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Posted on Aug 26, 2009
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Clothes smell like mildew - Kenmore Washing Machines

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  • Posted on Aug 11, 2010
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Something that happened to me... small socks. I was a little clueless. I would put these items in my wash not worrying. Apparently, one of these items would occasionally find its way out of the drum. Big problems.
I now use a mesh bag to wash small socks. Every once in a while something bigger will get caught under the rubber near the door (I check that after every wash).
We also have taken off the bottom front panel and found a sock in the drain down there.
Since checking the rubber and using the mesh bag (after cleaning washer), I have no problem with mold and I don't leave the door open. I have had my Kenmore Elite HE3 for 10 years.

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  • Posted on Aug 30, 2009
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This sounds like you keep your washer's lid closed when you aren't using it. The water that stays in the tub ( it doesn't drain all the way, no matter how hard you want it to ) will become stagnant and then mold up. That will be the source of the mildew smell. If you want to clean it completely, you need to disassemble it and clean it by hand as there are no methods that I know of to clean it with any cycles on the machine :( Sorry

You need to keep the washer's lid open when it's not being used to prevent this in the future

Joe

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0helpful
1answer

LG WM2050C* MILDEW & MUST SMELL

Did you check to see if it has a filter to it, If there is one that would most likely be the problem
tip

Get rid of mildew safely, fast and cheap.wont stain cloths.

Your car got wet when the widow broke & now it stinks inside. My motor coach stinks because the roof was leaking water. The house stinks because the roof leaks.
HERE IS HOW TO FIX IT LIKE NEW FOR UNDER $12.00
first, fix where ever the leak is. NOw your couch,chair,rug,car seat & rugs,clothes,bed whatever, stinks because mold,mildew & fungus is growing all over.
depending on the size of the area buy 1 gallon,2 gallons or 3 gallons for large rooms,motor coaches, etc of WHITE VINEGAR which usually costs $2.25 to 3.00
per gallon. Spray lots on anything that is mildewed, moldy of has fungus growing.
the white vinegar will kill mold,mildew and fungus, within 30 minutes ,on contact.
The white vinegar will not stain clothes,carpets ,car seats or uphostered chairs however, i would keep it away from finely finished woods as it might possibly affect the fine finish. It probably wont, but test a small area that is not conspicious, just in case there is any reaction.
the white vinegar is often used in salid dressings , so aside from the room or car or your clothes smelling like salid dressing for a couple of days , no other side effects. the smell goes away, even from areas that you drenched in white vinegar, in a tops of 3 weeks. If you need the smell to go away faster, open all windows and direct a 20 inch box fan at the smelly area. anyway,the vinegar smells a lot better than the mold & mildew. It will save your cloths,your bed,your car, your interior rooms in your house, basements,garages, wood sheds, even wood lumber, that has been left outside too long, as long as the wood is not rotten.
The easiest way to apply the white vinegar is full strength and just pour the white vinegar right from the bottle into a 1 gallon pump up ortho sprayer, and spray your mildew room,rug,car seats,motor coach,basement,clothes or whatever. I has two rooms in my house get a good soaking in that big hurricane 2 years ago, sandy, i think it was called, and 3 days later the mildew smell was so bad i couldn't stay in either room. So I let everything in the room have it ,liberly, except for the tv set,which i kept dry.
The next day,i could only smell the mildew very faintly and the vinegar a lot,so i opened the windows and turned the 20 inch box fan on. I let the windows open 24 hours with the box fan on, after 24 hours, i could still smell a little vinegar,so i turned off the fan but left the windows open for another day. I was able to go in & watch tv again, but had some of the vinegar smell, not bad, but i kept looking for a salid to eat. 2 weeks later,the vinegar smell was completely gone but i noticed a faint mildew smell from the rug, so i gave the rug an even better soaking with vinegar. I had not applied enough vinegar to the rug to get down into the underpading where some mildew had survived and started to grow again. after the second application to the rug, It again took 3 weeks for the vinegar smell to disappear but the mildew smell was gone forever. The vinegar did not stain anything and i even applied *** to cloths that had gotten mildewy smelling in a leaky closet. 24 hours after i sprayed the clothes,i washed them and am wearing one of the shirts,restored to like new, as i type this. So,sometimes,you need a second application. sometimes you dont.one spray will do if you dont have rug underpading that needs to be really soaked good.
I have used the white vinegar on lumber left outside,sprayed it good and came back in 3 hours ,after it dried and started cutting the wood to fit on my mail box mounting. This stuff really works good.try it and i am sure ,you will like it.

Cheapest way to apply white vinegar is to empty your windex bottle into a jar,fill the windex bottle with white vinegar and have fun pumping the trigger about 400
times. works good for small areas if you dont have arthuritis in your hands.
0helpful
1answer

Mildew smell

You may need to clean the drum to your washing machine. Check all hoses and fluid cups.
7helpful
1answer

Washer makes clothes smell like dog

Hello there:
please follow these simple steps
Instructions Things You'll Need:
  1. Step 1 Balance your washing machine. Standing water breeds mildew and mold. A washing machine that isn't level to the ground stands a higher chance of not draining completely. Take a level and place it on the top of the machine along the front from side to side and then again along the side from front to back. If the machine is very off, you can adjust the feet to compensate or add something under one of the feet if it is not flat against the ground. Portable washing machines are especially prone to have standing water because they are moved around and not leveled each time.
  2. Step 2 Promptly remove your clothes at the end of a wash cycle. If you regularly leave the damp clothes in the washing machine for an extended period at the end of the cycle, you will have mildew in your clothes and your machine. The same is true if you put clean clothes in the dryer and they are not completely dry when the cycle ends and you don't go back for a few days to pull them out. Damp clothes in an enclosed space for days will mildew.
  3. Step 3 Leave your washing machine door open in between uses which gives the machine the opportunity to fully dry out.
  4. Step 4 Use white distilled vinegar in an empty machine. Run a load with only hot water and two cups of vinegar to clean out the machine and freshen the scent. Vinegar naturally eliminates odors and reduces the buildup of soap residue in the washer which contributes to mildew development. You can also add baking soda and/or bleach to the load for both their sanitizing properties as well as assisting in ridding the smell of mildew.
  5. Step 5 Regularly use vinegar when you wash your clothes. Add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar to the last rinse cycle. Vinegar has acidic properties but it is mild enough that it will not harm your fabric. It does dissolve alkalines in laundry detergent which makes for cleaner and softer clothes. The reduction of detergent buildup in your machine will help to also reduce the incidence of mildew.
  6. Step 6 If you have a front load washer, they are particularly prone to mildew and mold. Follow the manufacturers suggestion as to how much and what type of detergent should be used. It is generally less than the traditional top load washing machines. Once again, additional soap residue helps to breed mold and mildew. Also, pull the seals back from around the door and make sure there isn't a build up underneath them that needs to be cleaned out.
  7. Step 7 Finally, if you have done all of the above and nothing seems to work there are commercial products available that are recommended.

0helpful
1answer

My daughter left clothes in the dryer and they werent dry now my dryer smells soured. how do i get rid of the smell?

Try tossing a tad of dry baking soda in with the clothes in may take a time or two but it would be better than tossing the dryer. If it smells like mildew also maybe try placing some charcoal inside withe door shut, charcoal draws mildew.
0helpful
2answers

Clothes smell like mildew

Run a wash cycle (no clothes), with a cup of baking soda, regular detergent and hot water. Leave the door open after each wash day to dry the interior which helps prevent mildew returning.
1helpful
1answer

My clothes smell like mildew

Run a load of wash water with chlorine bleach ***Without adding clothes***. This will kill any spores in the system. Try to remove laundry as soon as it is finished and don't let it sit in the washer overnight. If possible, keep the door open when not in use.
0helpful
1answer

Maytag Neptune/ clothes smell like mildew

Go out and buy a box of "AFFRESH". Run it according to the directions.
0helpful
1answer

Kenmore Super Capacity Washer - Mildew smell

run the washer, with no clothes,
and 2 cups of bleach instead of detergent.
kills any mould in the washer
at least until you find the original cause, it wont stink
0helpful
1answer

Two problems, mildew smell and loud noise in spin cycle

drum bearing failure due to the water seal in front of the bearings failing the smell is probably the grease mixed with water in the outer tub
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