Do washing pods make your machine smell?

I didn’t use Ariel for years because it made my skin itchy but I tried it again a couple of years and it doesn’t anymore and I really like it. My mum is happy with Lidl powder and she’s really fussy.

If the machine is still smelly after your hot maintenance cleans and if the gasket is clean, check the filter. The only time my machine smelt bad was when something metal was trapped in the filter and slime built up around it.

I use Dylon liquid detergent for colour laundry loads, but Sainsbury's Bio Powder for all whites and hot 60° towel/ bedding loads. This together with drum cleans when prompted by the machine, seems to be enough to keep it all clear.

The problem is the liquid, it doesn’t dissolve. You need to swap to powder.

I saw an interview with someone in the washing machine industry. He said that the reason they smell is that more and more people and relying on the shorter wash cycles, at a lower temperature. If you’re constantly using the quick wash type cycles (as I do), that could be the issue.

I use powder for everything (except woolies) and put it directly in the drum with the laundry on top.

Liquids and pods are definitely not as good at keeping the machine clean - my washing machine repair guy told me.

Powder is more environmentally friendly and way cheaper too. Lidl Formil has the most beautiful gentle "barely there" fragrance.

No, I’ve never had a problem. But, I do use a washing machine cleaner every month.

Yes definitely. Changed to powder and after a week the smell had gone

I’ve never had a problem with fairy washing pods (they are less scented than other pod brands I find, so I can stand the smell, the others I’ve tried are just too strong), I use them for bedding/towels for somebody else).

At home I use unscented Ecover Zero liquid and this is great. But I used the powder version of ecover zero when I was on offer and it made my washing machine absolutely stink - I had to put a cleaning sanitising stuff through it and run it on hot empty cycle a few times.

The powder was terrible stuff and I’ve no idea why it acted so differently. I’ve got 2 more boxes of it and have no idea what to do with it - I don’t fancy donating it incase it causes problems for someone else.

I use fairy Liquid on colours and fairy powder on whites. We're a sensitive skin house. I read that the powder is better for the machine but I noticed that powder is a bit harsh on colours especially on new clothes and fades them quickly hence using both.

The double rinse is to help wash out the inevitable left over washing detergent/powder. As demonstrated by the level of foam when I ran an empty cycle, there will be stuff not rinsed off so an extra rinse helps.

You were using too much powder if this happens.

I use pods but dissolve them in a mug of boiling water before pouring the solution on top of washing directly in the drum.
No smell, machine clean, including drawer, no undisolved sticky pod casing bits on clean washing.

I only use Ariel quick dissolve biological powder because it’s the best for whites in my experience.

I don’t like pods so I just use biological powder for whites and liquid for colours

Wrong thread? I’m intrigued!

Time Machine was it? This was 20 years ago - were you there? Sometimes you don’t know everything, sometimes you need to accept someone else’s lived experience.
@loremlpsumcici

I use the smol laundry liquid, dettol laundry cleanser additive in the fabric softener drawer, some times white vinegar - no smell!

used to get musty smell using pods

@WillTheRealDeanGaffneyPleaseStandUp a spray of vinegar pre wash is great for removing stubborn smells

My washing doesn’t really smell of anything, I use powder because I got fed up without the hard plastic containers for the pods I used to use. I keep the box in the cupboard next to the machine with a scoop in, can also adjust the amount of detergent I’m using too. I don’t use fabric softener unless I’m doing a load of blankets.

I always use pods, didn't know they was any issue with them. I don't like using powder as I don't know which of the spaces in the drawer to put it in 😳

@WillTheRealDeanGaffneyPleaseStandUp laundry washed at the correct temperature with the right amount of powder and no conditioner won’t smell of anything and won’t need a second rinse.

It’s not liquid detergent, it’s the corn starch based dissolving plastic coating of the pod that causes the smelliness.

Vinegar isn’t a good way to clean your washing machine. It degrades the rubber seals. You need to get some good oxy powder to add to each load to disinfect and you need to buy some actual washing machine cleaner to use once a month.

Pods are terrible. The corn starch based plastic coating doesn’t fully dissolve and the kind of stick in pieces in the filters and drum. Being corn starch, it then starts to ferment and mould. Stick to liquid laundry soap.

The annoying thing is I binned a machine because I couldn’t get rid of the smell - I had no idea it was caused by liquid detergent - it cost quite a bit to replace it. You can clean it again, it just takes an enormous amount of non detergent hot water washes.