Smelly Washing machine, solutions not working.

[becca]

Hi…i’ve been reading through this forum over the last few weeks but cannot find anything similar to my problem…this is rather long so please bear with me.

I have a Bosch Maxx WFL 2450

Had the machine about 6 or 7 years now and it’s always washed well but after the first year it’s always been smelly even after the monthly maintenance clean with cleaner but it hasn’t affected the clothes.

Still looks new on the outside and i’ve always used a washing machine cleaner once a month…have done so since new…done this with all my machines and this is the only one that’s ever smelt.

Had the mould problem with powder/softener drawer within months of new so for years now i clean and dry it after each use…machine is used daily…never had mould with any of my machines.

Just recently even after the maintenance wash it smelt more than it did before so i put a cup or so of soda into the drum and let it fill to the rinse level…thought the more water in it it would clean machine better…once the rinse level was reached i turned it off for a few minutes…then set to wash on 90 with the amount of rinse water still in it.

The result is i now have a thick scum all the way around between the rubber and the actual drum…pull the rubber back and there’s great thick globs of it…nasty.

I’ve scraped as much of this out as possible and done four wash cycles using only cleaner and nothing in the drum one after the other but now can’t use the machine because every wash the clothes smell really bad and the thick slime is back between the rubber and the drum.

I use different powders at times…Persil/Arial/Fairy/Daz…depends whats on offer…also use softener…have to because it’s a really hard water area here.

Is there anything that can be done to thoroughly clean the machine or do i just buy a new one.

Also the clothes feel as if they are not being rinsed properly…dark clothes are sometimes coming out with white marks on them and sometimes there’s a residue of white on the inside of the drum.

Cheers for any suggestions.

[kwatt]

Re: Smelly Washing machine, solutions not working.

Hi Becca,

I don’t suppose you’ve been using liquids a lot have you, or colour powders?

It sounds as if the machine is coated inside with bacteriological build up which forms a sort of scummy slime over time and it will stink. If it’s allowed to get too bad the only option is to strip the machine down and clean it out thoroughly and this isn’t a job I’d recommend for any DIY’er out there as it’s not easy and it’s not nice.

Details of a maintenance wash are here, you shouldn’t require any cleaner other than a decent bio powder.

Softener is fine if used correctly however we often find that people overdose it, especially the concentrated stuff as it is very easy to do.

However, if you don’t dose the powder correctly in the first place you will get softening problems as the calcium is not being removed from the wash properly and that may be why you have the issue with the softener. It also won’t help one bit with the smell/bacteria problem if the machine isn’t dosed correctly.

The mouldy drawer is just dampness really, there’s really not a lot you can do to prevent it other than keeping it clean.

HTH

K.

[Penguin45]

Re: Smelly Washing machine, solutions not working.

Soda crystals are a myth – they will not clean your machine. You should have a read of this section:
http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/modules.p … ries&cid=1

Loads of good stuff.

Penguin45.

[becca]

Hi…thanks for replying

Yes i always used liquid until a few weeks ago i read on here that it caused smell problems with the build up…as i ( the machine actually ) 🙂 had ‘smell’ problems i switched.

Have used different powders trying to find a biological one that the machine didn’t smell after using.

This smell and the gunge problem has accelerated over the last week so i expect the powders then using soda has lifted whatever it is.

Yes penguin i did read that…the reason why i switched to powders…and i’ve always used washing machine cleaner whatever machine i’ve had.

Don’t get mould anymore…started drying the drawer out after each use a long time ago.

Extended the guarantee again in Feb for another two years but can’t see the engineer stripping it down because it’s not an actual fault is it…just a messy job.

I think i’ll check to see if there’s a local engineer who may give me a quote for doing it.

Cheers guys.

[Trilobite]

Re: Smelly Washing machine, solutions not working.

Try using ARIEL or PERSIL in the GREEN boxes, they are ‘biological’ detergents (enzymes), but also employ oxygen based bleach to sanitise the machine and its laundry.

Run the machine empty, with the above detergent(s), on the 90 degrees Celsius programme. You may have to repeat this process several times.

Liquids and ‘colour’ detergents do not sanitise the laundry (no bleach) – you might also notice that sweaty odours are not properly removed from shirts and blouses when using these inferior detergents.

White items require the power of bleach to stay white, or they will start to ‘grey’.

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