How Do I Clean My Washing Maching?

I have a front loader also, and found that leaving the door open when not in use eliminates that funky smell! My 23-yr old son also found that info online somewhere, so it must be an issue with all brands of the front loaders.

I know you have has a lot of responses but thought I would mention that at Target today I saw a product by Tide, I belive, that said on it cleaner for front loader washers. It looked like it was some type of pad or pouch you put in them to clean them out.

When we were looking to buy a front loader and inquired about this problem, the salesman told me you need to lift the rubber gasket (ring in the door) and wipe under neath it after every use (or day of use) and then leave the door open a bit.

Those front loaders need to be left open to dry out.

You do need to keep the door open between washes. There should be a clean out trap at the bottom of the washer in ther front. Unless that is a newer thing, I just got mine for Christmas.

You best bet is to go to sears' website and pull up the manual for your washer, it will tell you how to clean it. Still with the summer months, keep the door open! I swear when it is left shut it builds up funk quickly and it goes away with one wash as long as you keep the door open.

Whenever I have a mildew odor issue, I use Snap Disinfectant Cleaner. I've sprayed it in sour sneakers, put it in the wash if towels or other clothes are mildewy, drains, toilets, even in the floor and carpet cleaner. It works for bacteria, mildew, fungi & viruses. It's a registered product that kills HIV-1, HBV and HCV (which means that it would also work for the swine flu). I would just add some to an empty washer and run a small, short wash cycle. It can be ordered online at www.marketamerica.com/rndirby under the SNAP product line.

Run an empty load with vinegar.

I don't know how to get it out once it is in there, but once you find a way make sure you always leave the lid open after washing clothes so it doesn't mildew.

The washer repairman told me that oversudsing and water gets outside the drum, and causes that smell. He said to try vinegar and/or bleach alone every few washes. He said to use very little detergent in those machines. It has helped some. I also leave the door open some to air it out. I'd love to hear from others, also.
T.

I also have this problem. I try to leave the door open a little when not in use and run a small load of maybe 2 old towels with bleach water or vinegar instead of the bleach. Would love to hear other suggestions.

I don't have a front load, but I did have the same problem several months ago. I used a quarter cup of vinegar in almost each load of laundry for a few weeks before the smell disappeared.

Call the manufacturer's 800# and let them tell you what to do. The number should be listed in your manual or you can find it on the internet.

I've heard that can be a problem with the front loaders.

An empty load with vinegar is supposed to help and leaving the door open, so it can air out.

Good Luck

I agree with the other suggestion of baking soda and vinegar. you can also try running a cycle of bleach water through it. also if you don't take the clothes out soon enough that can make the machine and clothes smell like that. also you can try cleaning the inside by wiping it down with some mean green. in fact I've used some mean green in a couple loads of clothes for really tough stains and it seems to help.

L., Do you have the Operations Manual for the machine? My front loader has a specific cleaning mode, it says to do it once a month (I've only doine it once in the 2 1/2 years I've had it!!). It just has you set everything to the longest wash time and hottest water with an extra rinse cycle, then add bleach to both the soap container and the bleach container.

Good Luck, M.

Don't know if this is brand specific (I would think not) but my husband told me to put 1 cup of white vinegar into the washing machine and run it through a normal cycle (no clothes) every few months. He used to work for Maytag and said this helps to clean out the washing machines. You can even run it through a few times if needed.

You can go to Sears, Lowes, Home Depot, Best Buy... anywhere that sells washing machines. They have a packet of cleaner specifically for front loading washers and it works GREAT! It's like $4(ish). You just throw it in the washer and run it (with no clothes in it, of course). It has the directions right on the package. I do mine about very 6-12 months and I've never had a problem with any smells. Good luck!!

Good Morning L.,

I have a Kenmore front loader too and have had for several years now and I don't have that problem.
Do you leave the door open if there are no clothes in there? Do you sometimes just run a "rinse and drain" cycle?
Try using baking soda in the detergent part and vinegar where you would put the bleach and run a short cycle and see if that helps.
But I always leave my door open between loads. And because I have 2 dogs in addition to the kids sometimes I'll run a "rinse and spin" just to make sure there is no dog hair in the drum before I start a load.
Like I said, I've had mine I think 5-6 years and don't have that problem.

Good Luck and In good health,

Lori K

I'm with Stacy R.
I also have a front loading washer. However I do not use fabric softner I just use vinegar in it when I wash clothes. It works just as good & is a lot cheaper. I haven't had the problem with stinky towels like I used to since I started using vinegar instead of fabric softener. The vinegar cleans my washer & soften my clothes at the same time.
I also keep the door open when I'm not useing it to let it air out.

God bless!

Pour vinegar in the soap dispenser and run it through the cycle.

My front loader has a trap to clean out the drain hoses behind the panel under the door. The repair man showed it to us. I try to check it every few months, especally when the laundry gets that sour smell. I find the kids little socks stuck in there sometimes. Now I know where they have been disappearing to...lol.

We have a front loader that does that in hot weather. We use a cup of vinegar to clean it with in one load then the next load wash a load of whites with bleach. Everytime we wash towels we add vinegar to help and it makes the towels fluffier. Good luck and God Bless.

Put a cup of vinegar in the water an put it through the cycle. The vinegar should not hurt it. Vinegar is also used in place of bleach on baby clothes.

I have the same washer and have had the problem in the past, finally had a sears rep come out and he checked everything out and said alot of people with this washer have the same problem and he suggested putting vinegar in both the detergent area and softner area and run a wash cycle and when not in use don't close the door leave it open so the air actually gets to dry the inside out. It has helped mine. I dont smell the musky smell anymore.

I had a similar problem with my washing machine. I wrote into mamasource as well! I tried the vinegar suggestions that I got, but the smell kept coming back! I finally figured out that my husband was using too much soap. It wasn't an extreme amount of soap, but it did make a major difference! I also stopped buying the concentrated soap, because he would use the regular amount even though it was concentrated. Silly guy! Since we have fixed the soap issue the smell has not returned!