Have you ever taken your clothes out of the washing machine, only to find that they smell of either a faint odor, or a very strong one? Maybe you’ve tried rinsing them with no such luck, and you can tell that the machine is starting to smell, too. One of the primary reasons your washing machine and items might smell is because of a lack of cleanliness within. You might smell something musky, or something mouldy, and there are many reasons why this happens. Some of these reasons include:
Heating Elements That Are Broken
Do you find that after the drying portion has completed, the clothes smell once they’re taken out of the machine? If so, this may be because of a faulty heating element. When the bacteria is killed during the process, the water that’s used must be hot. When your water is not hot, and is lukewarm and below, the bacteria within the machine and the clothes begin to breed like rabbits. Over time, when not diagnosed, this can make the machine smell awful.
Filters Becoming Clogged
Another huge reason why clothes or a washing machine can become smelly is when there’s a blockage in the filter. This can be because of a simple gum wrapper or a hair band left in someone’s pocket, but it can result in something much larger than that – including bacteria, dirt build-up, and a terrible smell.
Detergent Can Also Be the Culprit
What kind of detergent are you using to clean your clothes? There are some that don’t contain any bleach at all, which can deter the detergent from being able to kill that odor-causing bacteria. If this happens over time, and nothing is killing the bacteria, you can get a truly gross smell over your clothes, in your machine, and around your home.
When you combine this with lowered temperatures, you can get some nasty smells and bacteria accumulating. You can easily fix this by using a type of detergent that uses bleach and ensure that you’re regularly cleaning the dispenser for the detergent.
How to Clean Your Washing Machine Unit
Have you already checked to see if your heating elements and filters are fine? Then you may simply want to clean out the entire appliance by removing the dispenser for the detergent and putting it in hot water. Then, you want to take a toothbrush and remove any mould of bacteria build-up that has occurred over time. After this, without any clothing, run an empty wash through your machine with a simple cup of white vinegar. In doing so, you can sanitise the machine with ease.
Upon completion of the cycle, you must leave the door open to the machine to air it out and remove dampness. If the aforementioned steps still didn’t work, you will want to contact a professional like Alpha Appliance Services Inc. at (416) 577-5354 today to help diagnose your unit or repair your washer.
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