What’s That Smell?
Have you been noticing a lingering smell as you go about your laundry day duties? That musty, icky smell isn’t just your kids’ sweaty soccer jersey — it could be your washer. But don’t worry, this odor shouldn’t delay your chores for too long as there is an easy fix for a stinky washer.
What’s Causing the Smell?
With all the time it spends soaking your clothes in detergent and water, you would think you wouldn’t have to give your washing machine a clean. However, routine cleaning of your washer is important.
Our washers see a lot of messes. All of that dirt, soap scum, body oils, and hair on your dirty clothes has to go somewhere, right? This causes a buildup of all that grime in and around the machine, often leading to mold and mildew growth.
This buildup is likely what you are smelling and the only solution is to clean your washer.
Cleaning Your Washing Machine
Grab a sponge and pull on your rubber gloves, it’s time to get cleaning!
Dispensers
Begin by removing your soap, bleach, and softener dispensers. If they’re particularly smelly, sprinkle baking soda over them and allow them to sit for a while before washing them in the sink.
Door Seal
The door seal of your washing machine collects a lot of grime. Use a small scrub brush (an old toothbrush works great!) and clean all along the folds and crevices of the seal.
Run A Cycle
Now it’s time to get all of the mold and mildew out of the basin of your washing machine. Add four cups of bleach to a top loading washer, or two cups to a front load washer, and start a cycle. Once the cycle is finished, be sure to run a rinse cycle or two to remove all traces of the bleach.
If the bleach didn’t take care of the smell, follow the same instructions as above, but with vinegar instead.
We recommend running a cleaning cycle frequently in order to stop the odor in its tracks!
If your washing machine problems are bigger than a foul smell, give the Mr. Rooter Plumbing team a call at (262) 320-4822!