Washed clothes smell like mould, help

[Kalesandwich]

My clothes were coming out a bit musty smelling so I put the washing machine on a 3hr 90 degree bleach wash.
There was specs of grey floating in the wash (what looked like build up of detergent, lint and softener) and they were sat on the seal and drum when the wash finished so I rinsed through with a 30 degree quick wash.
They were still there so I done another bleach 90 degree wash and then quick wash to rinse again. This time it was gone and I put a load on expecting my clothes to smell nice again but no...
My clothes now smell like stale mould when they've dried. I know what this smells like because my mum used to have a wooden mouldy wardrobe and all the clothes that were inside it smelled this way.

Is there any way that I can sort this out?! I will buy a new machine on finance if needs be as I can't afford to buy it outright just now but I would really rather fix my current machine

Soap draw cleaned? Including taking it out and looking up in the hole?

I don't know if it will fix it but we regularly put our machine on 90 with white vinegar in and it helps keep the machine smelling fresh, it can't harm it so you could try that.

Washing soda crystals in the drawer and a 90 degree wash. Check the filter drawer in case its blocked. In future use powder detergent and try not to use softener- liquid and softener causes build up

What type of detergent do you use?

I often get a musty smell when I leave my clothes in the washer for too long without getting them out to dry them. I rewash them without detergent or conditioner and just put white vinegar or apple cider vinegar in the drum. They always come out smelling fine again afterwards - totally works.

I know your is a different problem to mine but worth a try. A quick 30 wash should suffice.

I use the pod washing tabs in the drum and I use minimal amounts of fab conditioner but have in the past been using too much so maybe the damage is done already?

When I cleaned the machine out I also scribbled the drawer and took the whole drawer out to clean inside with bleach and a toothbrush.

I can never find white vinegar anywhere, I think i'll order some online now and get some soda crystals.

Scrubbed*

I had this a few times after a maintenance hot wash - I bought cheapo biological washing powder and ran another hot wash with that and did the trick

It sounds as though your bleach washes have loosened the gunk. Further cleaning washes should shift it. The pods don't contain the bleaching agents powder does so the machine doesn't get cleaned through every wash in the same way.

Oh should say - I'd tried with bicarb, vinegar etc and found the smell stayed. Bio powder was the only thing that shifted it.

Would it be better to use bio powder in place of my pods? The only reason I use pods is so I wasn't using too much detergent, I didn't know they don't clean as well as powder

I'll do some more cleaning cycles and hopefully it will help!

How are you drying your washing?

This was happening for me and the only thing that worked was cleaning out the filter, washing the drawer with vinegar and baking soda and then soda crystals in the drum

@HardAsSnails I've been hanging to dry on an airing rack but with the heat in my house its always dry within half a day unless its something heavy like jeans so its not been sitting damp for a long time

I'd leave off conditioner completely and switch to loose powder. As said above, it has bleaching agents that kill the mould/fungi in the washer

Powder keeps the drum cleaner than liquids/pods as it contains bleaches.

@peakygal do you mean filter as in the bit at the bottom of the machine that unscrews? I've cleaned that bit out recently but I can try it again

Those of you who put white vinegar straight in the drum, do you put it inside anything or just pour it directly into the machine?

Yep. Nice big scoop of biological powder, directly in the drum, and wash your clothes on the hottest wash they can take (40 for most things except woollens). Cotton underwear, sheets and towels can go on 60.

Using enough detergent, in powder form, helps keep the machine clean.

Lidl Formil powder smells lovely.

@Chicchicchicchiclana agree that the Lidl powder is great. We used to use liquid but when we switched to powder the machine smelled less fusty & we stopped getting the little black flecks of mould on the washing

Plus it's less plastic & cheaper!

@Appuskidu - just chuck/glug some straight in the drum. It's very satisfying how easy and effective it is.

And @Kalesandwich, if you're struggling to buy white vinegar, just get some cider vinegar next time you're buying food shopping - they sell that everywhere. And use the rest to make salad dressings, or just to drink on a spoon for good gut health etc.

Powder keeps the drum cleaner than liquids/pods as it contains bleaches.

I never knew that, every day is a school day on mumsnet!

Nice big scoop of biological powder, directly in the drum, and wash your clothes on the hottest wash they can take

Can you just put washing powder straight into the drum with clothes for a normal wash?!

We have a brand new washing machine and I’ve been using tabs in the drum as I don’t want the detergent drawer to get all yucky and dirty . I’d use powder if I can put it straight into the drum!

White vinegar is easy to find - the bottle may say distilled white malt vinegar