Smelly towels after washing - should I use powder instead of pods?

[Wapawapa]

I use fairy pods. My towels especially, but other clothes too, have that... vomity smell (sorry, no other way to describe it). The weather has been great here and everything has dried quickly on the line so it's not that they're taking days to dry.
So now I'm wondering - could the pods be the problem? Is powder best?

I use fairy powder and ecover conditioner. Have you tried the lenor unstoppables?
Also try putting a bottle of white vinegar in Washing machine draw and run an empty hot wash to clean machine.

What temperature do you wash them at? I usually wash mine at 60 and so far, we haven't had any problems.

Always use powder for anything absorbent (and no fabric conditioner either)

@Wapawapa

I use fairy pods. My towels especially, but other clothes too, have that... vomity smell (sorry, no other way to describe it). The weather has been great here and everything has dried quickly on the line so it's not that they're taking days to dry. So now I'm wondering - could the pods be the problem? Is powder best?

I don't use those pods. I find the washer smells if I use them and there is a sticky residue on the rubber seal on the door.

I use powder. I find it cleans better and the clothes never smell

@AlexandraQueen

Always use powder for anything absorbent (and no fabric conditioner either)

Absolutely. You don't need fabric conditioner

Do you use fabric conditioner?

If not, they need a separate rinse cycle after washing. I can never believe the soap the still comes out after a 3 hour hot wash if I put them through the extra rinse.

I've read that we use waaaaay too much detergent and I can believe it. So I use powder and very little (and still get soap out after a wash with the additional rinse cycle!). Maximum of a tablespoon should be used for the heaviest of soiling...

Just an alternative thought are you using enough pods for the level of grime and make sure you are not putting too many items in the washing machine.

Wait for a really windy day
Put them on at 90 with whatever detergent and a scoop of vanish powder, no fabric conditioner, then out on the line to get them softened up
I do this once a year and it totally rejuvenates them

Don’t use vinegar to clean a washing machine (or dishwasher, or any other device). It knackers the seals. Use a proper washing machine cleaner. Clean the filter as well. Run a hot wash with powder and an empty machine once a month. Wash towels on at least 60, don’t leave anything damp in the machine more than a couple of hours. Fabric softener is OK if you use a vegetarian one which doesn’t have animal fat (smol is nice) but don’t use it with towels as it affects absorbency.

Thank you all.
I'll switch to powder.
The machine is new so that shouldn't be the problem.
The towels are not very dirty and I don't overload the machine.
I don't know what temp they were washed on - I use 30/40/60 depending on what else I'm washing so they could have been in any wash.
Nice idea to blast them on 90 and get them out on a windy day!
Thank you all.
I saw a thread titled " best washing powder" so I'll head over there now

I wash my towels for an hour at 30 with powder, no conditioner and have never had any problems.

Didn't know that about vinegar. Thanks for mentioning.

What @GiantCheeseMonster said is spot on. It doesn’t take long to build up bacteria in a machine if there is insufficient sanitisation. Low temperatures and non bio liquid can exacerbate this. Also leave the door open after a wash to encourage air drying in the drum.

No fabric softener and I like the powder from "Splosh"

I also had problems with a vomity smell on tea towels. I read that it was due to bacteria build up. Tried various things, but the most successful was a hot wash, napisan with (if your machine does it) and a soak.
Others recommend bicarb in wash too.
Hope that helps.

We had this with an old fitted machine that was there when we moved in somewhere new.

A bottle of basil asking machine cleaner and a couple of 90 degree washes sorted it out.

Ecozone do tabs that clean both dishwashers and washing machines and are pretty inexpensive. I do one once a month now to keep on top of things.

I use the unstoppables for towels and bedding, I'd like to stop as I'm trying to go as eco friendly as possible - I've moved to Ecover laundry liquid and conditioner - so interested to see other ideas for making the towels /bedding smell fresh

I feel anything involving plastic for laundry is wasteful - a scoop of powder is just as good (better?) as any other more expensive option. I wash coloured loads at 30 or 40 degrees (40 wash is quicker) unless things are especially dirty or stained.

But whites are washed on a hot wash. When it came to replacing towels, I chose white just so they can be put on a hot wash. Win win - the machine gets a clean too.

I’d do dettol washing machine cleaner then use washing powder and dettol laundry liquid .

Soda crystals are cheaper than washing machine cleaners - use a scoop in most or all washes.

Fairy has that smell to me too, I don't know why, just switch brands!

Ditch the pods they’re absolute utter crap, why anyone uses them I’ll never know.

Make sure you’re running towels on the longest hottest cycle you have and always take them out straight away once they’re done to dry off.

I had this from liquid and pods and so I switched to powder, after reading on here that it was better ( the pods and gels can clog the pipes).

Zero smells since I changed.

I had a real problem with this. Turns out it was the washing machine. I just cleaned it with one of those bottles where you clean the rims and seals then put the rest in the wash. Stopped the problem.

I’ve learned the only way to get rid of this properly is to clean the washing machine with a dettol washing machine cleaner, and to use dettol anti bacterial laundry cleanser instead of fabric softener for towels, tea towels etc.