Washer issue driving me nuts

[blaczero]

A while back my washer/dryer combo started to make the clothes smell like mold. After a cycle, they just smelled. Never used to do this, used it for 2 years.

Tried vinegar, bleach, oxy, O3 water, and every solution I could find on the interwebs. Finally gave up, bought a new one.

Now 2 weeks later with the new one smelling fine, the clothes are smelling bad again, same smell as last unit. The first unit was a Magic Chef, this is a Splendide.

Any ideas as far as what to check? We drink the same water that goes into the washer, so I don't know how it could be that.

[blaczero]

Thanks for the responses, had a lot going on yesterday

Is the dryer vented to outside? if so, has it been cleaned?
Have you checked the washer drain vent?

First unit was unvented, new one is vented. I don't really run the dryer ever. The vent/drain below: I opened and drained, also the rubber hose there, opened that and drained. Strangely, the water never smells.

Can you do a smellcheck to see if the clothes smell bad after the wash cycle or the dryer cycle?

first unit, only ran dryer when i first got it, haven't in like a year
just tried with new unit, after dry, they still smell slightly

Do you have a lot of iron in your water? The bacteria and sulfur oxide can make it smell bad. perhaps add a particle and carbon block filter to your supply line and might fix the issue.

not that I know of, i'm on city water down here in the FL keys. I could try a carbon filter

Different location???? Different water supply.

same location/water supply

Yep and all my HE appliances are awful. They're high efficiency either because they use less water, spin less and slower or in the case of my dishwasher don't dry properly because the element is weaker and doesn't stay on long. All these things lead to smells. Water remaining in any appliance will lead to mildew or lingering sulfur smells. Modern appliances simply do not work as well as older models for the sake of efficiency.

I am actually thinking this is what's happening. Since I got the unit brand new and it didn't smell for about 2 weeks (running every day). I figure the water is in the basin left behind from previous cycle and smelling.

Stupid me I bought a bucco bucks Bosch dishwasher for the house, 4 yrs later a repairman asks how often do you run this? I said we have a son, his bride and newborn living with us as they find a house, and I do daycare for the grand kids, so 2 maybe 3 times a day. He stated MODERN DISHWASHERS ARE ONLY DESIGNED TO RUN 3 TO 4 TIMES A WEEK!!! I wore it out!! Energy efficient means less water, smaller motors, smaller heating elements, ETC. Pretty sure it's the same for all modern appliances.
With our HE washer I often have to wash clothes twice to remove dirt/odors, or use a heavy perfumed detergent and softner(not going to happen). I also have to wipe the water out of the rubber door gasket to avoid moldy stagnant water sitting in it, and removing the detergent tray and spraying with a bleach & water solution to prevent mold in that dark moist area.
But hey we we're saving the planet even though we are having to run the appliance twice as often to get the results of the old ones running once. Truly I don't understand it, but what are the options?
Wipe out every area, spray with a bleach/water solution and hopefully you can get ahead of the smell & mold.
Sorry for the rant, but its my challenge too.

i leave the washer door open 100% of the time it's not running. When I had a dishwasher I left the door open as well. I do agree though, the "HE" garbage just means "Hardly Effective" IMO

[Mommalu]

Stupid me I bought a bucco bucks Bosch dishwasher for the house, 4 yrs later a repairman asks how often do you run this? I said we have a son, his bride and newborn living with us as they find a house, and I do daycare for the grand kids, so 2 maybe 3 times a day. He stated MODERN DISHWASHERS ARE ONLY DESIGNED TO RUN 3 TO 4 TIMES A WEEK!!! I wore it out!! Energy efficient means less water, smaller motors, smaller heating elements, ETC. Pretty sure it's the same for all modern appliances.
With our HE washer I often have to wash clothes twice to remove dirt/odors, or use a heavy perfumed detergent and softner(not going to happen). I also have to wipe the water out of the rubber door gasket to avoid moldy stagnant water sitting in it, and removing the detergent tray and spraying with a bleach & water solution to prevent mold in that dark moist area.
But hey we we're saving the planet even though we are having to run the appliance twice as often to get the results of the old ones running once. Truly I don't understand it, but what are the options?
Wipe out every area, spray with a bleach/water solution and hopefully you can get ahead of the smell & mold.
Sorry for the rant, but its my challenge too.

[way2roll]

Campinghoss@51 wrote:
HE - stands for high efficiency

Yep and all my HE appliances are awful. They're high efficiency either because they use less water, spin less and slower or in the case of my dishwasher don't dry properly because the element is weaker and doesn't stay on long. All these things lead to smells. Water remaining in any appliance will lead to mildew or lingering sulfur smells. Modern appliances simply do not work as well as older models for the sake of efficiency.

[Campinghoss]

HE - stands for high efficiency

[Campinghoss]

When we had our motorhome we noticed that some of the cg's potable water was very hard. Our washer/dryer combo would have an off order sometimes. I purchased a on the go water softener and never smelled the off odor again. Sold the motorhome and went back to the fiver in my sig. The washer smells fine all the time now. None of our faucets have any signs of stain either. I highly recommend a softner if you don't know your water supply.

[larry_cad]

LMHS wrote:
HE washers, top load and front load, are supposed to have a "cleaning" cycle run once a month (I think Splendide manufacturer says every 30 washes). It should have come with the directions for your washer. My HE top loader has a "clean" cycle (just add bleach) just for cleaning. I find it easier to run the clean cycle on the 1st day of every month. Otherwise you can buy a product called Affresh and run that in a cleaning cycle OR a short cycle (NOT a fill and dump cycle but an actual wash cycle). On a front loader, you MUST wipe out the backside channel of the flange around the door as it will smell nasty and can also make your clothes smell. You may not notice your clothes smelling if you use a heavily scented fabric softener or detergent (do you smell like "Eau de Gain" or a similar detergent/softener?). Don't forget to clean the detergent/bleach/softener dispenser cups.

OK, I give up! What is a "HE" washer???


Never mind, I figured it out!

[LMHS]

HE washers, top load and front load, are supposed to have a "cleaning" cycle run once a month (I think Splendide manufacturer says every 30 washes). It should have come with the directions for your washer. My HE top loader has a "clean" cycle (just add bleach) just for cleaning. I find it easier to run the clean cycle on the 1st day of every month. Otherwise you can buy a product called Affresh and run that in a cleaning cycle OR a short cycle (NOT a fill and dump cycle but an actual wash cycle). On a front loader, you MUST wipe out the backside channel of the flange around the door as it will smell nasty and can also make your clothes smell. You may not notice your clothes smelling if you use a heavily scented fabric softener or detergent (do you smell like "Eau de Gain" or a similar detergent/softener?). Don't forget to clean the detergent/bleach/softener dispenser cups.

[TenOC]

way2roll wrote:
Do you have a lot of iron in your water? The bacteria and sulfur oxide can make it smell bad. perhaps add a particle and carbon block filter to your supply line and might fix the issue.

Different location???? Different water supply.

[way2roll]

Do you have a lot of iron in your water? The bacteria and sulfur oxide can make it smell bad. perhaps add a particle and carbon block filter to your supply line and might fix the issue.

[dedmiston]

Can you do a smellcheck to see if the clothes smell bad after the wash cycle or the dryer cycle?

[enblethen]

Is the dryer vented to outside? if so, has it been cleaned?
Have you checked the washer drain vent?