Musty Smell On Clothes & Using Top Loading Washer?

Easy peasy. Use vinegar instead of fabric softener. It eliminates odours and soften clothes. You might also try substituting half the volume of laundry detergent with bicarb soda (baking powder). This too has odour neutralising properties and helps get laundry clean. Saves on laundry detergent too

Could be several things here. High efficiency machines (both top and front loaders) use so much less water, that it is easy for laundry products to build up and before long we're experiencing stinky issues.

Is the Dreft detergent a powder? That could be part of the issue. Most powder detergents do not dissolve well in barely warm water. They need water that is pretty warm, darn near hot to properly dissolve. Try changing to a liquid. I think Ivory Snow comes in a liquid now even. And there are several good hypoallergenic products on the market also.

The washer may need a good cleaning. Take a bucket of hot water, rubber gloves, some bleach and a sponge and give the top of the tub and any surface you can reach a good scrubbing. Look for any build up or debris. Remove.

Check the model number on the internet and see if there are filters that might need to be changed in that particular model. If the filters are clogged, that could be where your smell is coming from.

My appliance guy recommends running one load a month with dishwasher detergent. Dishwasher detergent has enzymes in it that help break down "stuff" and will help clean the machine out. Use hot water and wash something that bleach isn't going to hurt. I do pet bedding and my husbands shop towels when I do that load.

You can try using a good amount of white vinegar in a load. That won't hurt the fabrics, will dissolve any gunk in there and also acts as a fabric softener. No, your clothes won't smell like pickles after they are dried. Also helps remove water deposits left from minerals in your water. I'm betting that's what your pink stuff in the tub is also. I use 1 cup for a regular load in my front loader.

And strangely enough it could be your dryer. Is the vent clear and functioning properly. If the dryer isn't venting well, it's not getting rid of the moisture as quickly as it should be and that could be making your clothes smell too!

Musty Smell In Clothes

Cheap detergent equal bad results. A certain detergent is frequently on sale here, buy 1 get 2 free, and there is a reason for that, its cheap and it sucks. It does NOT clean clolhes properly. You have to use a good detergent to get a decent result. Air drying can sometimes be bad unless the weather is right. I say this because in the wrong conditions, they will not dry fast enough and you will get mildew. Mildew definitely equals funky smell. "Am I not using enough detergent?" Using too much will actually result in smelly clothes, the rinse cycle will not remove it all if there is too much. Overloading will result in funky clothes too. Get a better detergent. This is just one of those things were you need to spend a little extra if you care about your clothes. IF you are not bothered by strong scents, go with gain original. That crap stays on your clothes for months.

I heard a report on the radio last week about the use of a washing machine.

It advised that due to energy saving practices, people no longer use hot water washes and cold water used does not kill bacteria. She said to prevent bacteria from growing, it is important that clothes be removed from a washing machine within 5 minutes and that after spinning clothes dry in a hot dryer bacteria problem should be eliminated.

Later: I discussed this revelation with my brother who told me that bleach does not kill all harmful bacteria and he has found heat to be the only solution. He zaps his wet kitchen dishrags in the microwave from time to time (just to get them hot and not dry) and told me that my bleach and detergent wash of the rags were not as effective as his method: I have yet to test his theory.

bleach kills everything, you might have a build up of soil deposits around the top of your drum look inside just where the water comes in and with a clean wet Towel wipe all around the top of your drum also if bleach is not killing the odor try ammonia (but not together) also you may have a venting problem in your bathroom, run your air fan for 20-30 min after each shower, also try a small water filter on your water to your washer it may be high in sulfur and can cause a rotten egg smell or a musty moldy smell.

I have a front loader as well, I bought the tablets that you run through every few months that clean it. They sell them at wal mart, I also leave the door to the washer open when it's not in use, another thing I try to do, is clean the rubber seal around the door, it seems to gather "stuff". The only thing that gets a little hint of smell to them now is towels, and it's only when I have not cleaned the washer in a while.

wash out the interior of the washing machine with a mold and mildue remover

Check the drain hose to make sure it is draining properly and the drain is vented correctly you may be smelling something from the drain if it is not vented correctly.

If you have a floor drain pour a little bleach down the floor drain to fill the P trap under that drain that provides an air lock to prevent fumes.