smelly washing machine

I find Milton sterilising tablet work quite well. I had to deal with a smell coming from the back of my (nearly) new fridge and it has been ok since and I just had to use it on the water holder in my condenser dryer.

My washing machine is now three years old, and I've never had a smell of any kind from it. After every wash, I dry he rubber seal, with a towel, then leave the door open, for an hour or two, to let it air dry completely. I keep it closed, until the next wash. We had our previous machine, for nearly twenty years. My wife cleaned it in the same manner, since day one. Again never a smell of any kind. Maybe the cleaning and drying of the rubber door seal, after every wash, is the remedy.

My experience has been the same. Discovered that rubber seal was full of muddy gunge. Apparently it is, as somebody else pointed out, washing at lower temperatures and using liquid detergent. I now wash towels on a higher temperature and use detergent tablets once a week, leave the door open and dry door seal after use. Problem now solved.

Balini I'm sure you are right. It is something that I had not experienced till we inherited a not very old, built in machine, in our new house. The small was awful and it took several goes at eradicating it. The rubber seal was also filthy. All clean now, thanks to the White vinegar!

I still use my beloved 1987 Hotpoint twin tub and have always put cold water through for the final empty to clear all dirty soap suds. Stops any smell.

Try adding some lemon juice to a HOT wash, my daughter had this problem and her mother-in-law suggested this and it worked.

It's due to using non bio, washing at low temperatures and using too much softener according to a washing machine mechanic I know, along with not leaving the door and drawer open ?
I do a 90°wash with two dishwasher tablets or a scoop of bio powder once a month and it's fine the rest of the time when I do low temperature washes.

Do you use liquid detergent or fabric conditioner ? if you do swap to powder . I had this problem so googled it , have had no problems since switching .

I had the same problem and tried most of the previously mentioned ideas without much luck. Then discovered a service-it deep clean washing machine cleaner ( better not mention the make!) in my local supermarket. Worked a treat - no more smell.

I was told by an Infection Control Nurse to wash towels - especially bath towels - at 60C to kill all the bum bacteria (those were her very words!). Same with bedding, she said, to kill off the bed bugs. She wasn't joking either ?

I ran mine on a hot wash with white vinegar, changed from a liquid to a powder detergent and leave the washer door and soap dispenser open after use until it dries out. No more smells.

White vinager is the best for a Smelly machine I use nothing else and have never had any problems

Going slightly off piste here but just had the repair man out to my leaky washing machine. It leaks every time I use it, did it leak when the repair man came - no. Why does that happen, it's still under guarantee but only for another few months.

I don't understand the recommendation to use bio powder on a very hot wash. I think the hot temps would kill off the enzymes. I think bio powder is meant to wash clothes at low temps. I may be wrong....

I remember the two cleaning experts on tv recommending bleach and vinegar, but I can't remember which you use first, but at the time it worked brilliantly with my machine

I went through this with my washing machine. Turned out it was from constantly using liquid wash. I now use powder for household linen and liquid for clothes. Smell disappeared never to return.

It's not the washing machine ...... oh dear

I used to work for Hotpoint washing machine company in their call centre. Our advise to customers on smelly machines was stop using liquid soap as it diesntbkillnoffvtge bacteria. I never use it myself as I followed their advice which we had to give service users.

Well, I've been using liquid for years and never had a smelly machine!
I stopped using fabric conditioner and the dispenser doesn't get gunged up with black stuff now.

The water coming into the machine isn't 90°. The water coming in will be cold in a fairly new machine. So the bio powder will work until the machine has heated the water, and will help clean the parts the hot water doesn't reach like the drawer and the pipe between the drawer and the drum.

A plumber told me that fabric conditioner/hair conditioner were the causes of mould and gunge developing in washing machines, showers, etc.

Go to the chemist and buy a couple of boxes of citric acid. Cheap as chips, but you may get asked why you need them as it is also used for cutting certain illegal substances. Use in an empty washing machine at boil wash.
Afterwards put a wash through with loose white bio powder once a week at a boil wash, I use the local supermarkets cheapest, with something useful like light tea towels.
DH is a washing machine etc repair man. He says that it is the build up caused by using liquid tabs/conditioner. He hates the stuff.

My washing machine repair man said once weekly you must use bio powder NOT liquid or non bio on a 90% wash will prevent these problems. Once you have the smelly problem use a washing machine cleaner through an empty machine.
Dr Oetker is a good one!

Thanks to all of you. I had already done many of the things suggested without success. But I then tried 2 new ones: first I put a container full of bleach on a hot wash. It still smelt so then I put a container full of white wine white vinegar through. It smelt worse than ever......but next day the smell was gone!