Help with My Stinky Laundry!

You may need to run the vinegar, the bleach, the Affresh, or a combination of the above, through the washer, without clothes, for a few cycles. I saw a report on front loaders on the Today show once, and when they get moldy inside, it's pretty bad.

I'm guessing you haven't been leaving the door open. That's a must.

I also use a front loader with scent free detergent. Here are my thoughts:

Are you leaving the door to the washer open after each load? Are you running a tub clean cycle 1x a month? Are you letting clothes sit in the washer? Are you wiping down the I side of the door and the plastic rim?

Just inside your machine is a rubber lip seal. Run your hand gently through there to see if any socks or other smaller items have become trapped in there. I do it after every single load because the weirdest things get stuck in there. If anything is stuck in there and you haven't checked it the items may have gone moldy.
You need far less laundry soap then they say. I use less than half what it calls for on the bottle. I only use liquid soap and not powder. It must be an HE detergent because if it's not it will suds up too much and encourage mold growth. I put white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser of every load and throw in some tennis balls in the dryer instead of dryer sheets.
Always leave the door ajar when not in use otherwise you have a mini terrarium and it grows mold.
You may also have something stuck in the drain so it's not draining completely but still enough to not cause an error to show on the display. There are a couple great you-tube videos that show how to clear your drain. I find socks in them all the time.
I would run an empty machine on the steam sanitize setting with straight bleach first thing. I would get some Clorox Wipes or something and clean around the rubber seal. Then run another full cycle with hot water and nothing else to rinse it all out.

I have a front loader and I've never had any issues.

I never fully close the door after I run it. I keep a hand towel just inside and allow it to hang out a little to absorb any moisture and do not close the door.

Occasionally I'll run heavy chlorox or vinegar through it with some white towels.

It sounds like your washer needs cleaned out and don't close the door after you use it.

Are you using a powder or liquid detergent? You say you are using the same detergent. Is the detergent formulated for HE washers? Are you using the correct amount of detergent for a front loader?

I use a powder (Gain HE) and use approximately 2 Tbs or less. I use white vinegar in the fabric softener compartment. I also leave the door open.

To get the smell out of your clothes wash them on hot with a 1/2 cup vinegar. Run through completely then wash again with a 1/2 cup baking soda. You may be using too much detergent or the detergent is not getting rinsed out completely. Washing with vinegar followed by washing with baking soda will remove excess detergent.

Every 50 loads or so I have to put about 2 cups of bleach in my front loader and run a clean cycle. No clothes just bleach.

I also leave the door open after using the washer until the tub drys out...so it is pretty much always open.

We have skin issues as well and the bleach don't bother anyone's skin.

I forgot to do the bleach cleaning for way too long and all my clothes started smelling mildewy...ewww...clean out the tub and everything was fresh again.

Good luck!!

Yes and yes to all the replies below about leaving the door open and cleaning the washer with bleach, vinegar, etc. Yes to cleaning under the rubber ring that's inside the door. Also: leave open the detergent cup "drawer" as that too can get funky.

If you cannot conquer the smell after repeated bleach cleanings, consider having the rubber ring replaced. If mildew and stink has really gotten impregnated into it, you may have to have a new one, but be aware that it is very expensive. Ours got torn by some item that got into the washer, and replacing the ring cost us several hundred bucks. But it's worth it, if it turns out that the ring can't be cleaned enough to get rid of smells. Unfortunately these front-loading HE washers require a lot of babysitting to keep them from stinking and getting mildewy. Wish I'd known that when we bought one.

I noticed when we went to a front loader that our clothes didn't smell as fresh either. However, I like heavily scented soaps and fabric softeners and we don't have any sensitivities to them. I thought the front loader was rinsing them so well it was getting all that out.

Do you leave the door to your washer open after you are done with wash? This lets it air dry and prevents mildew or other smelly things to grow. We've had ours for 6 years and no issues, but I leave the washer door open almost always.

Have you considered washing a cycle with bleach water?

Make sure you use enough vinegar on the clothes, try washing on warm, and rinse twice if they were really stinky. It may also be the machine itself. I hear they need to be aired. We got a top loader HE because of the reports of mildew smell from front loaders.

I was going to say the same as moms below - leaving door open after every use. I used to always close them, and then had the same problem.

I have to clean mine out with bleach (run a load with just bleach) from time to time - that has helped us. Haven't tried the vinegar but sounds like a good alternative.

We also use less detergent than they recommend. That had a big effect for us. I had suds building up in the washer, and it was causing problems draining, etc. I was also told to do that with children with skin sensitivities. Mine have eczema and allergies so that's a must for us. The less detergent the better.

Are you drying your clothes fully? Where we don't use scented detergent, I find if our clothes get hung up or put away without being fully dry, they get that smell.

Great suggestion on cleaning the draining trap!

Good luck :)

Wow. Sorry for you laundry issues.

I learned a lot today, especially that I'm glad I have a top-loading washing machine.

I truly wish you all the best with the tips below!

You might want to try changing out the rubber seal that runs around the door, the part that is attached to the machine, not the door. That helped for us!

I haven't read the other responses.....but do you keep the HE machine door open ALL the time, meaning never, ever close it between loads? You must.

Clean out the rubber ring with lysol wipes at least weekly and pay particular attention to where the water drains and lint gets stuck. That lint becomes gooey and stinky in those small holes.

I cant stand front loader washers they are horrible.

Try cleaning it with baking soda in the wash cycle and vinegar in the rinse hot water wash, but you NEED to wipe out around the rubber ring where the door closes, that's where a lot of the smelly gunky stuff stays.

Start keeping the door open after each wash and wiping it out after each wash. You can also try an open container of baking soda sitting in the washer when not in use, that may help absorb the bad odors.

In addition to leaving the door open after each wash cycle and using less HE detergent, my current front load set must be changed from washer to dryer promptly. In other words I can't leave a wet load for very long (less than an hour) in the washer or all of the load will get a funky smell. The longer the load sits wet, the worse the smell gets. My old set I could leave a wet load in the washer overnight but not in this current set. It's frustrating but once I figured out the quirk, I haven't had a problem. For what it is worth my old set was Samsung and my new set is LG.

Put in a cup of bleach with the wash water and run it on the hottest setting/sanitize. That kills all germs in the wash.

Have you considered washing all her clothes alone with her laundry needs then washing the rest of the clothes in normal stuff?

My daughter is super sensitive to fabric softener and Downy is actually the only one she can stand next to her skin.

I use what I want on my own clothes and the rest of the family stuff. I do wash her towels and sheets and stuff using the Downy but everyone else uses Gain which breaks her out in hives if it's next to her skin.