My laundry room smells like rotten eggs. I think it's coming from the washer as my clothes come out of the dryer stinking especially bath towels.

SOURCE: Rotten Egg Smell

Repair man told me this is common with front load washers. I was told to put Sunlight dish washing detergent (for dishwashers not hands) in the machine (about 1/2 cup) and do a hot wash with the machine empty.

SOURCE: laundry stinks

I find that the dryer does not dry the clothes enough. The washer can take a lot of laundry at one time but the dryer is not able to handle the load. The stink usually comes from a bit of moisture left in the the clothes, especially the towels. Break down your dryer loads or dry them on a timed cycle for a longer time.

woobie dog

• 1273 Answers
• Posted on Aug 08, 2009

SOURCE: mildew smell in towels after washing. Tried

Hi,
Everything that you did was good and right. Front loaders have a tendence to harbor mold and mildewy smells by the nature of their design. Cleaning the pump strainer, and repeating the steps that you took woll take care of the problem. The pump strainer is located between the drum and the pump, behind the kick panel of the washer. The strainer is connected to the drum with a rubber hose. Open and clean the strainer. While it is open, peer up into the pump, and see if you can see any other debris in there. Remove al that you can, and reassemble the strainer. Wipe down the seal faces at the door with a solution of bleachy/soapy water, and run a 'sanitary' load with bleach in all dispenser cups. Dump 1 cup of bleach also into the tub prior to starting the empty load. Use the hottest water setting. After the cycle ends, run another empty load to flush all traces of the bleach from the system. This should take care of the issue.

Best regards, --W/D--

SOURCE: laundry room smells like rotten eggs

Does the sewer drain line have a trap at the bottom that prevents sewer gas from entering the room? If the smell seems to be coming from the washer itself, run a wash cycle empty with a cup of baking soda, detergent and hot water to clean the interior.

SOURCE: my washer smells like poop!? why

The first thing to do is to CHECK IN AND AROUND THE RUBBER DOOR BOOT (called a bellow) for small articles of clothing (like socks and underwear) that may have gotten lodged in behind the rubber. Pull the rubber back where it meets the wash tub and look behind it. It is common for small items to get stuck here, become forgotten and start to mildew. You should check this area after each wash and clean it periodically to get rid of the formation of soap scum, mold, and mildew. HINT: When you get ready to wash a load of towels, take a dirty towel and clean the door boot thoroughly (including the areas behind the rubber). Immediately place the towel in the wash and run it on a sanitary cycle. This way you eliminate the need for cleaning rags.

PERIODICALLY RUN THE WASHER ON A CLEANING CYCLE. Place the washer on the hottest setting you have (usually a Sanitary cycle) with nothing but bleach in the wash tub. Some newer models actually have a “Clean Cycle” available now just for this purpose. This helps keep the wash tub, drain lines and pump sanitized.

CHECK AND CLEAN THE DRAIN PUMP FILTER. Accumulations of debris in the drain pump filter can also cause odors. HINT: If you own a shop vac, pull the drain hose from the standpipe at the wall and pull a vacuum on the line. This will drain any residual water left in the tub, pump and drain lines BEFORE you remove the drain pump cover. This will prevent a messy clean up later.

LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN IF POSSIBLE. When not in use, leave the door open to allow the tub to air out and to keep mold and mildew from forming on the door bellow. I know this may not be desirable in some households with small children. If too much mildew forms on the rubber and it cannot be removed, replacement of the bellow may be required.

NOTE: This problem is common with front loader style washing machines. The doors on these machines have an air tight/water tight seal that is great for sealing the washer during the wash cycle, but can be terrible for collecting small garments and for not allowing the tub to properly air out when not in use. Following these simple preventive measures can go a long way towards preventing harmful mold and mildew, and towards extending the life of the door bellow and pump.



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