Mildew and laundry Where is it coming from. Help please!

[AllisonK]

I am stumped as to where and how my clothes are smelling like mildew. I do not have clothes in piles that are wet. Occasionally there are towels or something but I try to wash quickly. They go in the washer fine, come out the washer fine, in the dryer fine, out the dryer smelling like mildew. And its only some of the clothes usually. Sometime an entire load, sometimes none at all, sometimes only one or two articles of clothing. : I have started adding bleach to some loads and it seems to help. Tried baking soda, vinegar, tto. nothing is working. The landlords just put in a brand new washer so its not that. I don't understand. I have looked at the dryer, there is nothing in there that is stuck that I can see, we have cleaned out the vent hose thing, we clean out the lint trap each time. I am going crazy here!

Any thoughts or ideas?

[Alkenny]

Are they sitting in the dryer for any period of time before you get them out? If not, I would check every nook and cranny in the dryer. There may be mold inside the cracks in the drum or inside the dryer itself (we had lint inside the dryer/outside of drum that snuck in there...maybe that's the culprit!)

[AllisonK]

nak,
no they don't sit in there at all. Where did you find the lint?

[acupuncturemomma]

do you have a front-loader? they often get mildew in the rubber gasket at the door, and that can make laundry smelly.

[delphiniumpansy]

Originally Posted by acupuncturemomma

do you have a front-loader? they often get mildew in the rubber gasket at the door, and that can make laundry smelly.

If so, never shut the door when you are not using the washer. That way, the washer and gasket can dry.

If bleach is not helping, maybe it is in the plumbing?

[AllisonK]

Originally Posted by acupuncturemomma

do you have a front-loader? they often get mildew in the rubber gasket at the door, and that can make laundry smelly.

Originally Posted by yellowpansy

If so, never shut the door when you are not using the washer. That way, the washer and gasket can dry.

If bleach is not helping, maybe it is in the plumbing?

Its not the washer its the dryer. The landlords just bought a new washer and the clothes come out of the washer just fine. Its after they dry that they smell like mildew. Sometimes only one or two articles of clothing will smell, sometimes the entire load will smell, and sometimes the whole load is fine with no smell. So it only happens when it wants to apparently. :

[charmander]

Maybe try vinegar in the rinse cycle?

I've done that to get rid of odors. I don't know if it will work on mildew that seems to come from the dryer, though.

[AllisonK]

Originally Posted by charmander

Maybe try vinegar in the rinse cycle?

I've done that to get rid of odors. I don't know if it will work on mildew that seems to come from the dryer, though.

I've tried vinegar, baking soda, tto, and now am using bleach : . Nothing helps because the clothes are getting mildewed in the dryer. They come out great from the washer.

[Alkenny]

Originally Posted by AllisonK

nak,
no they don't sit in there at all. Where did you find the lint?

Around the OUTSIDE of the drum, take off the back or side of the dryer and it was all over inside there from leaking around the cracks in the lint trap.