Smelly Dark Wash?

[CorporateGirly]

Whenever I do a dark wash, it ALWAYS comes out smelling musky/damp

It doesn’t happen with a white or colour wash.

• I use the same detergent and fab softener for all washes, and in the same quantity. I have swapped over time as found some are better than others and at the moment I’m using Daz pods. Fab softener I use whatever is on offer, but it’s always a known brand rather than a supermarket brand.
• I don’t overload. I do have more dark to wash, but even when I load up the washing machine with a big load of whites, it still doesn’t come out smelly.
• I use exactly the same wash cycle for all washes - same temp and wash time.

Does anyone have any idea why this is happening?! I’m so conscious now that my clothes may smell!!

So, are your darks a cooler wash than whites. If so it might be too cool to kill off bacteria hence smelly. Or, do you do your darks on a more gentle wash/a shorter wash/gentle spin. All the above may affect how well the wash is washed/rinsed and may mean clothes are not as clean.
Are there any particularly smelly items in your darks such as gym kit or pe kit?

Stick your head inside the empty machine. Does the machine smell at all, if so you may have a build up of sludge in the pipes.

You could try the following.

Do a 90 degrees wash with some old towels/cloths and see if this helps clean out the machine.

Try a longer/hotter wash if your darks will stand it and see if it helps.

Try washing without fabric conditioner as this coats the fibres in clothes and makes them less absorbent and also guns up washing machine pipes. You could add a bit of white vinegar to the fab con section instead and see if that helps.

Wash PE/gym/football kit separately and see if that helps

Try using a power rather than a pod. I find they wash so much better and are way less likely to make the clothes slimy/smelly or bung up pipes.

Sorry, just read that you use the same wash setting.

So I'd try a hotter wash if you are using a very cool one and maybe an extra rinse. Cut out the fabric conditioner and use a powder detergent. See if that helps.

I'd add a couple of capfuls of zoflora disinfectant to the rinse drawer as it may be bacteria not being killed by washing and smelling during the drying process

Powder is always better, no matter the issue. Less build up in the machine, easier to rinse properly. The man who maintains our white goods always says he gets fewer call outs to machines where powder rather than pods or liquids is used.

Certain fabrics hold that musty smell more than others and it tends to be darker clothes here too. Sniff test every item as you get it out of the washer, put the ones that smell musty back in with a big glug of zoflora over them, and wash again. That should sort them out.
Going forward, I splash a bit of zoflora over the clothes in the drum before washing if I think there’s some potentially musty ones in there.

General housekeeping - do a 90 degree wash maybe with some sofa crystals to disinfect the machine a bit. Run through machine empty afterwards and check itcs not too bubbly - if it is you may still have soap deposits in the innards. Keep running empty hot washes until it clears. Hang your darks outside for 24 hours, even if they get rained on but preferably in sun, to give them a good airing.

You could also try switching out your detergent and softener for just plain big box powder and no softener for a while. Softener deposits can build up and my washing machine engineer tells me big box powders are still the best way to cut through, or avoid making, build up.

I wouldn't get too hung up on the difference between the darks and the others. Maybe there is a combination of a few odd items that have hung onto smells, the combination of more cottons and a slightly bigger wash, or more build up of fabric conditioner. I'd start with general overall maintenance/cleaning of the machine and see it that sorts it.

Are you washing at 30⁰? Using a "quick wash" programme? I found that those programmes barely even dissolved the detergent.

30⁰ is below body temperature so doesn't dissolve body fluids and fat as well as 40⁰ does even with good detergent I have found. 40⁰ is above general body temperature.

Use laundry powder rather than pods. I think it cleans better and was also advised by an engineer that pods contribute to gunking up the machine, powder much less so. I also use a proprietary washing machine cleaner every few months, like Dettol ones or Dr. Beckman/Calgon ones. Zoflora also helps keep things fresh

Ditch the fabric softener. They coat things (including the machine itself I believe), make them less absorbent of detergent, are generally shite and a total waste of money as far as I can see.

I find the same thing, OP.

I find adding a few drops of essential oil to a wash load really helps.