Maieth t1_ixu3bk1 wrote on November 26, 2022 at 10:30 AM

Switch from pods to basic powder.
I spent over a year trying to solve the same issue - repeated cleaning, cycles run with vinegar and baking soda, dedicated washing machine cleaners, hot cycles - nothing worked for more than a couple of weeks.
Someone recommended stopping using pods and switching to older tablets or boxed powder and thought it was worth a shot.
We now spend something like half the money on detergent, our clothes come out cleaner, stains shift better, everything smells fresher and the machine has been spotless and odour free ever since.

Pods are a scam!

Mindraker t1_ixue2wv wrote on November 26, 2022 at 12:56 PM

> Pods are a scam!

This. And you're probably using too much powder.

TheRealKingGordon t1_ixuhbpf wrote on November 26, 2022 at 1:31 PM

This^^^

Powdered detergent will fix this problem immediately.

blumpkinator2000 t1_ixul0bk wrote on November 26, 2022 at 2:07 PM

This is the correct answer. Biological or non-biological powder (not liquid or pods, and not colour care) contains oxygen bleaching agents, and a bleach activator called TAED which speeds up the reaction at lower temperatures. This combination forms peracetic acid during the wash, which itself has cleaning and disinfecting properties. Oxygen bleach is safe to use on colours, but even if you are concerned about darks fading over time, there's no reason why you can't use a liquid for these, and stick to powder for everything else.

Also, one other point: we hear a lot more about mouldy, smelly washing machines nowadays, and there is also far more emphasis on shorter, lower temperature cycles now. The two are very much related. It's not what people usually want to hear, but running longer, hotter cycles at least occasionally will help the machine clean itself through normal use, so it's less likely to turn rank in the first place.

I run my machine no lower than 40°C, using nothing more than regular powdered detergent and occasionally a little splash of softener, and it's still squeaky clean despite our ridiculously hard water. Detergent pods and quick washes are undoubtedly faster and easier to deal with, but there is a price to pay for that convenience.