Mothering Forum banner

Why does my dryer smell like rotten eggs?

63K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  lotusdebi 
#1 ·
Whenever I dry something in my clothes dryer, a nasty smell fills the laundry room. It smells very much like rotten eggs. Now before you get any ideas, I should make it clear that I haven't been using the dryer to cook or store eggs. The only time eggs have been in the laundry room was when we dyed Easter eggs. None of them broke, none were anywhere near the dryer, and all of them were removed from the room within the week. The dryer stopped heating, so a repairman came out this morning to fix it. A wire burned through or something. Of course, I forgot to ask about the rotten egg smell!
He fixed the problem (though I still have to replace the ventilation hose-thingy because of it's design, the air doesn't go through properly, which led to the wire problem). I'm surprised that the rotten egg smell is still there!

I'd rather not call Sears back to have a repairman come back just for a smell. So, I'm asking all of you. Any ideas?
 
See less See more
1
#2 ·
Could a creature have gotten into the exhaust hose through the outside vent and died in there?

That's what had happened when clothes coming out of MIL's dryer started stinking.
DH had to fix the problem, then they got a vent that kept the stupid chipmunks out.
 
#3 ·
Well, the rotten eggs smell is actually caused by sulfur, so there don't have to actually be any eggs present to cause it. Many fertilizers and pesticides (household pest bombs as well as garden pesticides) contain it. If you have dried anything recently with one of these products on it, it could have gotten in your dryer and the heat may be causing it to stink up the place. I'd suggest wiping the inside of the dryer with a mild cleanser (dishsoap and water or baking soda and water) then throwing in a wet towel with some EO on it a couple of times.

ETA: these products also contain sulfur in one form or another:
Clearasil Adult Care
Grecian Formula 16, Liquid with Conditioner
Salon Selectives Botanical Blends Shampoo: Aloe
Salon Selectives Conditioner Type M Moisturizing
Jingles Spray Protein
Salon Selectives Shampoo Level 4: Extra Moisturizing
 
#4 ·
The repairman pulled the dryer out, and I saw that there was nothing behind it.
The outside vent has a grate on it, to prevent animals from crawling in. Since I have to replace the hose today anyway, I'll check it all to see if anything made it in.
I'll clean the inside of the dryer and even wash the lint trap. We'll see if that makes the smell go away! We don't use any of the products you listed, cat. And we haven't used any fertilizers or pesticides, but I'm sure we've been places that have.
What is EO?

Thanks for all the responses! I'm so behind with my laundry since the dryer broke, but I can't stand walking into that smell!
 
#6 ·
Ragana, Yuck!
I hope that's not the issue in my case!

Carrie, Thanks for the translation! I'm not especially crunchy, and don't hang out in the Home forums.
I have some aroma diffuser oils that say they're 100% Essential Oils. They say for aroma diffuser use only, but I think that's because they came with massage oils as well. Can I use them anyway? Or is there something else I should look for? (Please pardon my ignorance!)
 
#7 ·
Excellent! Thank you again!

I'm going to wait until I replace the hose before I put anything else in the dryer. I checked for animals, but found nothing. Checked behind the dryer again - nothing (well, some detergent on the floor - guess I should mop soon). Cleaned the lint trap and the inside of the dryer.

Will test again after hose replacement and putting EO on a towel in the dryer.

Thanks for all the help!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top