Awful smell! I drain it every cycle, I use the washer cleaner, everything! I am so sick of my towels smelling awful.

Are you sure it's your washer or is there an awful sewage gas smell coming up your drain where your washer hose drains in.. I had this happen and I had to instal a U trap in the line the washer drained into.

If you have a smelly front loading clothes washing machine, toss in a Finish Geltabs (the ones that are all liquid) and run the machine on a hot wash cycle, medium to heavy load (to get more water in the tub) with no clothes in the machine. You don't need to use much of a spin cycle so set it on low. The washing machine will come clean and even the moldy spots on the rubber gaskets will disappear. A second treatment may be needed if the smell is not completely gone. We tried everything from vineger to bleach to baking soda to borax to commercially available odor removers from Whirlpool and Tide. Nothing worked until I hit on this idea. It's cheap, easy and can be done anytime your machine needs a refreshing. I used the orange Geltabs but any fragrance would be fine. Keep the door on your washer open a bit when possible to air out to help preclude those nasty smells.

maybe this product is also worth a look

affresh washer cleaner

video explains what can cause smells ">

a product called dw magic will help get the smell out then after that leave the door cracked open so the moisture can exit the machine

have you tryed a boil wash with nothing in the washer to soften and expel any caked powder in the drum?i know this does help

Use the aafesh tablets as instructed, this will clear hoses that have developed some mold, also inspect drain at the wall, these get moldy and as machine runs, smell comes out of there as well.

Unfortunately this problem can occur with all front loaders made by any manufacturer. The problem results from excessive soap and body oils that do not fully dissolve and/or rinse clean from inside the inner and out tubs. Front loaders are energy efficient and only use a little water so any build up between the tubs that gets higher than the water level is left behind. It is also natural that some moisture collects between the folds of the door gasket and, if not wiped out, will mildew over time.

Not to worry, a few changes in use (as compared to top load washers) can easily eliminate your current problem and keep it from returning.

First of all, make sure to ONLY use HE (high efficiency) detergent and make sure to use no more than 2-3 tablespoons per load (because too much detergent will cause oversudsing, not break down efficiently and build up between the inner and outer tubs).

To eliminate the problem you now have I highly recommend a product called Whirlout (available at Home Depot in the hot tubs section). Just one capful in an empty load with the hottest water cylce will break down the current build up and take care of any odors (a 2nd cycle if the problem is really bad).

To avoid any problems in the future, use the correct amount and type of HE detergent, wipe the door gasket dry when done with the laundry (for the day, week or however you do your laundry) and run an empty cycle once a month with a capful of Whirlout. If your machine is in a high humidity location (i.e. a basement), then leave the washer door cracked open when not in use.

Hope this helps, please rate my answer.

Same problem and I was told to only use detergents with "HE" on the front of them for high energy. the soap without HE is too foamy and hence never truly drains out and causes a mildew smell. I also purchased something called "A" Fresh that I run in the washer every 6 weeks to keep the smell out. I got it at an appliance store for about $11.00 for 3 tablets

I had the same problem, except it wasn't just towels. It was everything. I did some research and found that this is a common problem and nothing a tech can fix. I was about to go out this weekend and spend $1000 on a new washer because I couldn't use this washer on my clothes anymore. I did one more search for a solution and THANK GOODNESS found a solution on another site. A woman had the same problem and, after much trouble, someone at Best Buy finally told her to never use liquid detergent in the machine, not even HE. So I cleaned the inside of my machine, around the door, the rubber seal, etc. I ran the tub clean cycle with bleach and vinegar. The smell was gone and I have been using powder Tide ever since, and the smell hasn't come back!!!!!

the problem is your door seal if you close the door after a wash then what happens is the water goes mouldy on the inside of the door seal what you need to do is replace the door seal you will never get rid of the smell without replacing it never close the door after a wash always leave it open to make sure its your seal the easy way is to look at the inner part of the seal and it will be mouldy only thing you can do