Washing Machine Smell - Consumer Alert

[Goodappliance1]

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[Milisabelle]

I'm 62 and in my life have never even HEARD of a WASHING machine getting moldy or stinking after having soap and water in it, or of clothes smelling moldy AFTER being washed. One company owns ALL the companies that make these machines. They all have the same problem... Whatever happened to consumer protection? Purposely making a flawed product that can make people sick used to be cause for recall....We live in a crazy world!

[mic363]

im a domestic appliance engineer, and the main problem is we all wash on low temps these days which dose not kill the mold and bacteria half a cup of bleach on a boil wash every six weeks will do the trick,

[Geoffr524]

I wondered why my friend always had the lid on his opened all the time, and when I found mine stinking one day, then I left the lid open on mine all the time. It is only closed during operation. No smells at all now.

[SEYMOURTUCHAS]

it's not only the front loaders. the top loaders from whirlpool are just as bad. they took out the lint trap feature and it now collects around the the top of the inner and outter drums above the water line. i have to take mine apart and clean it out every year to two. this really sucks!

[lrd9999]

More than half the problem is the lukewarm "hot" water specified by US codes. If your water heater is set to 120 degrees, any washer will eventually stink. Even the dishwasher (which heats the water somewhat) is not immune. The best solution is to put a anti-scald temperature limiter on the tubs/showers and go back to having real hot water for everything else. Anything above 140 will kill germs and clean better with less detergent.

[gavoranges]

@lrd9999 I believe you meant in Fahrenheit



[lrd9999]

@gavoranges Yes, we Americans still think in Farenheit. I like the water hot, but not quite that hot!

[thekrakenism]

could America be more stupid?

CLEAN YOUR DAMN WASHING MACHINE EVERY 2 WEEKS with non-detergent anti-bacterial. it will rid of the collecting detergent over time in door folds. get the drum out and give it a scrub. pull your filter out and clean it. DONE!

People are complaining of their own filth lol. I had my FRONT LOADER for about 3 1/2 years now & no problem.

care for your machine so it could care for you too

[lauolsen]

It’s very simple, bye Miele machines…

[maryann1804]

By the way I did follow the directions. I left the door open, I used the HE detergent, I've used the right amount, etc. There is a serious design flaw with these machines. I think after spending that much money I would follow the directions to the T people. I even had a service tech come to drain the hose, these machines SUCK

[maryann1804]

I had the same exact ones as the first lady (LG). Spent over $2,000' for them. Our clothes and linens stunk like you wouldn't believe due to this very same problem. I sold the pair for $1,000 and now back to top loader. Never, ever again. Don't believe the hype, these things SUCK!

[Sharkie626]

Makes me love our 21 year old Whirlpool Top loader even more. In all those years, no such smell problem.

[lukepookie93]

Same whirlpool washer not a problem for over 6 Years. Still runs and smells like new. I'm not sure why people can't follow the instructions.

[badgirl44654]

I have two words for everyone that will solve this problem for a lot of you. SOAP NUTS. They're cheap and they get rid of this smell. And you don't need fabric softeners. Your clothes will not lint as much when in the dryer and no static most of the time with no fabric softner. If you do get static get some dryer balls and throw in, and they are GREAT for people with allergies and sensitivities to a lot of perfumes or dyes in detergents. naturoli dot com has good ones.

[lakewebsterkid]

They are supposed to leave the doors open after you wash the clothes, many people I know don't do this!

[wheeliewheelie]

LG sucks...how do i sign up for the class action suit...

[valdi9165]

My wife had a brilliant idea to buy a bosch front load washer dryer combo it replaced our 10year old top load set. We have been using this washer for over a year now and it has become very stinky. It also makes helicopter noises and vibrates. We have been using the he detergent keeping the door opened but nothing works to keep the smell out. So finally bought a new top load set and problem solved. These front loads look nice but they have a serious design flaw. sold ours on craiglist.

[DominikDrinkhahn]

@valdi9165

We use Frontloaders for over 50 Years in europe, they never became smelly. Thats because Americans are not able to use Frontload washers right. Always the right amount of the right (HE certificated) Detergent. Sometimes run a hot wash (140°F) then this problem never occures.

[davenwin1973]

I have a 10 year old Frigidaire Gallery, and rarely have the odor problem. When I do, I use Washer Magic to clean my washer, and use hot water on the longest cycle. I use liquids & powders (plus fabric softener, and don't always have residue left behind. As a matter of fact, I've had more problems with HE detergents than regulars, because most HE detergents I find still sud up excessively. So I stick with regular, and cut in half. Clothes still come out clean. To me, HE soap is a scam.

[amyisindallas]

@davenwin1973 I'm glad I am not the only one who think HE detergent suds more. My grandparents had a front loader when there was no "HE" available. Two tablespoons did the trick, and believe it or not, the clothes came out clean. I use the tub clean cycle every once in a while with Electrasol Tabs. I have a clean door seal also, but I do leave the door open after the wash is removed.

[DominikDrinkhahn]

@davenwin1973

You have to dose HE Detergent right. The water hardness has to recive attention. If you have very soft water, you need less detergent which causes less suds. much suds means less cleaning and more milde/mold.

[davenwin1973]

@DominikDrinkhahn I have hard water, but the HE detergent, when measured out according to the package, still suds too much for me. With that in mind, I don't bother with it anymore. HE detergent is still limited, and costs more. For me, I'll stick with regular detergent, and cut the amount back, which I can control the sudsing that way. I've been doing it with my front loader before it became available. I got my front loader in 1999, when US models were limited to Frigidaire & Maytag.

[punanibuzzed]

mine does this. it doesnt make the clothes smell but its F'''in gross!

[Wiljannn]

To make sure that the smell doesn't come back, there are 4 things to be considered.

1. Empty the water immediately at the end of the cycle.

2. Always leave the door slightly open when not washing

3. Do a hot wash on a regular basis (once per week is fine).

4. Don't use the short cycles too often.

[Wiljannn]

To remove the smell, one can use:

- Citric acid (about 1 ounce).

- Dishwashing powder (2 Tabs or a double dosage of powder).

In both cases: Pour it into the drum and start a the longest and hottest cycle you can find.

Bleach DOESN'T remove any dirt or mold at all. It's an optical brightener, which just makes your washer and clothes LOOK clean.

[gtsonev]

Well, Wiljannn, oxygen bleach and optical brightener are two completely different ingredients.The optical brightener is a dye that makes the whites look whiter. The oxygen bleach is often sodium perborate (+activator TAED). Perborate releases hydrogen peroxide, known as very strong bleaching and antibacterial agent. Liquid detergents can not contain perborate; they clean in different manner.

[Wiljannn]

I'm well aware of that. I meant chlorine bleach, which is someting which Americans use a lot.

:-)

[gtsonev]

Oh, sorry then. I misunderstood you.

[czmamasan]

We to have the LG front loading washer and dryer.The dryer is great. But the washer is something else -- Stinks like crazy! You would think the 1 hour and a half it takes to do just one load, you would come out with great smelling wash! Their big claim is that it uses less water! What about the hour and a half worth of electricity it uses - where we live, electricity costs a whole lot more than water! Less water means less bacterial control. HE products hardly available in stores now.

[gtsonev]

I fact liquid detergents and low temperatures means less bacterial control. Liquid detergents do not contain bleaching agents and the combination with low temperature wash leads to mould formation. Use high temperatures from time to time or washing machine cleaner like Tide's one. I live in Europe and I have front loading washer (like most of the people here) - it doesn't smell at all, but I use powder detergent an wash at 60°C once a week.

[gtsonev]

Also always dry the rubber seal and leave the door slightly opened.

[czmamasan]

Thanks for the tips gtsonev! A friend told me to run the washer empty on hottest setting with white vinegar in the detergent drawer. Others are saying do not use liquid detergent even if it says HE - only powder HE detergent and never use liquid fabric softener - dryer sheets only (in the dryer of course). I now put white vinegar in the bleach and fabric softener compartments for every wash - clothes come out void of any kind of smell! Thanks to the white vinegar, my washer still has a home!

[hometownvideos]

I have a LG. I Paid over a grand for it. The LG STINKS. It stinks so bad in fact, that i finally bought a new washer. a top load and LG won't return phone calls or emails. My Plumber has an LG. He put his LG out in back of the shop and won't use it. Can you imagine that? the plumbe said the same thing STINKS. LG YOU ROT, STINK & MAKE MOLD. LG is the Slum dog Millionaire company.