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Thread Number: 90228
/ Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
Whirlpool Direct Drive top load washers always smell |
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| Post# 1148018 , Reply# 1 5/5/2022 at 02:47 (719 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806) | ||
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Post# 1148040 , Reply# 3 5/5/2022 at 09:52 (719 days old) by philcobendixduo  (San Jose) |
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My 1987 Kenmore DD.....
.....built by Whirlpool has never had any objectionable odors. I do make it a point to always dry out the dispensers after the last load and leave the lid open for a few days to ensure the tub etc. dries out.
I never use cold water wash - just warm and I use liquid detergent. I do use chlorine bleach with the whites every 2 weeks so that may help to keep the machine odor free as well. I used to use fabric softener but stopped a few years ago as I found it really didn't do much except perfume up the clothes more than I wanted. I know it leaves a lot of residue on the outer tub and that can be odorous after a time. | ||
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Post# 1148126 , Reply# 5 5/6/2022 at 13:28 (717 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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| Post# 1148156 , Reply# 6 5/6/2022 at 20:26 (717 days old) by IIIJohnnyMacIII (North Carolina) | ||
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| Post# 1148157 , Reply# 7 5/6/2022 at 20:26 (717 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
OK...so
Back years ago...My dad remarried and our step mom moved in. She hated using LCB...banned it from the house...We had a WP TL washer with the surgilator agitator... I remember it had this FUNK about it...Back then, I had no clue what it was I just remember it smelling whereas it hadn't smelled before... and my grandma who lived just down the driveway had a WP (kenmore TL) washer and it didn't smell at all. I spent more time at my grandmas house than my house...she used warm water for colors and hot water for whites and LCB only in whites. Never a smell in her washer while ours had that funk about it... and I think our washer was even newer than hers. And my grandma's house did not have AC.. I think my step mom must have just had bad laundry habits. I'm not sure if she used cold water only but I'm thinking it's likely she did...that and no bleach spell disaster. All the places I've rented in the past that had either a WP TL washer or Kenmore WP TL washer... I don't ever remember them smelling. I always used warm for colors and hot for whites and bleach with whites (like my grandma) and I never had an issue with any smell. One thing I will say......although I know you're supposed to leave the door slightly open on a FL (which I do) I never remember leaving the lid up on any TL washer I ever had... Why? I don't know. It seems logical to leave it up... but I never did.
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Post# 1148160 , Reply# 8 5/6/2022 at 21:00 (717 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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I may have previously posted these pics. A 1999 KM DD that my mother used for 6 years (2012 to 2018) until it developed a neutral drain failure and a leak. It had done some moderate refurbishing at the time and it was pristine in 2012. I swapped in an F&P in 2018 which recently developed bad bearings* after 4 years. I refurbed the KM again in 2018 when it was pulled from service (neutral drain kit and new agitator shaft among a couple other things) and it's now back in service. The pics are the KM at refurb disassembly in 2018. Mom ran it primarily with cold water (tap cold, not even ATC) and uses liquid detergent such as Arm & Hammer, Gain, Tide Simply (yellow jug). I have emphasized repeatedly to avoid cold water. I was there today. I checked a load of sheets she had running, cold water and the detergent dose was not sufficient (water not slippery). The next load of towels was warm water but also insufficient detergent. I called her to the machine and explained how to check for for slippery water (I added more so she could feel the difference). Remains to be seen if she follows through. *This is the first time I've run across an F&P develop bad bearings. May be her useage habits were a contributing factor. Their plumber pointedly mentioned recently when replacing one of their water heaters and a (admittedly nearly 50yo) bathtub faucet that "[the town] has poor water quality." | ||
| Post# 1148161 , Reply# 9 5/6/2022 at 21:30 (717 days old) by qsd-dan (West) | ||
Neutral drain is basically the main reason for the stench. Accumulation builds up near the top of the basket/outer tub/agitator (can be seen in Glenns pictures) and isn't washed away with a spin drain. All machines (top load/front load, spin drain/neutral drain) are prone to this from long term poor washing habits but in the realm of top loaders, neutral draining machines are much more prevalent to the issue. Use warm (100F) and hot water (140F+) as much as possible.
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| Post# 1148172 , Reply# 10 5/6/2022 at 23:26 (717 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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Your mom won't listen (LOL)
Truthfully - it's been so long since I've used a TL washer...I don't even know how much detergent would be "not enough or too much" since the whole FL vs TL water ratio is so different..since you can't really trust manufacturer recommendations...I'd have to start all over trying to learn proper dosing for a TL washer. LOL as far as the top of the washer and agitator that gets build up... I always felt like spray rinses helped somewhat with rinses that away...but I guess if you're using cold water there's only so much that can do. | ||
| Post# 1148177 , Reply# 11 5/7/2022 at 01:04 (717 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806) | ||
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The neutral drain does have something to do with build up on the outer tubs on the direct drives but oddly enough my ‘63 Whirlpool doesn’t seem to accumulate anything on the outer tub surfaces but then again all the temperatures are built into the timer so I am forced to either use hot or warm water. There aren’t any holes on the tub of the belt drive washer tubs along with the enamel being a bit more slippery doesn’t allow for much to build up to accumulate along with the multiple spray rinses they do while the direct drives only do 2 spray rinses on the final spin and not on the first spin.
As much as the direct drive washers are a favorite of mine, they have a few design flaws that weren’t really worked out since they had a tendency to accumulate gook on the outer tub and that can be because of the holes towards the tub while their belt drive predecessors didn’t have any holes towards the top that allowed build up because of those holes. The lack of spray rinses was another flaw Whirlpool never bothered fixing and yes the early direct drive and Catalyst washers did to spray rinses on the first spin but all the other direct drives didn’t have any spray rinses on the first spin which allowed for build up to happen since there wasn’t anything to help rinse away the detergent. | ||
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Post# 1148180 , Reply# 12 5/7/2022 at 02:09 (717 days old) by mrboilwash (Munich,Germany) |
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Post# 1148198 , Reply# 13 5/7/2022 at 09:23 (717 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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| Post# 1148472 , Reply# 17 5/11/2022 at 09:21 (713 days old) by maytaga806 (Howell, Michigan) | ||
Mine has never smelled. I’d love for it to smell like used detergent and softener but it never does no matter what. Now I do leave the lid open most of the time. I love the smell of a used washer….delicious 🤤🤤🤤 or even better, the smell of the inside of a used dishwasher MMMMMMMMMMM!! Most of the time it smells delicious like cascade, I’ve yet to smell a bad smelling dishwasher or washer really. But this happens in all of them not just direct drives and DDs smell the least I’ve noticed
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Post# 1148489 , Reply# 18 5/11/2022 at 14:36 (712 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA) |
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smell I love the smell of freshly used washers also. I also noticed that the direct drive whirlpools smell the least and the GE filter-flos smell the most. | ||
| Post# 1148490 , Reply# 19 5/11/2022 at 14:57 (712 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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Yep - definitely a learning curve. If I went back to a TL washer after 17 years it would be another learning curve for me..LOL
Another thing (this is just a wild guess) is that people who get FL washers not only will use cold water/too much detergent or not enough) but they also just leave it on the normal cycle which is the cycle that uses the energy guide. In other words..the most stingy with everything I've seen videos of the recent LG's and from what I've seen of some of their cycles it looks like they're using as much and sometimes MORE water than my Duet from 2005 If you stick your head in my duet...you would smell that clothes are clean smell. Never had an issue that all these people have had over the years that even cause manufacturers to redesign their machines. the only thing I do manually clean about every 3 months which takes about 5 min's is the boot (inside and out) and wipe the glass down...and I just use rubber gloves and a clean rag and super hot kettle water.. | ||
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