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happymama
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| Posted: Oct 19 2007 at 12:47pm | IP Logged
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Here's a chance to help a priest in need. :)
My brother is a priest. He lives in a rectory with a couple other priests, and there's a cleaning lady who does the laundry. They have a front-loading washing machine that continues to "grow" nasty stuff in it, despite attempts to be cleaned, even with bleach. The bath towels & dish towels at the rectory have a horrible smell, like that of a wet washrag left in your sink for several days...
My brother has asked me for advice. He has bad allergies, too, and they've been much worse since moving into this rectory. My mom intends to buy a whole bunch of new towels for the place, but we're afraid they'll also start to stink. Ideas, anyone?
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monica
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| Posted: Oct 19 2007 at 12:53pm | IP Logged
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i house sat for some one with a front loading washer and when i came it had a very mildewy odor. i did some loads with baking soda and vinegar and washed it out well. but the key was to leave the door open, or even just ajar, when not in use. if his is really bad, there may be mildew in some hidden crevice where the cleaners dont get to. maybe call the customer service line?
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Matilda
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| Posted: Oct 19 2007 at 2:24pm | IP Logged
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Yes to all of what Monica said above!
Also... take a stiff, round scrub brush (the same shape as those toilet bowl brushes that come with a cannister to hold them when not in use) and scrub with a baking soda paste inside the folds of the rubber gasket that seals the door. You might actually have to pry apart some of the layers to get down in there. That is usually the place I check when the baking soda and vinegar rinse doesn't take care of the smell. If it remains after a good scrubbing all the way around the gasket, you might see about whether or not that seal can be replaced.
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Charlotte (Matilda)
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Waltzing Matilda
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florasita
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| Posted: Oct 19 2007 at 6:32pm | IP Logged
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ask them if they are keeing the door shut on the machine while not in use . It is to be left open in between uses so to air out .I did not know this dh told me this  I realized that is why the dryer has a light and the washer does not . the dryer door has to be shut or the light stays on the washer does not .
I truely found baking soda the all time stink killer  one of our boys peed in the bottom of a drawer ( don't even ask ) of course I didnot discover it until it had dried up and was really stinky . nothing got it out .It also had because it was the bottom drawer gone through into the carpet underneath . I tried bleach , scrubbing with laundry soap .In the end letting a few boxes of baking soda sit and soak up the smell then use a shop vac did the trick 
But yes ask about the door and the airing it out thing .
Much Love , Roxie
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1floridamom
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| Posted: Oct 19 2007 at 6:42pm | IP Logged
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Depending the age of the machine, there may be something the manufacturer can do for them. Our first front loader was one of the first Maytag Neptunes. We had left it in a house that we had sold, but since it was registered to us, we received the letter from Maytag with a questionnaire about this very issue. They had received quite a few complaints, because I think that model didn't have a drain hole in the rubber that goes around the agitator. My newer Kenmore does, but it is still important to leave the door on the machine open. If they can get the exact model and serial, they can probably go to the manufacturer's website to get further help.
Blessings,
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Monica in FL
dh Steve, Sean (14), Ethan (13), Emily (10), Kylie (6), Ashley (5) and Lindsay (2)!
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happymama
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| Posted: Oct 19 2007 at 9:12pm | IP Logged
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thank you all for the ideas!!
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Matilda
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| Posted: Oct 19 2007 at 9:22pm | IP Logged
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happymama,
Could you let us know if they try any of these solutions and how they work out? Thanks!
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Charlotte (Matilda)
Mom to four (11, 10, 9 & 5) an even split for now
with bookend boys and a double girl sandwich
Waltzing Matilda
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hereinantwerp
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| Posted: Oct 21 2007 at 11:36pm | IP Logged
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I had this problem in europe all the time. Some of my clothes, the smell never came out even after moving--I eventually threw them away.
I added a TINY bit of bleach to every load, even colors (making sure it was well diluted in the water when I added it). That helped. Hopefully they are using a dryer? In Europe I had no dryer and that made things much worse, too, as the high heat helps to kill the germs.
they might have to check the pipes. In one of our apts. in europe, the pipes were arranged so that water would sit in a "crook" of the pipe in between loads and grow things and smell, changing the pipe arrangement helped.
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Lori B
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| Posted: Oct 22 2007 at 8:46am | IP Logged
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We used to get a horrible smell in our top-loader, until we switched to homemade laundry detergent. Apparently the 'fillers' in purchsed detergents don't rinse away completely, and can cause that horrible mildewy smell.
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1floridamom
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| Posted: Oct 22 2007 at 9:44am | IP Logged
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Lori B wrote:
| We used to get a horrible smell in our top-loader, until we switched to homemade laundry detergent. Apparently the 'fillers' in purchsed detergents don't rinse away completely, and can cause that horrible mildewy smell. |
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This is a really good point for front loaders also. The last time I had regular maintenance done on my washer, the tech told me to be sure to buy "he" detergent. Even the big ones at Costco that say "he Compatible" aren't going to rinse away like the true "he" detergents. And liquids are generally better at this than powders.
Blessings,
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Monica in FL
dh Steve, Sean (14), Ethan (13), Emily (10), Kylie (6), Ashley (5) and Lindsay (2)!
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sewcrazy
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| Posted: Oct 24 2007 at 6:08am | IP Logged
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Does the trap need to be emptied?
My front loader opens in front and there is a cap to unscrew. When you pull it out, a long plastic cylinder comes out. That it full of whatever gets left in pockets. That is usually the source of stink for our FL.
LeeAnn
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happymama
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| Posted: Oct 30 2007 at 7:20pm | IP Logged
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Father read this thread! He thanks you. He did mention that the cleaning lady always hung the towels to dry instead of using the drier. He has told her that he'll wash his own towels from now on. :) He's going to see if any other ideas help, and use the drier.
Thanks again.
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Cheryl
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We have a Maytag Neptune washer that had a huge amount of black stinky stuff on the rubbery lining material. I called the company and they sent a guy out to look at the problem. We had to pay for him to come out and all he did was scrub the mold really hard with our bleach! It got rid of the smell and most of the blackness. He told us that we were supposed to run loads with bleach fairly regularly and leave the door open. This is too bad because I don't really use bleach much and our washer is in a closet (which I'd rather close up when not in use), and there is a light inside our washer. It seems to me that the company should find out a way to fix this problem, but I tell myself that this is a luxury problem. 
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Matilda
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| Posted: Dec 28 2007 at 11:15am | IP Logged
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Just to update...
...after a plumbing problem last week, I had to wash every towel in my house in hot water with bleach. There was a very yucky smell left over when I was all done which surprised me since I had been using liberal amounts of bleach. I took a rounded scrub brush and thoroughly cleaned out the rubber gasket and the door because it looked a little scummy on the bottom. Then I did a load of clean towels. I filled the detergent compartment with baking soda and then put white vinegar in the bleach and fabric softener compartments. No more smell!!!
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Charlotte (Matilda)
Mom to four (11, 10, 9 & 5) an even split for now
with bookend boys and a double girl sandwich
Waltzing Matilda
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chicken lady
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WOW, I hope Father gets to help from this thread. I have learned alot. I never keep our FL door open And how much baking soda and vinegar do you all use? I am going to have my dh check our machine out, just so we don't end up with a stink. YOu learn something new everyday
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Matilda
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Molly,
My model is a 7(?) year old Kenmore that has a pull out tray with three compartments for detergent, bleach and fabric softener. I think the detergent cup held maybe a cup of baking soda. The other two compartments are smaller and hold about 1/4 C. each. I filled them both with vinegar. I never leave my door open either, but I am going to try to do it at night. Frequent use during the day necessitates it being closed. 
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Charlotte (Matilda)
Mom to four (11, 10, 9 & 5) an even split for now
with bookend boys and a double girl sandwich
Waltzing Matilda
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: front loading washers & STINK
