Laundry problems - everything smells! (and eczema...)

[Yellowingtrees]

For about 18 months DH did all the laundry, but we're swapping jobs, partly because all our clothes now smell... I don't seem to be able to get on top of this, so I need advice! What I've done so far

• Clean the seal (handfuls of sludge, but it's still spotty w mould stains which I can't get off, even after following all the instructions I can find
• Used washing machine cleaner
• Run a 90 degree wash
• Used white vinegar
• Cleaned the filter and the drawer, and always leave the door open

The machine itself doesn't really smell any more, but the laundry - in particular towels - often smells horrible. The towels can't really be used for more than 2 days, which is hopeless.

I line dry everything - easy this summer, so I don't think this is a drying problem. In the winter we have a hanging laundry thing and a dehumidifier. I usually use Ecoleaf liquid detergent, but we are almost at the end of that, so I'm up for trying other things.

I either need to use non bio for everything, or to separate out my son's stuff (he's got horrible eczema-prone skin) which I would do for a while, if it allowed me to wash whatever has got into the clothes out again!

Suggestions? Advice? Thank you!

White vinegar is great for deodorising smelly laundry, I use it on my sports clothes periodically.

I think you'll have to spend some time treating the smelly items - new powder, hot wash, vinegar, extra spin and tumble dry. Sorry your DH is incompetent.

Line drying is great but you need to get rid of the bacteria and build up on your clothes first before you go back to it.

I do an extra spin on every laundry cycle, makes a huge difference. I hope you resolve it.

I agree, coupled with the fact that it's a liquid. Was he using short cycles as well? Bio powder on a long programme with enough rinses (allergy reactions are often due to inadequate rinsing of the detergent out of the clothes) should sort it.

Dettol laundry cleanser, or supermarket own brand, is antibacterial, but they do have fragrance in them.

Thanks for this. Sadly nothing fragrance free but it looks like adding Smol stain gel to non bio detergent might be the equivalent.

Persil/Tide pods are sold in their “sensitive enzyme” version overseas, it’s so annoying we can’t get them here.

I agree.
You need to use a powder detergent, put it straight into the drum. Fairy is good or Persil non-bio.

No, as long as you use vinegar on a cleaning cycle every few months, or as your fabric rinse then it won’t.

You might try Dr. Beckmann Service It Deep Clean Washing Machine Cleaner 250g

www.sainsburys.co.uk/groceries/product/dr-beckmann-service-it-deep-clean-washing-machine-cleaner-250g

Very effective. Clothing no longer smells of mould.

This stuff is biological and unfragranced 🙂 https://www.thelittlegreenfox.co.uk/unfragranced-biological-laundry-powder---sesi-4870-p.asp

I remember on a school trip the coach driver going to the hypermarket and taking back massive boxes of French washing powder, he said his wife reckoned it was better than the English stuff, maybe that's what he meant!

It is actually very good for your machine and recommended maintenance to run a cleaning cycle (if the machine doesn't have a designated cleaning cycle, then just the hottest normal or cottons wash without pre-wash) every 30-60 cycles depending on how hard your water is and how dirty your clothes tend to be, ie, more towards 30 if you have hard water and dirty clothes, more towards 60 if you have soft water and fairly light soiling.

Toilet duck type thing is probably a bit more foamy than you'd want but you can check your washing machine manufacturer's book or website to see what they recommend. Usually either plain bleach, or some kind of acidic cleaner - I tend to use citric acid powder straight in the drum, or buy the sachets of washing machine cleaner or sometimes it's sold as blocks. The acid is good at breaking down soap scum and limescale, whereas bleach kills germs. Hot water also breaks down soap scum and kills germs. If you're getting a lot of foam during a maintenance wash then you probably have a lot of soap scum build up and it can help to repeat the process. Even if the drum looks clean, bear in mind there is a larger drum surrounding the metal drum which can have build up inside it as well and you'll never see this without dismantling the machine.

It's worth checking the filter before you do these maintenance cycles as well because anything trapped in there will be washing around in the wash water. Sometimes I have found things like a nail which was rusting away(!) or a dead insect which must have crawled into a towel or something. Pantyliners can also get stuck in here and colour catchers depending on the machine, and bits of paper/packaging which teenagers have forgotten to remove from pockets or got mixed up in their laundry. And baby socks! Which I then started putting into a mesh bag before washing.

It is. I liked to it above.

Are you certain it's the enzymes that's the problem for your son, rather than that bio powder is often a bit pongy? They no longer advise against bio for babies. I add a teaspoon of unscented Bio-tex hand wash powder to the load with normal unscented liquid and it cleans so much better.

https://amzn.eu/d/04wJf2Bl

Is fragrance free and had a very good mix of enzymes.

That’s just Vanish isn’t it?

What I want is a proper bio detergent with zero fragrance, not a laundry booster.

Yes it will. The fats and oils do not break down and will coat your clothing and the washing machine. This traps bacteria and grime which will make your clothing smell bad and feel awful.

But what do I know, my family only run a large independent appliance repair company....

No. Vanish is mostly sodium percarbonate with enzymes though there's no information on which ones.

The one I listed has mostly enzymes and several different one -protease, amylase, lipase, mannanase, cellulase, and pectinase.

Actually this one has about the same amount of sodium percarbonate as Vanish Gold. Vove has 45% and Vanish guides between 25 and 50% on their safety sheet.

I had a quick look on Reddit and sadly Vove has terrible reviews in the laundry sub that was linked above. Thanks all the same.

The laundry cleanser was a game changer for us. I use it every wash now.

I cleaned machine with 90 degree wash and running bleach through.

It's literally a product I personally use and have had excellent results with. There's a tub of it in my kitchen right now.

I use Dettol Laundry sanitiser. For teen DS's particularly whiffy gym kit I soak it in a bucket of hot water first with some dettol wash and the add some to the machine. I also put some soda crystals in the drawer.

I found that DS was often only washing at 30 degrees and using the 1 hour wash so for his stuff I use a longer wash on 40 degrees.

If everything seems to have a ground in smell I would consider pre soaking everything in the dettol wash before putting it in the machine.

I’ve had this problem and I tried everything. The only thing that worked was using more detergent. I think that when we bought a new machine with a bigger capacity (9kg) it just needed more detergent than I was putting in. My laundry doesn’t smell any more!

While I'm one that goes all out to do things to help the environment eco washing products are something I gave up with after a few washes, really didn’t work for me, and as you've found out once that smell gets into your clothes it's a nightmare to correct.

I only use biological powder, as was told that gel can cause gunk build up in the pipe work, most of my clothes will have added fabric conditioner but DH doesn't like to smell to floral so for his clothes and all underwear/towels I use a laundry cleanser, Home bargains or Lidi is good enough.

Washing is removed straight after the cycle has finished, door left open and powder draw removed, rinsed and left out to dry off, that way the part where the water fills the machine can also dry as it can go black and mouldy in the water hole outlets, I also give the inside of the glass door a wipe, keeps limescale marks from building up and place a microfiber cloth inbetween the rubber door seals to mop up any water residue.

Sounds a lot when read back but takes no time at all.

Try tallow and ash it’s suitable for excema and smells amazing you need a biological soap powder as non bio never really properly gets dirt out hence bacteria build up and smell but hard when you have excema

mines the same,,,my old machine never smelt but my new one leaves my washing musty smelling

believe what you want, I prefer to deal with facts.

I used to use cloth nappies so I'm quite knowledgeable about how to get smells out. Cloth nappies need stripping if they get stinky, this is where you wash them on a cycle with NO detergent, try it with your towels and I bet you will see bubbles from detergent build up. This is very common with liquid detergent and non bio, some eco detergents just don't do the job. Dr Beckman laundry sheets are a good alternative. Softener is a big issue for product build up too. Line drying in the rain before washing helps the process. Then, wash on a hot 60% cotton cycle with biological powder. Do an extra rinse cycle and watch to make sure no detergent is left. You can then wash DS clothes with non bio after. Powder is much better for preventing build up than liquid, and the biggest cause is using too much detergent, and doing eco cycles that use less water and lower temperatures.