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If you own a front-loading washer (FLW), you will experience a musty odor. It is inevitable. After enduring a couple months of a malodorous washing machine (Whirlpool Duet, circa 2005), I turned to the Internet for information, which I distilled to the most inexpensive and viable solutions, then posted here. I also describe the results of my research along with my solution to the problem.
So why do FLWs eventually stink? It's pretty much because they never completely dry out between uses. The source of the smell comes from bacteria and mildew that proliferate along the convoluted inner surface of the washer's various drain hoses. FLWs are water-tight (for obvious reasons), and thus air does not easily move through them. However, FLWs are not air-tight (a common misconception)--more on this is an important fact later. Appliance manufacturers suggest leaving the washer's door ajar after the last load. Good advice, but ineffective over time. There is simply not enough air movement to dissipate the humidity within the crannies of the washer where the bacteria and mildew grow.
The bottom line first...
Fixing this problem completely requires time and tools and three complementary techniques. You must be handy: you must remove the top, back and kick panels from your washing machine, and you have to drill a couple small holes in the back panel. If you're not ok with this, read no further... resign yourself to a perpetually noisome smelling washer and chronic use of superfluous laundry additives to mask the unpleasant scent. Otherwise, I offer the following three, utterly different methods in the order listed below to eliminate the odor problem from a FLW. um... it's a long read.
1. Clean the gunk out of the hoses
And now, more words you don't want to read: you must open your washer's top and back housing covers and you must remove hoses. You must open your washer's front kick panel, remove the sump cover, and clean out the sump. It's messy and time consuming. There will be lots of filthy, smelly water. You've been warned. Be prepared.
Ever notice that the tub liner by the door isn't the source of the smell? That's because bacteria and mildew live in the drain hoses where it's always dark and damp with plenty of crevices. (Mildew can sometimes be found within the detergent dispenser as well, so thoroughly inspect there also.) With the help of YouTube, handymen with video cameras illustrate the required procedure to disassemble my specific make and model of FLW, which improved my confidence and resolve considerably. I located and removed the main drain hose, the sump hose, and the vent hoses. I simply replaced the drain hose with new (~$9 from Home Depot), and cleaned the others with a long bottle brush and Simple Green. I replaced all the annoying OEM round-wire clamps with worm-gear hose clamps (~$7 from Amazon.com). Finally, I cleaned the sump. I was amazed how filthy these hoses were. After cleaning hose innards by hand, it became evident how ridiculous it would be to skip this step and expect resolution. You gotta clean the hoses! a'hem... next...
2. Chemicals
Various purpose-designed chemicals are available (e.g., Clorox, Smelly Washer, Affresh, Odoban, Tide Washing Machine Cleaner, etc.). Manufacturers' predictably hyperbolic assurances notwithstanding, the averaged laymen testimonials seem disproportionately skewed toward "meh...", which extinguishes hope that an easy "just-pour-this-into-your-washer" type fix is possible. If your washer is years old and stinks badly, these chemicals are not efficacious. Complete "step one" above and then you may use whichever of these chemicals resonate with your sensibilities, since they are better suited--albeit somewhat expensive--part of a washer maintenance regimen to mitigate small populations of ever-present bacteria and mildew. That said...
I must acknowledge one eye-brow raising chemical solution that appears to work as part of a washer maintenance regimen: pool shock. I came across several posts which describe using a pool water chlorination product (a.k.a., "shock" tablets or powder). From research, I learned there are no risks when used for this purpose sensibly. I use "Pool Essentials Shock" (UPC 01474664041) in my FLW. A 1lb bag costs ~$2.50 and treats 10,000 gallons of water, according to the label. Every three months or so I toss one measly quarter teaspoon of the power directly into my empty washer--never into the detergent dispenser--and run a "Soak and Rinse" cycle on hot. The room fills with nostril-hair-curling chlorine smell, so I always vent the room when doing the deed. All powder residue dissolves and washes away, though post-treatment I always run a white load strictly as a measure of prudence.
3. Externally-mounted Humidity Exhaust Fan
Every FLW vents the tub to the upper-back of the washer using a combination of flexible and rigid tubes--thus, no FLW is air-tight. If they were, the washers would never drain properly due to vacuum. Move your hand over the exhaust grate on the back of your washer during the spin mode and you'll quickly discern the concept. This port also serves as a convenient means to draw air through the washing machine by using, say, a... fan? Why this principle has not been exploited by washer manufactures as a standard, built-in solution to the FLW odor problem is an imponderable. It works.
Inspired by others on the Internet, I mounted a small and very quiet electric fan (~$6 from Newegg.com) over the exhaust grate on the back of my washer. I power it with a suitable DC adapter (~$5 from Amazon.com). I plugged it into a switched outlet controlled by a 60min count-down timer switch (~$12 from Amazon.com). It works beautifully. The fan has sufficient power to draw moisture from the washer, assuming we remember to hit the timer after every load, of course. Additionally, we needn't leave the door ajar! Since FLWs are not air-tight, air is drawn into the tub through the detergent dispenser, which also drys out this area and inhibits bacteria and mildew growth. Mounting a fan to the back of my washer was simple and inexpensive, with long-term benefit. Finally, the fan freshens the air in our laundry area with the clean fragrance of detergent.
Problem solved
Frustration motivated me to find a solution to my stinky washer. Common sense dictated it would require more than one solution. Indeed, it required three. Each solution mitigated its respective bit of the odor problem, but none alone would--or could--completely eliminate it for the duration. I hope my experience, which is nothing more than the culminated experiences posted by others who had also suffered a stinky FLW, helps you. It has been over a year since I attacked the problem with the trifecta described above and we've not been bothered by a musty laundry room since.
Good luck with your solution!
So why do FLWs eventually stink? It's pretty much because they never completely dry out between uses. The source of the smell comes from bacteria and mildew that proliferate along the convoluted inner surface of the washer's various drain hoses. FLWs are water-tight (for obvious reasons), and thus air does not easily move through them. However, FLWs are not air-tight (a common misconception)--more on this is an important fact later. Appliance manufacturers suggest leaving the washer's door ajar after the last load. Good advice, but ineffective over time. There is simply not enough air movement to dissipate the humidity within the crannies of the washer where the bacteria and mildew grow.
The bottom line first...
Fixing this problem completely requires time and tools and three complementary techniques. You must be handy: you must remove the top, back and kick panels from your washing machine, and you have to drill a couple small holes in the back panel. If you're not ok with this, read no further... resign yourself to a perpetually noisome smelling washer and chronic use of superfluous laundry additives to mask the unpleasant scent. Otherwise, I offer the following three, utterly different methods in the order listed below to eliminate the odor problem from a FLW. um... it's a long read.
1. Clean the gunk out of the hoses
And now, more words you don't want to read: you must open your washer's top and back housing covers and you must remove hoses. You must open your washer's front kick panel, remove the sump cover, and clean out the sump. It's messy and time consuming. There will be lots of filthy, smelly water. You've been warned. Be prepared.
Ever notice that the tub liner by the door isn't the source of the smell? That's because bacteria and mildew live in the drain hoses where it's always dark and damp with plenty of crevices. (Mildew can sometimes be found within the detergent dispenser as well, so thoroughly inspect there also.) With the help of YouTube, handymen with video cameras illustrate the required procedure to disassemble my specific make and model of FLW, which improved my confidence and resolve considerably. I located and removed the main drain hose, the sump hose, and the vent hoses. I simply replaced the drain hose with new (~$9 from Home Depot), and cleaned the others with a long bottle brush and Simple Green. I replaced all the annoying OEM round-wire clamps with worm-gear hose clamps (~$7 from Amazon.com). Finally, I cleaned the sump. I was amazed how filthy these hoses were. After cleaning hose innards by hand, it became evident how ridiculous it would be to skip this step and expect resolution. You gotta clean the hoses! a'hem... next...
2. Chemicals
Various purpose-designed chemicals are available (e.g., Clorox, Smelly Washer, Affresh, Odoban, Tide Washing Machine Cleaner, etc.). Manufacturers' predictably hyperbolic assurances notwithstanding, the averaged laymen testimonials seem disproportionately skewed toward "meh...", which extinguishes hope that an easy "just-pour-this-into-your-washer" type fix is possible. If your washer is years old and stinks badly, these chemicals are not efficacious. Complete "step one" above and then you may use whichever of these chemicals resonate with your sensibilities, since they are better suited--albeit somewhat expensive--part of a washer maintenance regimen to mitigate small populations of ever-present bacteria and mildew. That said...
I must acknowledge one eye-brow raising chemical solution that appears to work as part of a washer maintenance regimen: pool shock. I came across several posts which describe using a pool water chlorination product (a.k.a., "shock" tablets or powder). From research, I learned there are no risks when used for this purpose sensibly. I use "Pool Essentials Shock" (UPC 01474664041) in my FLW. A 1lb bag costs ~$2.50 and treats 10,000 gallons of water, according to the label. Every three months or so I toss one measly quarter teaspoon of the power directly into my empty washer--never into the detergent dispenser--and run a "Soak and Rinse" cycle on hot. The room fills with nostril-hair-curling chlorine smell, so I always vent the room when doing the deed. All powder residue dissolves and washes away, though post-treatment I always run a white load strictly as a measure of prudence.
3. Externally-mounted Humidity Exhaust Fan
Every FLW vents the tub to the upper-back of the washer using a combination of flexible and rigid tubes--thus, no FLW is air-tight. If they were, the washers would never drain properly due to vacuum. Move your hand over the exhaust grate on the back of your washer during the spin mode and you'll quickly discern the concept. This port also serves as a convenient means to draw air through the washing machine by using, say, a... fan? Why this principle has not been exploited by washer manufactures as a standard, built-in solution to the FLW odor problem is an imponderable. It works.
Inspired by others on the Internet, I mounted a small and very quiet electric fan (~$6 from Newegg.com) over the exhaust grate on the back of my washer. I power it with a suitable DC adapter (~$5 from Amazon.com). I plugged it into a switched outlet controlled by a 60min count-down timer switch (~$12 from Amazon.com). It works beautifully. The fan has sufficient power to draw moisture from the washer, assuming we remember to hit the timer after every load, of course. Additionally, we needn't leave the door ajar! Since FLWs are not air-tight, air is drawn into the tub through the detergent dispenser, which also drys out this area and inhibits bacteria and mildew growth. Mounting a fan to the back of my washer was simple and inexpensive, with long-term benefit. Finally, the fan freshens the air in our laundry area with the clean fragrance of detergent.
Problem solved
Frustration motivated me to find a solution to my stinky washer. Common sense dictated it would require more than one solution. Indeed, it required three. Each solution mitigated its respective bit of the odor problem, but none alone would--or could--completely eliminate it for the duration. I hope my experience, which is nothing more than the culminated experiences posted by others who had also suffered a stinky FLW, helps you. It has been over a year since I attacked the problem with the trifecta described above and we've not been bothered by a musty laundry room since.
Good luck with your solution!
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