Nasty smell in washing machine.

The washing machine repair man said you must use a biological powder on the hottest wash at least twice a week. It is using the liquid only that causes the problem

My daughter had a similar problem and we discovered the dishwasher outlet pipe is joined into the washing machine outlet pipe too and this was causing smell from both pipes. She had a plumber separate them into single pipes to the drainage and the smell disappeared ..!

Have you removed and cleaned the powder / liquid dispenser ? If that's not cleaned regularly mould can build up and cause smells.

I was going to suggest using white vinegar but you have to put your machine on at least 2 hot washes to get rid of the smell. Pleased to hear the soda crystals worked as that was going to be another suggestion.

The British Gas man told me to put a dishwasher tablet in the washing machine and run it on 60. It worked.

There are special tablets to put in machine with the washing powder......recommend ed by manufacturer s.........forget the name......founf in supermarket next to powder. They really work. Use one a week or so

Has your machine ever been in storage? My daughter had this problem after she got her machine out of storage and nothing she tried (& she tried many different remedies) had any longterm effect. Unfortunately, she has just had to give up and buy a new one. Sorry!

My old washing machine was a secondhand machine, as I couldn't afford a new one. It was pretty gummed up with gunge when I got it, but managed to clear it all. I used it for a couple of years, but really missed my washer/dryer, and used to have lots of clothes airers about the house, and every radiator was decorated with underwear and small towels. The machine started to smell of mould, and, despite using all sorts of cleaners, the smell didn't go away. I relented and bought a brand new washer/dryer, which is amazing, provided I don't put my knickers in the hottest dryer setting, because when I did, they shrunk slightly.

I was told that ecological liquid washing products were to blame as they cause sludge to build up.

I used bleach in the dishwasher at work and that worked. Has anyone tried using Listerine? There are quite a lot of tips for it online saying that half a cup in a hot wash works.

For a bad smell try leaving tripe to thaw on top of kitchen cupboard for 3 days (it was for the dogs)

Mine had a terrible pong a while ago even though it's a new machine. I ran a 60' wash with bleach and no more nasty aromas since, probably about a year! I only wash at 30' and 40' using washing liquid and fabric conditioner.

The only time that my washing machine door is closed is when the machine is running.It is only run on 40 degrees and I have never had any problems.

I stopped using fabric conditioner years ago and although it took months to get it out of all of my clothes. One less item for me to buy.

Because we routinely use 30 and 40 degree washes these days, these are not enough to stop the growth of mould. A 60 wash with bleach stops the mould growth, for a while.

Try that, every so often, and [speaking as a microbiologist in my past career] I keep the door slightly ajar to avoid non-aerobic organisms growing in the drum...

i use tesco gel washing stuff - lavender - and it's fine. i also use their lavender fabric conditioner.
before i used the gel i used powder and had to keep taking the drawer out to wash it - used to clog up. don't get this problem with gel.
sometimes the door is closed after use, sometimes it isn't but, so far, i've not had any nasty smells.
oh, and i wash at 40 degrees [or 60 degrees for towels and sheets] - don't think a 30 degree wash gets things clean!!

I had the same problem and realised it happened only when I used Bold liquid. Changed to other brands and have no problem now

Left it a bit out, should have been , found a box with some tumble drier sheets in,

I no longer have a tumble drier, but found a box with some in, so put them in a net bag, tied it up, and just put it in the machine when machine not in use, - did leave the machine smelling really good, so i have continued to do that. { doHave to remenber that its in there before i start chucking stuff in the machine though}

Before I go on holiday I add a little Zoflora to the dish washer and washing machine. I put a bleach tablet broken up on each of the hand basin drains so that any water in the bends is kept clean.

My machine became smelly when I was using an 'eco' product. Even after hot 60 degree washes. Reverted to biological products. Problem solved.

As I said on another chat about the same problem, my washing machine engineer told me to buy the cheapest biological powder I could find and do a hot 90 degree wash with it every couple of months or so, much better and cheaper than the special machine cleaning products.

I have a Zanussi washing m/c. No smell so far, but thanks to helpful posts on here, I shall check out the filter (cheers Pompa) which till now I didn't know existed, and also change to powder. Btw, when I say 'I' will check out the filter, I mean the OH of course

Bad smells can come from the drainage hose being too low where it fits onto the u-bend under the sink. If the hose dips down (forming a 'u' shape), then gunk can settle in there. When the machine is switched on, the pump kicks in and a bad 'eggy' pong comes out. I corrected mine by fitting a little metal hook under the sink (just screwed it into the back of the unit), then tied a bit of string around the flexible hose and pulled the hose up so that it's higher than the u-bend. I hope all that makes sense and hope it helps! The drainage hose is usually grey and simply pushes onto a fitting on the u-bend, btw.

we had this problem and i was advised to use soda crystals when ever i did a wash. It worked no more nasty niffs!!!!

Just put some crystals in with your detergent, apparently they deodorize as well as acting like a water softening preventing limescale build up in your machine and pipes.

I found a pack of salmon in the boot of my car - the sell by date was two years old. thought I'd better throw it away... No smell as it was blister packed, fortunately.

White vinegar in the drawer helps also zoflora disinfectant in the drum on a boil wash worked for me.