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Thread Number: 97533
/ Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
GE GFW450 SSm1WW Front loader-stinky clothes complaint |
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Post# 1224049 , Reply# 1 2/10/2025 at 15:11 by petek  (Ontari ari ari O ) |
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| Post# 1224051 , Reply# 2 2/10/2025 at 16:09 by steved (Guilderland, New York) | ||
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Cold water washing Always seems to go along with crappy detergent users. | ||
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Post# 1224068 , Reply# 4 2/10/2025 at 18:11 by petek (Ontari ari ari O ) |
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Post# 1224075 , Reply# 5 2/10/2025 at 19:43 by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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 1) Avoid cold water washing. Warm on the designated Normal cycle nowadays is barely more than cold. Hot is the new warm. 2) This machine has an on-board heater for the steam option and Sanitize cycle. Use it on a regular basis for cotton whites, towels, kitchen linens. 3) If she refuses to use HOT water for washing a load then run the Sanitize cycle with no clothes and a small dose of detergent and 1/3 cup of chlorine bleach every two weeks. 4) If she often uses the Quick cycle ... advise her it's intended to REFRESH a very small load (1 to 3 items) ... not to WASH a FULL load. 5) Quit with the cheap detergents. Don't overdose on detergent but also don't skimp on it. Moderate sudsing isn't the dire situation people believe it to be so. 6) Leave the door and dispenser tray ajar between uses. Hang a towel over the door if necessary to insure it doesn't fully close.
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Post# 1224117 , Reply# 7 2/11/2025 at 10:34 by Combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Glenn's reply number five is spot on as usual.
Using too much detergent will never cause a stinky washer detergent generally doesn't stink. It could cause a machine to oversuds and leak or possibly even throw a fault code but in general it's better to air on the side of using more detergent than less unless you have perfectly soft water. John L | ||
| Post# 1224134 , Reply# 9 2/11/2025 at 14:21 by qsd-dan (West) | ||
I would emphasize on running a tub clean cycle at least once a month. All of Glenns suggestions are spot on but most people are stuck in their ways and refuse to change. In this case, tell her to run a tub clean cycle at least once a month, once a every 2 weeks if once every 4 weeks isn't keeping things fresh and clean.
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Post# 1224136 , Reply# 10 2/11/2025 at 14:35 by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA (considering moving to Temple, Texas)) |
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running bleach And tell her she needs to run bleach through the machine whether empty or with whites with hot water. | ||
| Post# 1224138 , Reply# 11 2/11/2025 at 15:24 by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
It's so funny... they think they are right... stuck in their ways... and yet the result of their thinking they're right (won't listen to other suggestions) results in a foul smelling FL washer.. You would think they would stop and think "Maybe I should listen to what others are saying".. I mean, if I were stuck in my ways, I at least would want a suggestion on what I could do differently if things weren't working out.
I don't think it has anything to do with the detergent (other than possible dosage) I think it's the cold water washing, overloading, and there's never a hot underloaded hot wash to periodically keep the machine clean... it just builds up from constant bad washing.. I'm not sure about these GE's dispenser design... but the vent fresh dispenser designs are horrible...that blue microban rubber on the dispenser is actually encouraging mold growth because it traps moisture in the nooks and crannies of the dispenser.. I've seen a video of a person wondering why their clothes smelled bad... it wasn't the seal or the drum... it was hidden inside the dispenser itself. He took the dispenser apart (which was NOT easy) and it was filled with mold...and I'm not sure if it's preventable...I don't know if taking it out of the housing and letting it air dry would even help...just because of the way it's designed. In that case, that's what was causing his clothes to smell... the dispenser itself... here's the video if you're interested in watching CLICK HERE TO GO TO mark_wpduet's LINK | ||
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Post# 1224156 , Reply# 12 2/11/2025 at 17:58 by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Soap and detergent are different substances with different properties. Regard to "soap" build-up ... soap products can do so via scrud, which is residue formed from fats in the soap combined with minerals in hard water. Detergents are less likely to directly have that problem. More likely is accumulation of laundry soil resdue that doesn't sequester in the wash water and flush away due to insufficient dosing, accumuating on / adhering to the exterior of the drum, interior of the outer tub, and the tub boot. Scrud can form with both soaps and detergents related to excess use of liquid fabric softener, and lack of HOT water to melt/dissolve the scrud. | ||
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Post# 1224171 , Reply# 15 2/11/2025 at 19:16 by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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U.S. washers have not been labeled with temperature points on the controls since forever, except early in the ATC era when some models had a choice of ATC and non-ATC temp settings and the ATC positions referenced the ATC target for Warm or Cold. There's otherwise no way to control the flow to a target temperature, and no onboard heating, so no specific temperature could be attained. Hot is tap-hot which varies per the household water heater. Warm without ATC otherwise is a mix of tap-hot and tap-cold at whatever is the design flow-proportion of the inlet valve ... so not a specific temperature. Some in the 1950s and 1960s had mechanical thermostatic valves and stated in the user instructions or sales literature that warm was 100°F or some such. More deluxe models had 3-solenoid valves which provided a Medium temp of tap-hot plus a warm flow (of tap-hot + tap-cold) mixed in. But that also depends on the household hot water supply. | ||
| Post# 1224212 , Reply# 16 2/12/2025 at 08:30 by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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That warwick chemical powder sounds to me like what used to be Clorox 2 powder (color safe bleach) in the USA....which I think is now only liquid... I haven't used Clorox 2 in forever... I wonder if this is the same thing in one of the versions of Oxiclean?
the method that has always worked for me is when I do laundry, I do the mixed colors first, then jeans...finally, the white load... so the final load of my laundry session uses a little LCB (whatever amount the dispenser holds) which isn't much at all but is enough... I've always felt like that white load cleans the machine... after that, I know I won't be doing laundry for a few days.. I take dispenser out, drain it, sit on top of machine, then wipe the seal with a wet microfiber cloth... sometimes I'll go inside the seal and wipe there too, then I wipe the glass off. Aside from making sure not to overdo it with detergent/ FS and not overloading the machine... that's literally all I do as for temperature. I've never measured what the temps are but the 2 cycles I use are heavy duty and whitest whites for white loads.. Both default to HOT and uses the built in heater for both.. The least temp I've ever used is warm...but never ever cold | ||
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Post# 1224221 , Reply# 17 2/12/2025 at 10:18 by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan & Palm Springs, CA) |
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 Seems frequently now, though, the "eco" or "natural" liquid laundry detergents seem to be potassium soaps which then leave mold/mildew forming scum all over.
I'm intrigued by some of the "low waste" shops around which sell these types of detergents (one nearby claims to have a 5-enzyme cocktail in their laundry detergent) but then I remember I'm dealing with hard desert water and no matter the good hot water we've got here (washing machine adjacent to the WH) the scum is everpresent. Needs to wait till we're back in Michigan with a softener. | ||
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Post# 1224227 , Reply# 19 2/12/2025 at 10:57 by Combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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In over 50 years of working with and restoring washers
I have never seen any kind of detergent or soap buildup inside machines.
Yes, there is lots of scum and mineral deposits from using too little detergent or using poor quality detergents, that's a frequent problem and yes, liquid fabric softener can build up to some degree if you don't have good washing practices and use sufficiently hot water and plenty of detergent to remove it from the machine and the clothing as well The next time the clothing is washed. Detergents whether liquid or powdered generally dissolve very easily in water so even if some detergent was left from one load it would be gone the next time. We fixed a 1994 Whirlpool Direct Dr. washer the other month where I had had the basket out out of the washer about three years ago to replace a failed basket drive block. The machine was beautiful and clean and an excellent condition for such an old washer. We went back two months ago because the machine is now leaking. There was so much grudge buildup in the bottom of the outer tub. It was almost a half inch thick and it had corroded the center post through the center rubber seal in the plastic outer tub, I had to pull it all apart, clean it up put a new seal in and seal it back together. I asked the customer what has changed and she said oh I'm using these little laundry strips for the last three years, they're wonderful. The machine was gross but again it was not detergent building up. It was because you're not removing the dirt and soil that is in the clothing being laundered. It's settling out in the machine. I told her it's time to go back to using good detergent and hoter water. John L | ||
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Post# 1224234 , Reply# 20 2/12/2025 at 13:00 by Logixx (Germany) |
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"And our premium powders like Persil and Ariel." | ||
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Post# 1224235 , Reply# 21 2/12/2025 at 13:44 by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine) |
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| Post# 1224236 , Reply# 22 2/12/2025 at 13:54 by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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Post# 1224238 , Reply# 23 2/12/2025 at 14:46 by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA (considering moving to Temple, Texas)) |
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respect for machines It just goes to show that people have no respect for other people's machines. | ||
| Post# 1224296 , Reply# 26 2/13/2025 at 09:45 by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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Post# 1224307 , Reply# 27 2/13/2025 at 12:58 by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA (considering moving to Temple, Texas)) |
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finish ultimate If Finish Ultimate has taed in it, why not laundry detergent? You'd think the TOL laundry detergents would at least have it to activate oxygen bleach. | ||
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Post# 1224311 , Reply# 28 2/13/2025 at 14:34 by Logixx (Germany) |
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NOBS was developed by Procter & Gamble in 1983 and was first used in American laundry detergents in 1988. NOBS is the main bleach activator used in the U.S.A. and Japan. Compared to TAED, which is the predominant bleach activator used in Europe, NOBS is efficient at much lower temperatures.
--> CLICK HERE TO GO TO Logixx's LINK | ||
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Post# 1224312 , Reply# 29 2/13/2025 at 14:36 by appnut (TX) |
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Clorox website has Powdered version of Clorox 2. I found it on Amazon and Walmart. But I've ben using Biz powder since 2001 because it dealt with a stain after surgery that wouldn't budge otherwise.
My best friend from high school,his mom used Clorox 2 powder and this was back in 1970 to 1973 I'd been using Axion as a presoak in conjunction with the 30 minute Enzyme Soak cycle on our Kenmore 800. | ||
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Post# 1224349 , Reply# 30 2/14/2025 at 01:12 by askolover (South of Nash Vegas, TN) |
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I've been using front load washers since 1997 and have never had any smells or mold but like has been mentioned already, I DO use chlorine bleach, I NEVER use cold water, and I ALWAYS leave the door open. Common sense tells us that a warm moist environment is perfect for mold and mildew to grow. But common sense is really not very common especially in America.
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Post# 1224357 , Reply# 31 2/14/2025 at 08:49 by Combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Reply number 30, amen
My older Speed Queen front load washer is going to be 20 years old this year and I still marvel at how wonderful it smells inside and I’ve never attempted to do any cleaning of it. Just use it and use it
I once had a houseguest use the Speed Queen to wash several loads of his clothing and he was very picky about his clothing so he washed it all in cold water, when I went to use the washer a couple days later it had a mild smell in it just from a couple loads obviously your clothing is not clean if the washer smells when you’re done washing clothing. This is another reason for not using a warm rinse you leave the machine at the perfect temperature for bacteria to multiply and grow. Mold and smells are not limited to front load washers. We regularly do service calls where we’re asked to disassemble and clean top loading washers that are absolutely gross Because of poor usage habits. John L | ||
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Post# 1224361 , Reply# 33 2/14/2025 at 09:07 by luxflairguy (Wilmington NC) |
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115 degree hot water? Shame on you! NO wonder there's a problem! | ||
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Post# 1224362 , Reply# 34 2/14/2025 at 09:19 by Combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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The 115° water is not the problem
Because the tenant isn’t even selecting hot water in the first place.
You can actually wash in cold water, but you have to use twice the recommended detergent and you have to use chlorine bleach on a regular basis so it’s cheaper and faster to use some hot water. This machine has a heated or sanitized cycle. If you’re not gonna use chlorine bleach that must be used every few loads Always towels and sheets should be done on this cycle, regardless of the color of the items. The newer GE front loaders are 28 inches wide, somebody that’s handy can figure out how to attach the dryer to the new GE front loader but you could also buy a better front loader like a whirlpool or a Maytag or even an LG if you could find somebody that will repair it in your area. Also consider building a shelf and putting the dryer above the washer a couple inches that way the washer can be pulled out for servicing and replacement without having to buy a costly dryer as well in the future. We try to get our customers to build a shelf for the machine Greatly reduce the service expense. John L | ||
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Post# 1224367 , Reply# 35 2/14/2025 at 10:05 by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Post# 1224372 , Reply# 37 2/14/2025 at 11:51 by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA (considering moving to Temple, Texas)) |
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ultra fresh scam The GE ultra fresh sounds like a scam to me. Supposedly it would let you leave the door shut and smell fresh. | ||
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Post# 1224377 , Reply# 38 2/14/2025 at 13:30 by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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I thought 120f was the maximum tap water should be for Risk of burns?Only if one exposes oneself to it for sufficient time. Is anyone in the tenant's household expected to do that? The trick you may be overlooking is that washers nowadays have ATC (automatic temperature control) ... electronics with a sensor monitors the incoming water flow and modulates the hot valve on/off to limit the mixed temperature. The designated Normal cycle is the most restricted, being the basis for energy-ratings tests. It's not uncommon that Warm on Normal is mixed at 75°F to 80°F and hot 85°F to 95°F ... even if the household water heater is set at 140°F. Electronics and control software also allows different target temperatures *in the machine* for a given temp selection (Warm, Hot, Extra Hot) on the various cycles. Warm and Hot on Normal will be cooler than on Whites or Heavy Duty. Soil level also affects the temperature point. Getting a higher temperature, a reasonably warm Warm and somewhat hot Hot requires 1) increasing the Soil level and/or 2) choosing a more aggressive cycle (Whites, Heavy Duty, Sanitize) and/or 3) adding a Steam option or selecting Extra Hot temperature ... all depending on what choices a given machine provides. That's why you're being advised to instruct your tenant to run the Sanitize cycle (at the highest soil level) on a recurring/regular schedule so the machine's onboard water heater can do its thing for a reasonably HOT-zap to deal with residue accumulation. | ||
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