Zero odor on our 4 1/2 year old GE front-loader. Like you mentioned, I also leave the door open when not in use. I also clean it once a week or so with Affresh washing machine cleaning tablets on the cleaning cycle. Looks (and smells) like new.

Dadoes is correct. He is our resident expert. No telling how the machine was used. Cold water washes, use of only liquid detergents, under dosing... any of these can cause what you are experiencing. No amount of wiping what you can reach will help. If it were my machine here is what I would do .... buy a couple bottles of citrus acid in the canning section of the store and run 2 consecutive cleaning cycles using an entire bottle each time. You can also buy it in bulk on Amazon..... at least 2 cleaning cycles. It won’t cost much to try that and see if it helps at all. Hot water washes and powdered detergents will help keep this problem away as well as wiping it out after the last cycle of the day , including taking out the detergent drawer and wiping inside of that compartment along with leaving the door open like you do....

Run a cleaning cycle with a cup of bleach once a week for about 3 weeks. Use hot/warm washes and a powdered laundry detergent like Tide, Gain, Cheer or All. The stink issues will go away. No need to buy a new machine.

Agree with all of the above. My LG, granted only a year old, still smells fresh and new inside. I run a lot of extra hot wash loads, and a cleaning cycle every two weeks, every other one being with bleach. Also leave the door cracked open when not in use, and no issues of any kind.

Too many people have no idea how to adjust their habits to different situations.

Our 7-year old front loader smells great. I learned good FL washer laundry habits from the people here in this forum. THANK YOU, laundry forum folks!!!

I've never had an odor problem with any of the FL washing machines I've had over the last 20+ years though I was leery of that when I first got one because there were so many complaints. I've used nothing by powder detergent and have always left the door ajar and emptied any water out of the detergent tray and left that out or open. I never did any special cleaning until recently and I guess just because the machine tells me it's time to do it and figure it can't hurt. I too learned good FL habits from the GW laundry forum when I first got one.

7 yr old FL still smells new. door and detergent drawer always left open, at least 2 sanitizing loads a week. I have always used liquid detergent in it, never any fabric softener and I run a clean cycle, maybe every 2 months.

I inherited a front loader in the home we moved into 4 years ago (don't know how old the machine is). It's an MCT brand ("Maytag Commercial Technology"). I learned the hard way about the stink. Called a plumber out, who told me it was the washing machine. It was so bad I didn't believe him. But I ordered some washing machine cleaner (Affresh, I think) from Amazon and in the meantime ran a wash cycle with some bleach and Borax. (We have septic, so bleach is not a good idea, it kills the healthy organisms, but it had to be done. If you have septic, don't do this more than once a month). Then I ran a couple of cycles with the cleaner tablets. The smell went away, and now I am careful to wipe out the seal after EVERY wash let the fan run in the laundry room until it's completely dried out. Haven't had an issue since.

Best of luck to you and I hope your situation is not beyond repair.

HattieCarroll,

Your washer is just a Maytag brand, built by Whirlpool (Whirlpool bought Maytag in 2006). MCT is a marketing logo.

Cite the model and serial number here if you want me to decode the model-year (coded in the model number), and year/week of manufacture (coded in the serial number).

Thanks dadoes, that is a very kind offer. I figured it wasn't *actually* a commercial grade product, as is obvious from the build quality and lack of industrial look/feel of it. I was just listing the name in case anybody was interested. I'm not all that curious about the details of the machine, now that I've got it deodorized and working okay. :-)

I have had front loaders for over 20 years and have never had an odor problem. I use vinegar in the fabric softener cup in every load and leave the washer door ajar when the machine is not being used.

fillmoe, why vinegar in the fabric softener cup in every wash?

KATHY, how do you keep clothes soft without softener use?

(New to this forum; my FL is four months old and I'm reading up to keep it in great shape for as long as possible!)

I run the "basket clean" cycle of my GE front loader using 1/4 cup of liquid Cascade dishwasher detergent once a month (I've used the pods too). Also, I wipe down the gasket area of the washer, remove and wipe out the detergent drawer and cavity after each use and leave it open about an inch over night. The door is kept open about three inches. NEVER a bad odor.

BTW, it's been said that vinegar strips the detergent residue from laundry during rinsing and softens. I prefer to add a little 20 Mule Team Borax to each load, about a tablespoon or two. It's been said that it prevents the redepositing of residue during the wash and softens the water allowing detergent to work harder. I do find that I have a cleaner, fresher smelling wash.

I have Electrolux FL for 7 years. We live in Florida...heat/humidity.

Never had a smell. The machine reminds you to do a bleach clean about every 20+ washes, which I do. I only use liquid Tide and Downy liquid fabric softener.

Love this machine!

Jane