one for the domestics

[jim55]

i cant believe im posting this ,,but anyway,i stay my self and obv do my own washing ,my washing machine has been getting used a fair bit recently (sweaty cycling kit )however ,when i take it out the machine and hang it to dry it smells a bit musty (all clothing not just cycling gear )its not bad when it dries out but it smells of nothing really i,i use ariel and then lenor so it should smell ok but all i get is a musty smell instead of the springtime garden it promises,its as if the machine just rinses that stuff out ,
most of the washing is at 30-40 degrees so does this kinda gum it up?i was thinking a coupla really hot washes would b the way to go ,,is it ?
whats the best ,throw a coupla towels in and boil the shoot out them ?

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

First of all there's filters. Some machines have them and need them taking out and washing every so often.
Some manufacturers recommend doing an empty boil wash every so often to kill the whiffiness off.

 

[ianrauk]

You should run a wash with the machine empty at 90degs at least once a month.
I always throw in a dishwasher tablet too, after all they are designed to dissolve grease.
After each wash I also wipe down the rubber and door making sure to wipe inside the rubber folds to soak up any standing water.

 

[jim55]

il check the filter then and see if theres anything in it ,its a rented flat and not my machine so i dont wana /will not replace it ,i just wish it would work better ,iv been in peoples houses when theyre dryinf washing and it smells loverly,mine is smelling like a old sports centre changing room

 

[jim55]

thats a good tip re dishwasher ,il need to get a few and clean the filter as well

 

[Scoosh]

Most technical clothing is better washed without fabric conditioner - it plugs the pores and stops the stuff doing what it is meant to do.


[makes mental note always to ride upwind of jim55 ]

 

[ianrauk]

Another tip is to take the clothes out of the machine as soon as the wash cycle has finished.

 

[Scoosh]

Another good tip is not to put anything in the washing machine .....



<time for bed, I think ... >

 

[Night Train]

The highest temperature on my machine is 60c.
Every now and again I do a wash at 60c and that seems to solve any problems with smells in the machine. I don't do the cycle empty though, seems a waste not have stuff in the machine at the same time. Obviously I don't run the cycle with a dishwasher tablet though.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

What Ian said is best practice, never needed to do it myself because my washing naturally comes out smelling of spring meadow flowers very time
Remember to always leave the door of an empty washing machine ajar (not closed shut) ... to avoid musty smelling clothes

 

[Maz]

Another tip is to take the clothes out of the machine as soon as the wash cycle has finished.

True. My wife always tell me that, too.

 

[guitarpete247]

We don't have problems with the clothes smelling but quite often there is a eggy smell coming from the drain. We've used washing machine cleaner, bleach, V. hot wash cycles, but this only makes the smell go fo a week or so. We use Ariel liquid so it can't be build up of detergent (like powder does) but we do only wash at 30c.
I often use one of these laundry balls without detergent to stop build up of chemicals in my lycra gear.

 

[screenman]

Check the waste pipe from the machine is not running low and letting the S bend drain back in.

 

[slowwww]

With young kids we always use non-bio washing liquids for our washing, but once a month do a 90 deg wash with the cheapest fully biological powder we can find (which seesm to be the most caustic!) and that does the trick.

 

[Globalti]

30 to 40 degrees is not hot enough to kill the bacteria that break down sweat and other organic matter to cause smells. It is certainly not hot enough to activate the cleaning ingredients in a washing powder or liquid; so detergent manufacturers are struggling with the current obsession for low-temperature washes.

A secondary problem is that the raw materials, which give substantivity to the perfume are all being legislated out of use by muppet scientists in Brussels trying to prove their own importance. We have lost musk xylene and musk ambrette and now a factory problem in China means we are losing musk ketone, all of which were important backnote materials that held the perfume onto the textile.

A third possibility is that some detergent perfumes are quite fatiguing to the nose and you may not be smelling the perfume as strongly. Time to change your brand.