Why does everything coming out of my washer and dryer smell musty?

[LionessMom]

It just seems like nothing gets clean smelling. even after drying with dryer sheets, my towels and shirts smell musty. like they have been worn and not washed. Do i have to disinfect my washer and dryer or something. I have used xtra detergent for the last 2 years and never had a problem. i got a new (used) washer and dryer last year. for the last 6 months i have had the problem. i have tried adding some bleach to help kill stuff. have added vinegar in the rinse. turned up my hot water heater to make some really hot water and did an empty wash cycle. help!!!???!!! please.

[LionessMom]

Bumpppppp

need some advice! please?!

[lab80]

do you use a front loader or a top loader?

you might want to do a full wash cycle with a cup of bleach, and if you use a front loader wipe around the foamy seal thing on the door, i don't have a front loader but have heard that needs to be wiped down because it gets gunky.

might also wipe out the dryer with vinegar, that's all i got for ya...

i hope it gets better for you.

[LionessMom]

guess i forgot to say what kind i have. it is a top loader washer. the set is about 5 years old.

[dinan6]

I also had this problem, I have a front loader... My towels were musty, so gross... there is some stuff you can buy over the internet call SmellyWasher, it's supposed to help clean your washer and get rid of that smell.. I did not use it yet, I have been using vinegar in the fabric softner cycle and it has gotten rid of the smell... I guess if you use fabric softners they mess with the fabric and sometimes trap moisture in so it starts smelling moldy.... Also I wipe along the seal on my front loader.. I hope this helps...I don't know how environmentally friendly that smellywasher stuff is....

[Magella]

When my front loader got kind of permanently smelly, and it was really bad (it was causing all of our clothes to smell), I ran an empty wash with extra hot water and bleach (I try to avoid bleach, but I didn't know what else to do at the time). Then I ran a couple more empty loads, with hot water (no detergent, no bleach). I had to take out the detergent/fabric softener dispener and scrub it, as it was growing mildew and mold. It was a pain to do all of this, but it took care of the smell.

To keep the smell away: I try to wash a load of towels every other (or every two) loads on hot. I keep the washer open when I'm not using it. I clean the detergent/softener dispenser regularly. This has kept the smell from coming back. (I also cut back on the amount of detergent I use, to reduce build-up.)

[wendyland]

WE had this problem with our front loader. Once, it turned out to be that the water pump was bad. The water wasn't completely draining out. One time, some kind of trap got clogged and again, the water wasn't completely draining.

there's a good forum where people that actually work on machines post to. I think it was fixya.com.

[LionessMom]

all i had on hand was some clorox bleach. i have been adding some to each wash and it seems to be helping. i will be getting something more natural like chlorine free bleach at least but am looking online for some other detergent and cleaners.

[sassafrass94]

I've been battling this same issue! Yuck! Everything comes out smelling so stale. The gasket around my front loader gets very gunky and slimey. I wash it periodically. I also have found that adding a bunch of baking soda and tea tree oil to the wash and inside the gasket flap also helps. I try to avoid bleach, but may have to resort to it eventually. It also helps to remove the laundry IMMEDIATELY. It seems that if I leave it the washer even for a couple of hours, the stale smell is there. My problem is compounded because we can't use fabric sheets to freshen in the dryer because of dd sensitivities... Good luck to you.