Washing machine not getting clothes clean & smells a bit BAD!

[mermaidofthewestside]

Hello Mumsnet!
It's a Bosch & I've had it about two years - I use Surcare powder as my daughter has eczema & unless I smother everything in vanish, clothes are coming out looking... Grubby. Even the ones that aren't really that dirty. Any tips or advice?

Oh yes and lately washing machine smelling like wet dog. Foul.

Have you run a very hot wash recently? It can kill off bacteria inside the machine. They also need to be aired after a wash I find, so don't close the door straight after emptying the clothes out.

Other than that, it could be a blockage??

Surcare is non bio and so you need occasional bio hot washes with powder to really keep the machine smelling better. Do a 90 wash with bicarbonate of soda and vinegar.

It's due to washing at low temperatures with non bio powder I'm afraid.

Interestingly DD had ezcema when she was little and I used to use Surcare - to no effect. My washing machine started to smell bad, so I got some advice from MN and this website.

I started using Ariel bio and 60 degree washes. The smell disappeared - and so did DD's eczema!

I think it was the mould spores from the washing machine that caused the eczema and not the washing powder. It is the perfumes in biological washing powder that aggravate eczema rather than the enzymes.

If you can't use bio powder you need to run regular service washes to clean your machine.

Are you using quick wash on a low temperature? Quick wash misses a rinse out, which can leave a lot of residue behind and cause irritation. Try switching to a Bio powder, 40 & 60 degree full cycles & use extra rinse if you need to

Normal Ariel powder has bleach in it so it gets rid of all the gunk in the machine. As well as washing sheets on a 60 wash with bio powder so that the bacteria can't build up, I also do a 90 maintenance wash with bio powder once a month to clean the machine and to also stop limescale building up in the machine - Ariel powder also has softening agents in it.

You can probably set an extra rinse if you want to wash with bio powder but don't want it to stay on the clothes. Bio shouldn't cause any problems in an of itself - it's only really in the UK that we associate enzymes with skin problems and there's no proof that it does cause problems. As a previous poster said, it might actually be the fragrances causing the problems.

Wow thanks everyone
Yeah totally guilty of 'quick wash' non bio not cleaning machine etc....
Great advice
Bloody love Mumsnet 🙌☀️😁

I've always found washing machines get smelly if I overload them for a couple of consecutive washes, for some reason.