Front load washing machine smell

I was so excited to receive a new front load washer & matching dryer two years ago. Now, not so much...there is a kinda funky smell (not really mildewy) coming from it. I leave the door open so as it will dry out after washing is complete. But the other day, I started checking & discovered that when I carefully pulled back the gasket, there was dampness & what I guess was some mold...I tried to wipe this down w/ white vinegar, as to possibly neutralize the smell, but didn't really work. So far, it has not affected clothing smell, but I wish I could make it go away & prevent it from happening again. Help???
  12 answers
  • Unfortunately this is not uncommon. I run my washer every so often with either with borax or vinegar to clean it. The smell is part of owning a front loader and keeping the door open is a big help. I would try running a cycle (my front loader as a quick cycle) with hot water and borax or vinegar and see if that helps.
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    • @Pamela Robinson Porter Yes thank you I have seen the posts. I most often use powder anyway since it cleans clothes much better. But you need to clean your washer every so often (even top loaders) and like Shari points out~many people use too much soap in the front loaders.
  • Shari Shari on Nov 13, 2013
    This is a subject I am passionate (and very opinionated) about. This all-too-common complaint of front load washers developing mold, mildew and funky smells is what made me procrastinate almost 2 years before I finally broke down and bought a FL washer. In the meantime, I did a ton of research and now I am making it my mission in life to spread the word about what I believe is the major cause of all these front load washers developing mold/mildew, based on that research. I bet you use liquid laundry soap and/or liquid fabric softener, right? It is my opinion that front load washer owners should never, EVER use liquid laundry products in their washers. From everything I have read, liquid laundry products (liquid soaps AND fabric softeners) seem to play a major role in contributing to the smelly FL washer problems. Apparently, the oils these liquid products contain are not adequately washed away because of the energy-saving low water levels. The oily film left behind on the washer's internal parts is thought to be enough to trap moisture and in turn, cause mold and mildew and unpleasant smells that can even permeate your clothes. Too much of any soap, even powder, can add to the problem. I only use 1-2 tablespoons of powdered laundry soap per load. For over a year, I have been using a homemade powdered recipe I got from this blogger ( http://giraffe-legs.blogspot.com/2012/09/homemade-laundry-soap-with-surprising.html ) She wrote an eye-opening post on how her smelly washer problem actually went away after she switched from liquid soap to a homemade powdered version. Recently, I had an appliance repairman come out about my refrigerator. He was using my laundry room door to go back and forth to his truck. When he was leaving, he stopped in the laundry room and asked me about my front load washer, what kind and how much soap I was using, and whether I had experienced any mold/mildew problems. I told him my theory about liquid soaps and fabric softeners and he confirmed I was right. (He also said he can always tell when someone uses liquid dishwasher soap in their dishwasher because it leaves a sticky film.) One other thing he said about the front load washers that I had not really thought about was using primarily cold water washes contributes to the mold/mildew problem. For years, it has been drummed into our heads that we should only use energy efficient cold water washes but the truth is, front load washers actually need at least a few warm, but preferably hot water loads every week. Quite coincidentally, ever since I got my FL washer, all my laundry has been done in warm or hot water, and I use the steam feature my washer has on all towels, bed linens and my husband's dirty work clothes. I also use bleach in at least 2 loads per week. Additionally, I never leave wet clothes in the washer. Whenever I think about it, I check the folds of the gasket for hair, threads, lint or anything that can possibly trap moisture. After I finish doing laundry, I don't generally bother to wipe the door seal/gasket dry but I do always leave the washer door wide open (not just cracked) and I open the detergent dispenser so it can dry out too. If you have mold on the gasket, you likely also have it on the internal parts of the machine that you cannot see. During my research, I came across a site that sells a little washer fan that easily installs on the back air vent of your washer. It circulates air through the interior to dry it out. Watch the videos on their site to see how the washer fan can help eliminate mold/mildew that is already in your machine. (I have no affiliation with this company--I've just read good reviews about the product.) Currently, I don't have a problem with mold/mildew but if I ever see (or smell) any indication of it, you can bet I will be purchasing one of these water fans pronto! Here's the link: https://washerfan.com/ If anyone is interested, this is the link for one of the positive reviews I read: http://housewares.about.com/od/majorappliances/fr/Washerfan-Fix-For-Front-Load-Mold-Review.htm You can also go to YouTube and find videos on how to check FL washer interiors for mold and cleaning methods.
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    • Shari Shari on Nov 15, 2013
      @Margie*Lee I love my front load washer too but I know I would feel differently if I was constantly fighting mold and mildew in it, and my "clean" laundry had a funky smell to it. That's fantastic that you haven't had any mold problems with your washer, despite using liquid soap and cold water washes. However, I think you are most definitely in the minority here. All one has to do is do an internet search for "smelly washer" and the number of sites that come up regarding this problem is enough to boggle your mind. Besides message boards with slews of really unhappy front load washer owners who do have the mold/mildew problem, ranging from mild to quite severe, and companies that sell these expensive products to "clean" your washer of the mold/mildew, you will find links for plenty of lawyers ready to file class action lawsuits against the various washer manufacturers. This is a very wide-spread problem--one I have read a lot about--and I was only offering my opinion about some of the things I feel contribute to it. Obviously you are doing enough to prevent the mold/mildew problem in your washer. From everything I have read, leaving the door and soap dispenser tray open like you do is important for good air circulation. Wiping the door gasket dry can also helpful but I've also read that repeatedly pulling on the rubber ("boot", as the repairmen call it) to dry it can stretch it out of shape over time and prevent the door from making a tight seal. The Oxy Clean, Borax and Washing Soda you said you use instead of bleach are 3 of the ingredients in the homemade powder recipe I got from the blogger who said her smelly problem went away after she started using the homemade powder. Perhaps those products are helping to counteract the oils in the liquid soap you use. Also, since you have a water softener, you are probably using much less liquid soap than most people do. (I also have a water softener, as well as a water purification system, since we live in the country and our water comes from a well.) Everyone's laundry situation is different--different brands of machines, different laundry products, different amounts of those products being used, different water temps, different types of water, different number of loads washed per week etc. Even the humidity, or lack thereof, in a person's laundry room can conceivably affect whether a washer starts developing mold/mildew growth. The cause(s) of one person's washer mold/mildew problem is not necessarily the cause of another's. What works for me or you may not work for someone else but I think the more information we all have about the potential reasons the mold and mildew starts, the more likely we are to be able to make changes in our laundry habits that could prevent it from occurring in the first place... and hopefully some of these simple laundry habit changes will fix the mold/mildew problem for those who do have it and are desperately looking for ways to get rid of it.
  • Nan H Nan H on Nov 14, 2013
    I had a similar problem and tried for months to get rid of it. Until one day I found the answer to my prayers online and haven't had a problem since. So very simple too. Use baking soda and vinegar. Run machine through with baking soda and hot water only and on the final rinse add the vinegar. When done leave the washing machine door open. Once I did this the nasty aggravating odor was gone. I hope this works for you, good luck.
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    • @Pamela Robinson Porter You may want to run an extra rinse cycle after you use bleach as well. Or do a load of whites. I have known that using bleach like this can have some residual effect for the next wash load.
  • Margie*Lee Margie*Lee on Nov 14, 2013
    There is a product you can buy to run thru your washer periodically but I've never used it. I've had my front loader for about 4 years and have never had to clean it. Every time I am finished using the washer, I wipe down the rim and door with a hand towel. I ALWAYS leave the door ajar and the soap dispenser open when I'm done. I've never had a smell in our washer. You can always check your owner's manual for what to do or call the manufacturer as well.
  • Margie*Lee Margie*Lee on Nov 14, 2013
    I also primarily do my laundry in cold water with NO problems. Sometimes I use warm but mostly cold. I also never, never, never use bleach. I've ruined too many clothes with bleach and now I only use Oxy Clean, Borax or Washing Soda. We have very hard water in our area (iron) and we have a water sofetner and I think that helps too.
    • @Margie*LeeI too use mostly cold except whites and dish rags/kitchen laundry where I use borax and my regular detergent. I have this thing about germs so I use hot water only for those 2 things. Otherwise been using cold for years and I do not dry many shirts and clothes that I want to last. I clean my washers ever so often especially the downstairs one because it gets abused and I think this is what has made it go for 10 years now. (I have a top load stack on main floor for dirty work clothes, kitchen laundry, and coats, etc and a small front loader stack in my upstairs full bath)
  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Nov 14, 2013
    This is the way it is going to be! My front load has a "clean" cycle. The first of every month, the instructions say pour in 1/3 c. bleach and run the clean cycle! OK...can do that...hate my washer! I am ready to go to a second hand store that sells repaired old washers and buy one!
    • @Jeanette S Look on the bright side: they are much more efficient than top loaders and do not tear up clothes and less wrinkles I have seen in my experience of owning them.
  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Nov 14, 2013
    I have never had a washer tear any clothing or cause excessive wrinkling...I guess I was just lucky...and it lasted 37 years without a service call! My new one had an almost $700 repair bill within weeks of getting it but thank goodness it was under the 1 year warranty. I bought a 3 year service contract for about $300! So there is very little good I can say about my experience!
  • Lori Siska Lori Siska on Nov 15, 2013
    I have had front loaders since 2000 and love them (won't go back to top loaders) I leave the door open and soap dispenser open in between washes (its in the basement) and also run a really hot empty baking soda and vinegar "wash" once a month to clean the drum. Wiping down the gaskets on the door and the front helps as well. You can also get a special cleaner to use in your machine from the store specially formulated for that. We use powdered homemade detergent and vinegar for the fabric softener. I take the dispenser drawer out once a month and run that through the dishwasher to power off the gunk that accumulates underneith, and works well! We have tried all kinds of detergents and have never had a problem with any of them. The only detergent I don't use in my FL are the Tide Pods (the orange stained my whites and I wasn't happy with that stuff!) Hope this helps!
    • SS SS on Jan 04, 2014
      @Lori Siska I do the same thing and have never had a problem
  • Margie*Lee Margie*Lee on Nov 15, 2013
    You are SO right that everyone does laundry differently and there are many things that can contribute to mildew build-up and smelly machines. My mother has the same system I have and she has no problem either. My sister, however, has a front loader with the "funky" smell issue as many have described. All I know is I wish I had this front loader when my daughter was little and growing up. I just can't believe how clean our clothes get and the gently washing is much less harder on our clothes. I know nothing about the top loading HE washers but I save so much money with my front loader. I used to take our queen size quilt to the laundry mat to wash and it cost $5 just to wash it. I never put it in the dryer but hang it on our clothes line. I really found all the negative comments quite interesting and I'm sure not all brands of front loaders are made the same or work quite the same way. All I know is I'm a fan of ours!
  • Melinda Lockwood Melinda Lockwood on Nov 15, 2013
    you should wipe the gasket dry after every use. I have had a front loader for 4 years now. The instruction book said to wipe it out so I do. Never have had any problems with odor at all. Love my machine !
  • Karon Nelson Roberts Karon Nelson Roberts on Nov 16, 2013
    Bleach &Vinegar!! Cup of bleach..let soak for hour(just have to pause after fills with water)..run through longest cycle. Cup of vinegar, run through longest cycle again. then run with clean water through longest cycle again.--yes you have to run washer 3 times. then wipe out with cotton cloth. AND HOTEST water. Also, wash clothes in warm water--EVERY load...warm water gets clothes cleaner, and helps get rid of smell. There are also washer cleaner pods you can buy but I like the bleach and vinegar better
  • Karon Nelson Roberts Karon Nelson Roberts on Nov 16, 2013
    Also, the smell could be from water--hard water can leave a smell. My daughters front load say clean twice a year, while my top load HD say clean ever three months--depends on the brand and front vs. top load. Pintrest has several post on cleaning washer--that's where I found the bleach & vinegar. Good luck and keep us posted on what worked for you