Throw a couple of dishwasher tablets in the drum and put on a hot cycle

Distilled white vinegar has been a lifesaver for me. Every few weeks I will run 1-2 hot cycles set to the largest load with the highest wash setting and I use far more white vinegar than is probably needed (it’s super cheap so whatever) once the water is filled and the cycle starts I open the lid and then let it sit for like 30 minutes not washing, then I use a sponge and scrub the inside, under the lid, everything. Then I remove the fabric softener cup from the center because that stuff cakes inside the tube, and I thoroughly clean that. Then close the lid and let it finish washing, finishing and spinning. Then i typically do a second cycle with vinegar again or sometimes one is good enough. Usually does the trick.

I've already done two hot drum clean cycles with Dr Beckmann's washing machine cleaner, and if anything it smells worse immediately after - I suspect if there's water sitting, it will stay warm longer after a hot cycle

You sure the smell is coming from the machine? Have you checked the waste water outlet? May be as simple as pouring some drain cleaner directly down the drain pipe

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White vinegar is my MVP because of the hard water, so I might give it a go. Does the next load of laundry not smell of vinegar?

The ‘worse immediately after’ is the dissolved lime scale being drained out. That stuff stinks to high heaven.

Take it apart and clean it, you said you can. The funky smelling shit lives above the water line so any cleaners you put in there will just splash it, not soak it off. I did it with my old washing machine before, haven't had to yet with my now 3 year old machine. Plenty of videos on the old YouTube of washing machine disassemblies, check for your specific model.

I actually use vinegar for my whites, does not smell at all.

Have you tried "sports detergent"?

Check the drain hose on the back. It has to be mounted, so part of it acts as a water trap, as to block smells from the drain. Most machines have clips on the back for this purpose.

I've taken a washing machine apart before. The amount of slimy filth that builds up in these is disgusting. You will never get it cleaned without a disassembly. I had to use the pressure washer and even then it needed some elbow grease

One last thing to try before taking it apart: Remove the detergent drawer and clean behind. That part never gets properly hot.

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A common issue with front loading washers is water getting into and around the front door seal and never drying properly. Sadly, for all their advancements its the nature of the beast. Try wiping down the seal and leaving the door open when its not in use so it can fully dry out. It works for ours.

One thing I’ve found that works for the sideloaders is to leave the door open unless it’s in use. Smell comes from it staying damp between cycles. If it stays open it can actually dry out.

Bleach and sodium bicarbonate on a 60c wash, helped clean up the horribly stained and funky smelling door seal in ours. You can also use white vinegar and bicarb

Switch from pods to basic powder.
I spent over a year trying to solve the same issue - repeated cleaning, cycles run with vinegar and baking soda, dedicated washing machine cleaners, hot cycles - nothing worked for more than a couple of weeks.
Someone recommended stopping using pods and switching to older tablets or boxed powder and thought it was worth a shot.
We now spend something like half the money on detergent, our clothes come out cleaner, stains shift better, everything smells fresher and the machine has been spotless and odour free ever since.

Pods are a scam!

I keep the door slightly open, and keep the drawer open an inch or so to allow air to circulate.

I started doing this as well. And leaving the soap drawer open a little. It let's it all dry out and stops any smells.

No it doesn't smell. Vinegar is used as a deodorizer for stuff like smelly rooms and such. If you put a cup of vinegar with your clothes it tends to remove sweat stains pretty good.

> Distilled white vinegar

WITHOUT clothes in the washer.

Also, there might be a little little drain hose in the back of the dryer. Water will "sit" there, too.

Don't known if any help, but if possible try leaving the door constantly open when not using it, as it helps air the machine out and stops inside being an enclosed damp environment and helps the door seal sitting last way longer as it gets chance to dry out and not stay in a closed wet environment / rotting through.

Also living in hard water area with no softener

Check the drain/emptying hose at the front bottom of the washer. A lot of front loaders have the removable panel and a hose in there that you can drain. That hose can get all sorts of gunk in it. I usually hook a small shop vac to it once per year and suck it out after gravity draining it.

Vinegar rinses out very well. Ive been using it as softening agent forever and the only smell ive ever been able to pick up from anything coming out of the washer is that of the laundry detergent.

As long as you dont use gallons of the stuff you can run a wash with vinegar as a softening agent absolutely fine. Your clothes wont explode, just don use it on sensitive fabrics like wool or the likes.

I fill the fabric softener dispenser (so its added to final rinse cycle) with white vinegar for all my loads. Coupled with leaving the door open to allow drying, no more stinky machine!

*edit I checked in the morning (muscle memory) and I actually add the vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser not the bleach.

White vinegar or citric acid usually do well

I saw somewhere where people use pinesol in addition to their detergent to combat some smells and it keeps the tub extremely clean, apparently it even says on the bottle you can use it in the wash

The Bosch repairman gave us brilliant advice: every so often run an empty load on hot, with dishwasher powder as the detergent.

Worked like a charm and we do it every few months now.

I’d look in the manual and pursue the cleaning process.

Shock the system with more than just vinegar. Here’s how.

When vinager dries its oderless

Have you checked the lint filter & drain? Usually located lower right corner behind a door.

I always use white vinegar, not only for the machine limescale build up but also as a fabric softener. Keep your door open between washes too. Try also a dishwasher pod or tablet on a 60 degree wash.

Seconded. Also, to prevent your washer from smelling in the first place, don't use fabric softener, and don't use too much detergent. Doing so will make it impossible for your washer to properly rinse away all the dirty water. If you have particularly soiled clothes, run them through a rinse and spin only cycle first with a half cup of white vinegar. Then, do the normal wash cycle.

I had this and it turned out to be the drain hose was sitting too low in the standpipe meaning that the hose had standing water in it. It took me ages to figure out what was causing it and I fixed it by actually using the curved hose clamp thing that came with the washing machine that fixes the hose higher up in the standpipe, it seemed that as the maching vibrated the hose was creeping downwards.

Also dont be afraid to use bleach in the washer, not too much and put in a white cloth to stop the foam getting out of hand (not too often)

try changing the anode rod in your hot water heater

Every few weeks? This doesn't sound normal.

Leave the lid open when not in use.

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Heck I use white vinegar in the fabric softener cup with my loads. Definitely has cut the smell out.

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It’s the beast! I saw on TV tomato sauce could work (well at least on hair)

It won’t make clothes smell I used to use as fabric softener. No smell. I’ve also used vinegar and baking soda to strip chemicals off sheets and make them soft.

This was what was making the water funky at my grandmas cottage !! Well Walter bacteria reActing to that specific metal in that rod. Changed it out for an aluminum one I think. Problem solved

Lemi-shine or citric acid. Lemi is at most grocery stores.

Leave the front open on front loaders always but also the trick I learned years ago that has worked for me is to buy Borax and throw a bit into the drum with every load (your clothes will come cleaner and you’ll use less detergent as well) and it will eliminate the smell and it will never come back. Bonus it will soften your water. Also not related but powdered detergent is great, liquid you’re just paying for added water and a great big plastic container and sake goes for pods.

It's actually fine to use on wool too, in moderation.

If you run the cleaning program with machine cleaner (basically sodium carbonate) it will run at speed with full water, rinsing the entire drum housing.

You can get machine cleaner powder (mostly sodium carbonate and citric acid) to clean the machine with the 90c cleaning program. The cleaning program is important since you want it to run 800rpm while full of water to rinse the entire housing.

Drawback is that you need to the run it again without detergent because you may dislike the smell of the cleaning detergent.

That's how I actually have to do mine. Probably a problem with the basin draining or using too much detergent. Still haven't figured out which mine is, yet.

Just run a rinse through it after if you are worried with an old towel

Stop using liquid fabric softener, that shit is terrible

Might? You asked what you can do to fix the problem, get a simple Nd inexpensive possible solution but you only "might" try it?

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You’ve probably using conditioner and short washes. It attracts black goop to stick to the inside of the washer. The best way to get rid of it is have someone strip it and power wash it. Stop using conditioner (softer) right now and never use it again. Buy powder for your machine and avoid using the little tablets.

Ya I second leaving the door open thay seems to male all the difference. Gf even has one of those little clip on fans she points at it sometimes.

I put vinegar in instead of fabric softener(don’t in the same load as bleach). Doesn’t smell when complete. Only smells while running if your using hot water for me. Also 2 other important things. Don’t let laundry sit wet and always keep the door open.

Vinegar WILL damage any rubber seals, so factor that in when deciding how often to use it. I ruined my (very stinky) front loader that way. I’m never buying Samsung again. I went back to a top loader that I could leave open all the time after that. Too much stink.

Before you put any chemicals into your washing machine have you emptied the water trap!? That’s usually the culprit for a stinky machine. Look up Your model and find out how to drain it. It’s usually pretty easy.

I put white vinegar in the bleach cup every wash. I have for years. The clothes never have a vinegar smell when they are done.

I wash my clothes with vinegar every time in the bleach cup. I have for years.

Yea that's what you have to do with front loaders.

Coming from Europe I always thought that was common knowledge until I heard all the Americans complain about their stinky "modern washers".

We have been using front loaders for decades, no issues if you know how to use them.

TLDR: Don't use too much detergent, even better don't use softener at all and let the machines air out.

Also works great in dishwasher instead of rinse aid.

> Pods are a scam!

This. And you're probably using too much powder.

Do the same for top loaders too. The mildew smell is from whatever water is left and leaving the lid open dries and airs it out. Never have an issue with the washer having an odor.

How is this so far down lol

When your front loading washing machine stinks persistently:

• get a bucket and empty the front drain hose
• wipe down all inside the large rubber gasket where the door is
• run a cleaning cycle

Once all this is done, make sure to keep the door open when machine is not in use.

This is about everything you can do to the machine itself without disconnecting the entire machine/moving it/taking it apart. Had mine for more than 10 yrs now and this always works.

Try Active washing machine cleaner tablets. You can get them from Amazon. 1 tablet in normal cycle and hot water setting.

I second this. The first time I fully removed my detergent drawer I almost vomitted. I ended up putting vinegar in a gallon pump sprayer to get way back in there. Now I remove the tray once per week to let it dry out.

If the smell is indeed biological, try running a few cups of Lysol laundry disinfectant. After that, add 1/2oz to the fabric softener for each load for a few weeks to maintain and continue to create an environment where that stuff can’t grow back.

Take a small container with dry coffee grounds and leave it inside your washing machine when it’s not in use. It’s an old trick I learned from a friend in the medical field to get the stink out of anything. It even made an old fishing cooler smell completely neutral after stinking of fish for years

Fabric softener is the devil.

If you say you're comfortable disassembling it, go for it. I did it to mine during covid shutdown. Took all the parts that touch water apart, put them out in my driveway and hit them with soap and the pressure washer. There was a lot of mildew in tons of nooks and crannies. Mission accomplished in the end. Smell 100% gone.

When vinegar dries it usually doesn’t smell.

They make commercial cleaning tablets that work well. I also have used an Ozone generator but they are pretty dangerous.

There is a P-trap in the plumbing line to stop sewer gas, or should be. The washer drain hose certainly may have standing water in it too.

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I think we need more information about how you use the machine.

• how often do you wash?
• do you use long or short cycles and hot, warm, or cold?
• what products do you wash with?

My front loader stank when I did two loads a week on the same day. Both cold. Both using an inexpensive detergent. If I didn’t get the washing out of the machine right away it would need a rewash because of the smell.

When I had a kid and started using cloth diapers that changed. I started washing in hot water, washing every second day, I used good quality detergent (and controversially a lot of it). I still don’t wash everything on hot and I don’t use as much detergent for my clothes as I do for poop smeared diapers, but my machine never smells anymore. More amazingly I can leave the washing in the machine over night, or two nights (which can happen when the laundry isn’t inside the main house), and it doesn’t smell at all when I get it out.

I think before I started using the diapers I cleaned the machine with bleach. That was over 5 years ago now and I can’t remember exactly.

I don't

High Efficiency washer? They do hold a little water in the system, under the tub. Don’t leave the lid down between uses. Leaving it up will help immensely, if not totally.

Invest in a pack of washing machine cleaning pods/packets. I run one thru roughly every 6 months.

I use Affresh in an empty machine for a cycle every 10 cycles or so.

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I've emptied the pump filter/coin trap which is very low on the front of the machine - if there's any other points to drain I don't know about them

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I partially took my washing machine apart and saw how much filth built up in the drum. I had already run a cycle with vinegar and a separate cycle with bleach. I doubt you will be able to remove the thick biofilm on the drum without disassembly.

One day I'll get to it...

This^^^

Powdered detergent will fix this problem immediately.

Misread that I thought you said you were mixing bleach and vinegar. For those not in the know, essentially don't mix bleach with any other chemical except water to dilute it.

Switch to powdered detergent and the smell will go away. Its that simple.

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Douchebag

I had the same problem. Turned out there was no trap on the drain standpipe. I had to send a camera down to find out and open the wall up to add one.

> Here’s how.

Also, if you're running a cleaning cycle and adding the vinegar, you should wait until after the tub is filled.

Most machines run the pump at the beginning of the cycle to remove any left over water. So if you put the vinegar in first, it might pump it right out before ever filling the basin.

The side loader we got earlier this year has a "venting" mode that runs after the load for a few hours to dry out the door seal. Seems to work pretty well.

Run an empty load with tons of bleach. At the end of the cycle, connect the outlet hose to a shop vac and suck out all the water. Repeat as necessary.

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This is the correct answer. Biological or non-biological powder (not liquid or pods, and not colour care) contains oxygen bleaching agents, and a bleach activator called TAED which speeds up the reaction at lower temperatures. This combination forms peracetic acid during the wash, which itself has cleaning and disinfecting properties. Oxygen bleach is safe to use on colours, but even if you are concerned about darks fading over time, there's no reason why you can't use a liquid for these, and stick to powder for everything else.

Also, one other point: we hear a lot more about mouldy, smelly washing machines nowadays, and there is also far more emphasis on shorter, lower temperature cycles now. The two are very much related. It's not what people usually want to hear, but running longer, hotter cycles at least occasionally will help the machine clean itself through normal use, so it's less likely to turn rank in the first place.

I run my machine no lower than 40°C, using nothing more than regular powdered detergent and occasionally a little splash of softener, and it's still squeaky clean despite our ridiculously hard water. Detergent pods and quick washes are undoubtedly faster and easier to deal with, but there is a price to pay for that convenience.

I use Milliard Citric Acid for my washer, dishwasher, coffeemaker, etc. It has dozens of other uses and is a food-grade product. The cost however has skyrocketed the last year or so.

Even top loaders should be left open when not in use.

Ive found that either wool programs dont rinse as proper or the lower temperature does something but for me with wool a slight vinegar smell remains in the clothes. Its very minor, my wife really doesnt smell it and she did a couple blind tests on me because she didnt even believe it but i could pick em out every single time. Granted, we've only ever had two washing machines that did this so with that sample size it could be a coincidence (or it could very well just be a fabric property thing i honestly dont know) but i really dont do that anymore.

Yup, the detergent I have comes with a cup for measuring. It has five lines that go about halfway up the cup. The directions say to fill just below line 1 for medium and just below line 2 for large loads. It's such a small amount.

If it made the laundry smell like vinegar why would someone use it frequently to clean? The concept that vinegar smell evaporates is common knowledge.

You can actually use white vinegar in place of fabric softener and it will deodorize clothes.

If it's a front loader the seal needs cleaned as part of maintenance and there may be a drain hose with a lint filter to clean. Search up you unit maintenance on YouTube.

You don’t clean your washing machine every few weeks? I’m not saying I HAVE to because of odor, I’m saying it’s part of my regular cleaning schedule to prevent sever build up.

Probably the latter. We all use wayyyy more detergent than is actually needed. I watched an interesting video online from a professional laundromat owner that showed how modern detergent is so concentrated that using more than one pod or a small capful is actually super bad for the clothes and the machine. In that same video he talked about how fabric softener is actually harmful for clothes and your washer too and recommends using natural fabric softeners like vinegar as well.

EDIT: I’m not chastising you either, I openly admit that I use wayyyy too much detergent hahaa. I’m a nurse so I’m paranoid about my clothes not being clean enough or the washer having bacteria in it for the kids clothes to get dirtied by when washing theirs separate.

If you do decide to mix bleach and vinegar in an enclosed area and stay in there you won’t have to ever worry about washing your clothes again! Chlorine gas fixes that problem right away! (DISCLAIMER: I’m being facetious, you’ll die)

Interesting! I’ll have to try that now!

Honestly each month i do longest program +90C wash with two calgon tablets and a generic off the shelf washing machine cleaner. Yes each month.

After normal clothing wash take out the drawer make sure to pour out any water from it and leave it by the machine to dry.
Doors fully open.
Stop using laundry softener.

Smells perfect since I’ve started covering these steps.

I don't and it's fine.

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Top loaders are intended to be left open to dry too. I've read it on the instructions on the machine, I think some people just lack the common sense.