Thread Number: 93629
/ Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
Smelly Whirlpool top loader |
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Post# 1182922   6/19/2023 at 10:05 (448 days old) by paulg (My sweet home... Chicago)   |   | |
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About twelve hours after running a load of laundry, my Niece's Whirlpool top-loader smells like rotten eggs. You can smell it just by walking by the machine but you can check the drum and tell that this is where the odor is strongest.
After about twelve hours the odor dissipates completely. We have done "Affresh" twice, back-to-back. Have tried baking-soda and vinegar to remove the odor. Also tried running hot water through the unit. Nothing seems to fix the odor There is no standing water in the drum. Machine works fine otherwise and the clothes smell just fine. |
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Post# 1182929 , Reply# 1   6/19/2023 at 10:32 (448 days old) by qsd-dan (West)   |   | |
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Can try a cup or 2 of ammonia with a full tub of hot water.
Whirlpool washers neutral drain and get mucky near the top of the inner/outer tubs. There's generally no way to fix that other than removing the inner tub and manually cleaning both. Regular warm and hot water washes help keep it somewhat under control. |
Post# 1182932 , Reply# 2   6/19/2023 at 10:37 (448 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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There's always residual water in the pump/sump and associated drain hoses outside the clothes drum on any washer whether toploader or frontloader. No details are shared regards to the machine model and her laundry habits ... choice of detergent, liquid fabric softener or none, primarily cold washing or not, etc. Disassembly may be required to directly observe whether there's accumulated residue that the treatment attempts thus far aren't removing. |
Post# 1182933 , Reply# 3   6/19/2023 at 10:40 (448 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Hi Paul, this can be a problem with any washer basically poor washing practices are in use in most cases. Probably too much cold water washing and not enough detergent and certainly no bleach, bleach will solve the problem quickly wash a big load of towels, sheets, etc. with a cup of bleach periodically in the machine will be fine.
If the machine smells bad, the laundry is not clean either, have your niece take a clean, washcloth or small hand towel out of the linen closet, make it damp, put it in a Ziploc bag and put it back in the linen closet for a week and see what it smells like, I dare say it will smell bad because it wasn’t clean to begin with because they’re not washing things properly. This has nothing to do with a neutral drain machine. Some of the worst calls we get are on later Maytag dependable care machines they get so gross and stinky at the top of the tub. We literally get service calls on those where customers are disgusted by the smell and we have to take the tub cover off and clean them all up. John |
Post# 1182956 , Reply# 4   6/19/2023 at 14:41 (448 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1182965 , Reply# 5   6/19/2023 at 16:39 (448 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806)   |   | |
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Post# 1182966 , Reply# 6   6/19/2023 at 17:02 (448 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1182981 , Reply# 7   6/19/2023 at 19:06 (447 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806)   |   | |
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Using liquid detergents in general will gum up more since they contain oils while powder does not. Liquid detergent isn’t very good environmentally since the plastic jug they come in usually goes to a landfill and as we all know, plastic comes from oil. A cardboard box is better environmental wise and can be broken down more easily compared to a plastic jug.
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Post# 1182994 , Reply# 8   6/19/2023 at 21:24 (447 days old) by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA)   |   | |
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I have had success with using one of those narrow brushes used for cleaning refrigerator condenser coils and sticking it in between the 2 tubs and going up and down, using a gel dishwasher detergent. It also helps to aim a power washer between the 2 tubs. I would post a photo of the brush here but I don't know how and maybe someone here can.
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Post# 1183191 , Reply# 9   6/22/2023 at 11:11 (445 days old) by Paulg (My sweet home... Chicago)   |   | |
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Post# 1183196 , Reply# 10   6/22/2023 at 12:57 (445 days old) by qsd-dan (West)   |   | |
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Post# 1183219 , Reply# 11   6/22/2023 at 19:51 (444 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)   |   | |
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What about using bleach? |
Post# 1183290 , Reply# 13   6/23/2023 at 17:26 (444 days old) by panasonicvac (Northern Utah)   |   | |
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I have a Whirlpool made Kenmore 90 Series top loader and while it currently doesn't smell, I think it's a good idea for me to take the machine in to someone like this guy and get it completely tuned up once in a while. You never know what could be inside of the washer especially if I try to self clean it out with hot water and bleach, this same guy pointed out when he did a video servicing a Kenmore that's similar to mine that the washer was dirty on the inside even though it smelled clean.
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Post# 1183332 , Reply# 15   6/24/2023 at 09:01 (443 days old) by Paulg (My sweet home... Chicago)   |   | |
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Post# 1183357 , Reply# 16   6/24/2023 at 15:51 (443 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)   |   | |
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I second the advice about citric acid, I have had some great success in the past with it.
Also with a toploader you want to check the underside of the top. Mold can accumulate there too. After 12 hours it will probably be dry and smell less. And when you use the machine again and the underside of the top gets wet again, the smell is being reactivated again. Just a possibility. |