Help me wash clothes!

[AmazingLemonDrizzle]

We've realised that if we run a wash but then leave it ages before drying (ie run it at night then dry in the morning) the clothes are smelling.... I'm feeling I missed a bit of Education here.

Do people only run washes when they're home for 3 hours (or however long it takes to wash and dry) and when on earth would you do that?

Please tell me your washing logistics and how not to have smelly clothes!

First off your machine probably needs a good maintenance clean . I wouldn't personally leave clothes sitting in the washer.

Can you not have it on a timer so it finishes as you get up?
What detergent?

I wash on a quick 1hr cycle and then hang outside or on an airer asap. Leave to dry overnight, turn clothes if needed as they dry, occasionally finish drying some bits in the tumble drier in winter. Keep washing machine clean and use nice smelling powder.

They should only have that wet mop/rotten smell if left for over a day I'd think. Mine don't smell if left overnight or if don't in the morning but not hung until night.

Our washing machine has a "delay start" button. I stick the washing and detergent etc in before work in the morning, and then I set it to start in 6 hours. That way, it's finished just before I get home and I can take it out and sort/tumble/hang it.

If you don't live in a terraced house with neighbours to bother then you could set it to start at 5am or something, so that it finishes about the time you get up.

Yes I only wash them when I am home to remove them from the machine - they also go creased if left ages

My old Washer had a timer on so I could set if for waking up time- my new one doesn't maybe check yours?

Having said that they would only smell if left in for a few days not hours and if the door had been opened. Maybe clean the drum / pipes? Take out the soap
Dispenser and clean the slot it goes in too.

I did towels at 8pm last night and put them in to tumble this morning and they are fresh and clean.

My regular wash is 1hr 18 mins though not three hours!

We get cheap electricity between 11.30pm and 5.30am. So I set the timer on the washing machine for about 3am /4am. I then hang it out about 8am, it never smells bad.

There is no way your washing should smell after being just one night in the machine.
I often put a wash on in the evening and don't hang it, either out on the line, or on a clothes horse, until the following day. They never smell.
If your washing mainly 20o or 30o washes then you need to put the machine on a hot wash on a regular basis to clean the pipes/hose. Also make sure around the rubber seal is cleaned regular from all the gunk that collects in there.

Firstly clean the machine. Buy a carton of either bicarbonate of soda or soda crystals it's under £2. Soda crystals are my preference. Follow the instructions on the packet re the amount and run the machine with the bicarbonate empty on a super hot wash. If it smells when you open the door do it again but use some zoflora type disinfectant in the softener drawer as well. Clean the seals as others have said.

Clean out the filter and the powder drawer by taking it right out and giving it a scrub.

The above should improve matters but you may need to do this quite often.

My old zanussi integrated machine never smelled. My freestanding beko needs cleaning at least once a month or the stink could knock you out it's grim!!!

Lastly as pp have said use the timer. I load the machine at night to come on 3 hours before I get up. Then it's ready to hang. Blew dps mind that did!

I'm not sure we have a timer. I will look in the morning.

I never remember having smelly wahsign before. I think it's where its sat wet for a few hours but maybe not going by some replies.

I ran it on an empty hot wash to see if that would help.

I need to rewash everything in the tumbler as they don't reek - they just smell like they haven't been washed.

Admittedly my husband did the load... maybe it was overful?? Or her forgot the washing soap. But that isn't really like him and it's happened a few times recently.

The dryer is new.

3 hours I plucked out of thin air but I meant time to wash and dry.

Thanks. I'm home tomorrow day time so will have to do 2 or 3 washes to catch up!

Op ours is a bit stealth it's a tiny button with a clock on it and when you press it the display changes and you keep pressing to select how many hours to delay.

I have a horror of leaving washing in the machine. However, I have a top loader so it doesn't take long to do a load, and I hang it out as soon as it's done.

Sorry, that's not helpful, but I imagine that your machine probably needs a good clean.

There's a lot on YouTube or instagram of step by step videos .. might be easier to see the visual of how to clean the washing machine .. lemons and toothpaste work too I kid you not!!

I don't wash clothes for longer than a 1 hour cycle. Then hang them up soon after. They shouldn't smell then.

I've just replaced my machine so have had to read the manual loads for my new one and I didn't realise that the whole time I was using my old machine I was using a setting only meant for 2kg and I was putting in a whole 7kg load... so the clothes weren't washing properly, often smelly too so I'd run the wash a 2nd time then an xtra spin etc. I don't know how I never realised, I just thought it was on its way out

Oh meant to say but now I've realised since having the new machine that there shouldn't be a smell or condensation in the window when load is finished

And avoid the pods

Make sure you use bio powder for your whites, bedding and towels. As PP, liquid, and especially pods, clog up your machine.

Use powder. Buy the antibacterial washing liquid stuff (supermarket brands are much cheaper) this goes in the drawer where the conditioner is supposed to go.
Put powder directly into the drum.

If you have loads of synthetic fabrics you may need to wash a bit hotter. I find they keep the smell.

My washer is in the hottest part of the house so if I leave the washing on a hot day it can smell quite quickly.

I tend to use the longest setting but on a timer or use short wash. I don't have a drier so everything is hung out. If on an indoor line I make sure.to hang each piece over to rails so they don't touch.

I do one wash every day, a quick wash (28 mins depending if clothes just need refreshing or are actually dirty) this is done either morning or night. they then go on the line or a heated maid and are dry for the load the next day washing is not a chore for me anymore and is so much more manageable this way.

I never leave them in the machine once it’s done, I find they start to smell like a damp smell if not taken out straightway

Yes I think it's the being left in the machine and not going into the dryer straight away.

The was was a 2hr cycle but if I press eco it becomes 1 hr I have no idea how that works!

Dryer again depends on the cycle. I no longer have a clue what magic it is as I remember the day of just setting a timer. Now it seems to respond to how much stuff I have in there.

We use bio powder but possibly not as much as they suggest. (And I thought bio stuff got killed in the heat anyway but we still use it)

We have a timer! So could leave it and set it to come on.

How are people with leaving white goods? I've never liked them running overnight (Fire risk) but would people run them when they leave the house?

If we only run them when in that requires 3 hours of being home ...and it's in our kitchen so also means noise when we're eating etc!