Washing machine smells... so so bad!

[DobbysLeftSock]

Just that really. It smells! A kind of musty smell, not offensive but definitely unpleasant. Any tips?

Clean the trap and then use washing machine cleaner per instructions. Then wipe seals and keep door/drawer open in future to keep smells in check

Salt works as well on a hot wash

Do a regular hot wash with a bio powder and that will get rid of the smell. By hot I mean 90 degrees.

What washing detergent do you use? What temperature do you wash at?

If you use laundry liquid at low temperatures you will get a build up of mould and bacteria.

You need to do some high temperature washes and ditch the liquid in favour of washing powder.

Washing powder contains bleach that kills mould and bacteria. Also, laundry liquid is bad for your washing machine as you get a build up of sludgy gunk.

Half a cup of washing soda and a hot wash will have it all lovely again. Leave the door wide open between washes too.

I bought a box of machine cleaner and it sorted it out completely.

What's the trap and how do you clean it?

Salt works as well on a hot wash

Check your drain isn't blocked. I had a blocked drain that was rising back up into the machine

I had a real problem with this about a year ago. Here are a few suggestions that I found really helped:-

1. Don't load up the machine until you are actually going to do the wash. I had a bad habit of loading the machine with stuff then leaving it for 24 - 48 hours before doing it (I live alone and my machine only gets used on average twice a week,3 times maximum). Likewise,remove washing as soon as possible after it's done.

2. Run a really hot wash (90 degrees if possible) with just a little soap powder/liquid. Most of today's washes are done at 40 or 30 degrees,sometimes even cooler,and I've been told that these lower temperatures allow bacteria to breed in the drum and cause unpleasant smells.

3. Leave the machine door open when the machine is not in use. Sounds obvious but you'd be surprised at the number of people who close the door when not using the machine.

4)Check that there is no mould growing inside the rubber door seal. I had this with the washing machine I had before my current one. I basically had to scrub it off with an old toothbrush and a disinfectant solution,but it did help.

5)Finally,if all the above fail,there is a product you can buy,not 100 per cent sure of the name but I think it's called 'service wash'. You run it through the machine on a hot wash,and it does a pretty good job of getting rid of the worst of the smell. Costs about 3 or 4 quid from Wilkinsons or most supermarkets.

Good luck!

Annoyingly it doesn't have a 90° wash, the hottest it goes is 60° and it does a 60° wash at least once a week. I use power already so its not liquid build up.

I'll buy some cleaner, and clear out the trap. Or maybe make dh do it... I hate touching manky water! Cant leave the door open as it blocks my tiny galley kitchen when open so might try a salt wash every couple of weeks instead.

Will any w/machine cleaner do?

I run a 90c wash with a cupful of soda crystals every couple of months, same with the dishwasher. It's a good habit to get into, and will reduce mould and build up of detergents.

i used the milton steriliser tablets chucked in a load on the hot wash that sorted it out wonderfully

I'm so annoyed it doesn't have a hotter wash - and why didn't I notice before I bought it?!

I expect it’s because your door is shut between washes

You can use zoflora in your washing machine.

I do this every so often on a hot wash with just a towel in.

DobbysLeftSock Should be OK on 60c too. I clean the dishwasher on the 60c and that seems to work.

I put a capful in the drawer. And a capfuls worth in the washer drum and put it on 60 degrees btw.

Also leave washer door opened as mentioned, clean the filter out once a month & wipe seals with some antibacterial wipes once a week or so.

I had this and tried everything.

It wasn't the machine at all.

It was coming in from outside, up the pipe that the washing machine hose went down.
( the water level in the sewer was lower than it should be and the washing machine had no way of of stopping the smell coming back in.)

A plumber explained it to me. There is something you can do with the hose that will stop smells blowing back in. (If that is the problem)

Otherwise fill it up with dettol and do a hot wash.

Pull out the drawer enitely and clean that too.

I will have a go and report back!

Can't leave the door open. The washer is opposite the drawers with pans and crockery. You cant open the drawers if the washer door is open, nor can you walk past if the door is open. Seriously, it's a really tiny kitchen!

60 degrees should be fine. Any cleaner that's branded as being suitable for cleaning washing machines should be fine. Also agree with the previous poster who said to use Zoflora. I tried this once and it certainly helped.

Can you not even leave the door slightly ajar? I have a small kitchen and do this.

Can you pull the drawer out and give it a good clean, and not put it back until it is properly dry?