I bought a stackable front load (with the circular window) on Craigslist....
The washer smells musty!
Come to find out, this is a big problem with them. Yes, I ran bleach through it and left the door open. A couple days later, still smelly. With the door open the whole time.
What I've read online is that they tend to accumulate grime, in the black rubber seal around the door, and in their pipes, which is where the smelly bugs multiply.
So I bought this product designed to fix the problem. It is called "Affresh" tablets, and then there are these "Grit Grabber" cloths you wipe the rubber with.
I have been WIPING and WIPING for literally two hours.....some areas are still turning the white cloth black! There must be a lot of built-up grime?
I am about to give up. I refuse to use a washer that smells. Not worth have musty smelling towels or sheets.
I am thinking of posting the thing on Craigslist and buying one of the older, stackable top loads.
I am so mad at all the time I've wasted wiping this dang thing (with these special pre-moistened towelettes), and it is still coming up black! The directions say keep using wipes until it's no longer black. I have wasted half my day!
And the worst part is, I swear that the grime smells like marijuana. Something I don't do, so I have no desire to be smelling it nonstop on my clothes. I am wondering if there is smoke from weed in the grime, or if I'm imagining it.
So frustrated. It's like, what do I have to do? My hubby will be annoyed at having to go through the process of buying another one.
Should we, or should I just keep wiping? I just don't know if it'll ever get fully clean. I wish we had the money to buy a new one.
ARGH
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
It may not be the rubber seals causing it. I have a musty smell in my top load washer. It does NOT affect the smell of the clothes at all. I just notice it when I get my face close to the open washer.
I've done the bleach thing too .. to no avail.
Now, I would also hate the smell of MJ in my washer, but what I'm putting up with isn't that bad.
Have you tried washing anything in it yet? Try some rugs and see if they smell when you get them out.
Posted by Hoosiers51 (Member # 15759) on :
That's a good point. I'm not really sure if the clothes themselves smell.
However, even if the clothes don't, the machine definitely smells. And it especially smells when it's running.
If I let it sit for a couple days without using it, I can literally smell it just being within 10-15 feet of it...which is basically anywhere in my kitchen.
So to me, it really bugs me deep down that I have to have something musty smelling in my apartment. To me, that just seems unsanitary. I don't know what kinds of species of mold or mildew I'm exposing myself to, and that makes me nervous.
I'm not sure if I'm being too dramatic about this or not. I feel like if I'm gonna pay money for something, I don't want it stinking up my kitchen, if I can get one that won't.
Posted by Hoosiers51 (Member # 15759) on :
I am so mad about this stupid washer/dryer.
I think I am going to sell it and just buy another one.
On top of that, the dishwasher isn't working, and there is a faint gas smell in my place. I am mad. I have dishes and laundry piling up everywhere, and the place smells like gas. I just want to cry. It is way too overwhelming.
My husband has been out of town, and things are just getting worse and worse here. I just don't have the energy to fix any of it, and I don't know what to tackle first.
Posted by just don (Member # 1129) on :
call the landlord,,isnt it his dishwasher and range that is smelling like gas? Maybe a malfunctioning pilot light
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
i was looking at front loaders. anyway our ice maker went out and we went to a whirlpool repair place to buy a new one to put in.
we were talking to the salesman and mike said well she wants a new set of those frontloaders. i said well mine work fine but my sister has those.
he said "don't buy them at all. they have serious mold issues which you can't get rid off. it gets in the interior of the machine and you can't reach it. keep the set you have, they're bulletproof and your husband can work on them. save yourself two grand. take it from me, i've seen alot of them go back. they're made of plastic."
he also said if you do buy a new set, buy the top loader with the agitator. some don't have one and he said the clothes just sit in the water and don't move.
so basically i'm keeping my 20 year old set.
my sister spent the 2500 for some really expensive top loader, lg i think, and she hates them.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Hoosiers... Now THAT I wouldn't be able to handle either. Mine only smells slightly when I get so close that I'm putting clothes into it. I can't smell it 10-15 ft away, that is for sure!
Yep.. time to buy another one! UGH!!
and .. call the landlord about the gas!! or the gas company!!!
Posted by merrygirl (Member # 12041) on :
My dads washer smells and the repair man said the same thing..... if you use too much soap it accumulates and starts to smell. The clothes dont smell... and I only notice it when I put my head inside.
Posted by merrygirl (Member # 12041) on :
oh and his is a top loader
Posted by TnFlowerChild (Member # 24717) on :
Hoosier... We have the front loader type too and it does stink - moldy. I used the "little brown bottle" of Lysol and ran a couple of cycles of it through on hot and it did help... some...
Fortunately... the clothes don't pick up the smell... that I've noticed... and I notice!
Now how do you know that the other smell is MJ??? Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
i just bought a new whirlpool top loader and dryer.
i only use one cup of detergent.
i've never had a problem but wouldn't buy the front loader anyway. heard too many bad things about them.
i'm used to the top loaders anyway.
Posted by Consuelachacha (Member # 26538) on :
Hi Hoosiers51;
I bought the Whirlpool HE Front Loader Duet in 2004. I have had the washer serviced I don't know how many times because of the spin cycle being so loud and crazy.
Anyway, just a couple of weeks ago, I had my washer serviced. The tech said, "do you smell that musty odor"? I said yes.
He ask if I did the "routine" stuff you are suppose to do (he ran his hand under the rubber seal to show me the black stuff). I said, ummm, no, someone actually told me the water on the rubber was protecting it from dry rotting.
He informed me that once a month I am suppose to clean the rubber seals and door with a solution of 1 cup bleach to 10 cups water. THEN put 1 cup bleach in bleach dispenser and run washer on "Sanitary" cycle, as this is the hottest cycle there is.
After doing that run an extra rinse and spin.
Then every quarter, use a deodorizing product and run on sanitize cycle.
So I have owned this set since 2004 and was told this for the first time a few weeks ago. Unbelievable.
Oh yes, keep the front door ajar and the drawer you put your detergent in ajar when not in use.
I hope this helps.
Posted by Misfit (Member # 26270) on :
Yeesh. I just bought a set of front loaders. It was a matter of necessity cos i cant bend into a washer anymore. Thanks for the heads up on the maintenance!
Posted by Hoosiers51 (Member # 15759) on :
Thank you so much for that info!
I have also read that it is CRUCIAL that you use detergent labelled "he" for high efficiency with front loaders. It won't leave grime like normal detergents, and the grime is where the germs/smells breed.
I am thinking part of the problem with ours, since it is used, is that the people before didn't use HE detergents. Sigh.
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It is way too overwhelming.![[confused]](graemlins/confused.gif)
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