Clothes stink 1 our clothes smell bad 2 the fabric softner releases when you start the wash cycle. The clothes do not smell fresh like fabric softner. They smell musty and not clean. This has been that way since we got the machine 3 years ago. It is very irritating to buy laundry detergent and fabric softner and our clothes do not smell like either.

test your water alkaline and acid content during last rinse cycle, this usually causes stinking smell to your clothes. water should have a pH 7 to come out neutral.

First i hope you have cleaned out your filter. For the smell: Switch from liquid to powder detergent, no fabric softner, not necessary. Clean the big gasket with detergent and run a half load (without clothes of course) very hot cycle with 2 cups of vinegar only. Leave the door open whenever possible. This helps in drying out your washer and preventing mildew. Shut your wall water valve after your wash. Actually you can search by clicking on "ask anything" indicating your problem, this site.
Click helped if really helped.

you need to change your fabric softner or do hot washers cold washers
dont work as well try hot washers that will work ok

My LG stunk too. I did the tub washing with 1 cup bleach and wiping the rim, leaving everything open, nothing worked. I added 2 cups of a 6% bleach and used the tub cleaning cycle, rinsed with an empty hot water cycle then added bleach-able clothes to the 2nd hot water rinse (the third cycle/step). It gets a very strong bleach smell so don't take a whiff if you open the door in the first 2 cycles! After I did the strong bleach cycle, I am able to treat with just the 1 cup bleach about every 3 or 4 weeks and I make sure to wash with a hot water wash every week and a half at the least. This seems to keep my clothes smelling fresh like they should. Before I bought the LG, I read where people turned up the amount of water the washer takes in but I can't find the link that said how to do that. I think it was 1/4 turn on a screw on the top of the machine (when you take the cover off) but I can't guarantee how to do that.

ftr loader washers do not have any oil, my guess would be you are using fabric softner . that can stain clothes. dilute with water, they are very concentraded. or your dispenser may not be working properly and not releasing softner at the proper time.i would run a clean cycle through it. meaning set on a hot wash- regular cycle no clothes and run wirth bleach in bleach disenser. do this every other month to keep washer clean hope this helps. make sure its not happening in the dryer , the dryer has frt and rear seals that go bad and start leaving marks on clothes and catching them in beteween the tub.

what kind of washer?
all front load washers get this issue
the way to get rid of the smell is by doing an acid wash to your machine
set the washer to the highest temp setting (sanitize would be best)
mix in 1/2 to 2/3 cup of javex or white vinigar, either one will do it
run your washer through the longest cycle possible with no clothes in it
may need to be done more than once. and up to once a month

the smell is caused by leftover detergent and leftover fabric softner gathering on the interior shell and in the rubber boot at the door.
front load washers do not require much detergent at all, and even less fabric softner.
be careful on how much of these you are using, more is not better
this will help prevent the odor from comming back
as well when laundry is not being done, the front door should be left open a bit to allow air movement in the washer.
hope this helps

IMPORTANT: Read thoroughly. DO NOT add detergent or other laundry products to this cycle.
1. Remove all items from the washer.
2. Open the dispenser drawer and 2/3 cup (160 mL) of liquid chlorine bleach to the bleach compartment. DO NOT use more than 2/3 cup (160mL) of bleach per cycle as this will lead to product damage.
3. Close the washer door and dispenser drawer.
4. Select the Clean Washer cycle or a full wash cotton 104 F wash (40 C). DO NOT use any higher temperature as this will cause unnecessary fumes
5. Press Start and allow cycle to complete.
6. If the bad odour persists, repeat the procedure 1 or 2 more times. This may be necessary if this is the first time you have run this cycle.
7. After the cycle is complete, leave the door open slightly to allow ventilation and drying of the washer interior.
8. Repeat the cleaning procedure monthly.
To maintain the washer freshness:
1. Use only HE High Efficiency detergent.
2. Leave the door open after each cycle to for better ventilation and drying of the washer interior.
3. Use warm / hot water in your machine unless the fabric you are washing requires cold.
4. Use the correct amount of fabric softener.
5. If your laundry room is damp, use a dehumidifier.
6. Clean the door seal of visible residue.

Take a few of your washed towels and start washing them again with no soap or fabric softner. After the washer tumbles a couple minutes pause the machine. You should see no suds at all. I'll bet you see some suds. Suds now indicates there is soap residue in the machine and / or the fabrics. The soap residue in the fabrics is what is causing most of the odor and the poor cleaning. The problem is too much soap and / or fabric softner. Remember, the old top load washer you had before used about 40 to 45 gallons of water for an extra large load. Your LG uses about 12. First thing to do is clean the washer using a package (three tablets) of "Ah Fresh" washer cleaner, using the tub clean cycle if your model has it, or if it does not have that cycle, use the hottest, longest cycle, + stain setting option. Second, wash all the clothes again without using soap or fabric softener. Third, from now on, use a maximum of a tablespoon of HE (even less if it is 2x concentrated) soap and one teaspoon of fabric softener. Hint: If you rinse well before you towel off your towels are only wetted with clean water. They are not dirty. If you wash them, try washing with no soap.

IMPORTANT: Read thoroughly. DO NOT add detergent or other laundry products to this cycle.
1. Remove all items from the washer.
2. Open the dispenser drawer and 2/3 cup (160 mL) of liquid chlorine bleach to the bleach compartment. DO NOT use more than 2/3 cup (160mL) of bleach per cycle as this will lead to product damage.
3. Close the washer door and dispenser drawer.
4. Select the Clean Washer cycle or a full wash cotton 104 F wash (40 C). DO NOT use any higher temperature as this will cause unnecessary fumes
5. Press Start and allow cycle to complete.
6. If the bad odour persists, repeat the procedure 1 or 2 more times. This may be necessary if this is the first time you have run this cycle.
7. After the cycle is complete, leave the door open slightly to allow ventilation and drying of the washer interior.
8. Repeat the cleaning procedure monthly.
To maintain the washer freshness:
1. Use only HE High Efficiency detergent.
2. Leave the door open after each cycle to for better ventilation and drying of the washer interior.
3. Use warm / hot water in your machine unless the fabric you are washing requires cold.
4. Use the correct amount of fabric softener.
5. If your laundry room is damp, use a dehumidifier.
6. Clean the door seal of visible residue.