detergent to the drum with each wash which has eradicated the smell. Could it just be the bacteria on the clothes that is giving it a pong and not the machine itself?

[casusally]

I guess it could be my clothes too, I do have a lot of very sweaty gym kit. Is there an ecological anti bac? Or would turning it up to 60 on sportswear help with this?

[headinhands]

If you google there are other germ killing methods, I think some are greener than others.

[rabbit123]

A hotter wash and using powder and not liquid will help. Powder contains oxi bleaching agents which are in themselves antibacterial. This will also help keep your washing machine clean.

[wirrinboffin]

Sometimes happens with my machine too - I have found using Dr Beckmann Service It Deep Clean takes the smell away. There's a powder version, and a liquid one - don't know why, but the liquid one seems more effective.

[gymboywalton]

60 isn't hot enough
you need to do a boilwash
bio powder
clean the filter

[Quitelikely]

I would put a plactic cap of bleach in the machine, turn it on a ninety degree wash.

[Quitelikely]

Plastic!

[MrsTawdry]

I put some dettol in my machine when this happened and ran it on hot and it was fine after that

[ArcheryAnnie]

I had this, but pulled out the drawer (right out of the machine) and have it a scrub - found it was absolutely disgusting! And ran a washing machine cleaner on a very hot wash. Have had no problems since, even though most of the subsequent washes have been on 30%.

[casusally]

Is hydrogen peroxide (food grade) any good to put in with the wash to help smells?

[BumWad]

Put a cap of Zorflora in

[BauerTime]

Your machine is blocked up probably with residue from liquid washing detergent. Lots of soda crystals and vinegar (in the drawer so they run all the way through) and a boil wash should start to shift it, but as someone said above it might take a few go's.

I switched to powder when I got my new machine and now do at least one wash per week (towels) on 90 degrees with plenty of soda crystals and white vinegar as a kind of maintenance wash and always leave the door open to air it out after use. I also check the seals regularly for mould but we haven't had any yet so it must be working!

[WittgensteinsBunny]

My Mil's washing machine was like this. She used lots of liquid at low temperatures and they never washed at more than 40. She also didn't clean the rubber seal, which was caked in gunk. I cleaned this with a cloth and very, very mild bleach solution. We lived with them through my first pg as our house was being renovated and I got so sick of our washing smelling "off" that I sought MN help to sort it out. The smell of the machine was so bad it made me vomit daily and really set off my morning sickness. So I did the following: ran a 90 wash with half a bag of soda crystals (99p from Wilkos) in the drum, some in the drawer and then followed up with 500mls of vinegar in another 90 wash. The amount of bubbles it created was terrifying but the machine smelled so much better after these two washes. I did this a couple of more times for her (stealth or passive aggressive - you decide ) whilst we were there as it didn't take long for it to stink again.

Since moving into our house 2 years ago, I don't have any problems with a smelly machine. I only use powder (correct dosage for water type), a tiny amount of eco non fragrance conditioner for towels and clothes and ecover bleach (depending on wash type / colour). I wash clothes at 40 (unless delicate), towels and sheets at 60 on the eco cycle and once a week wash all of my tea towels and e cloths on a 90 cycle with a splosh of vinegar instead of softener. I've done the soda crystal / vinegar service wash twice and I regularly clean the rubber seal and door. We also empty the filter a couple of times of year too. I recently cleaned the drawer for the first time and it needed minimal cleaning with hot soapy water, less gunge from the powder and non animal fat fabric softener.

We live in a freak soft water area in the SE, but if you are in a hard water area you can use half the powder dosage, topping up with soda crystals to soften the water and make your powder go further.

So, get thee some soda crystals and vinegar and some washing powder (cheaper than liquid, better for the machine) and make sure you're doing at least one 60/ 90 wash per week :)

(I can't actually believe I know so much about washing machine maintenance...)

[WittgensteinsBunny]

Oh meant to say, that when I looked into this there's something about laundry liquid that doesn't quite wash away properly at low temperatures and can cling on to bacteria. It's this bacteria that makes the machine smell awful.

[BauerTime]

witten where is the filter in the WM? I did not know of this!

I agree that making sure your WM has a 90 degree wash going through it once a week keeps it fresh.

Do you put your powder in the drawer or the drum? I put mine in the drum but soda crystals go in the drawer as does vinegar so it cleans right through.

[dementedpixie]

my filter in my old machine was behind a kick plate on the bottom at the front. I had to remove it and then unscrew the entrance to the filter and remove it to clean it. My new machine has a flap on the front to access the filter. Again there is a bit to unscrew to access the filter

[WittgensteinsBunny]

For washing I put powder / laundry bleach / nappy sanitiser / soda crystals in the drawer. I use Bio-D non biological powder. I've also recently fluffed up some old baby towels for DC2 by putting loads of bicarb through the powder section of the drawer too.

For washing / maintaining the machine, I put soda crystals / vinegar directly into the drum and a scoop / splosh in the drawer.

I have a Bosch machine and the filter is on the bottom right. There's a little door and a small pipe. You need to have old towels at the ready and a large washing up bowl or some other receptacle to put the small hose into. You can probably find the instructions on the internet for your machine. Ours is very simple but I don't know about other makes!

[BauerTime]

Thanks. Im off to investigate where my filter is.