Fungus odor in clothes washers is caused by fungus that attaches to plastic and rubber parts in your washer. Clothes washers provide the perfect environment for fungus to grow because of the dark,wet conditions and because the detergent buildup is a food source. These fungus spores accumulate and are transferred to clothing and towels (especially cotton). In order to remove the odor it is necessary to get rid of the fungus and mildew from the washer before trying to remove it from clothing and towels.
The places where the fungus is heaviest are just above the normal high water mark where water and suds splash against inside of the outer tub and at the bottom of the tub where there is always water and excess detergent settles to the bottom while the washer is not being used.
MOST users of Smellywasher cleaner are able to remove the fungus odor by simply adding a tablespoon of cleaner to a ”hot” setting and allowing the washer to go through it’s cycle. The next paragraph describes how to use Smellywasher cleaner to remove odor from your washer in extreme cases. It is a good idea to do a “practice” run not using cleaner if unsure about the operation of the unit.
To remove this fungus buildup fill your washer into it’s highest, hottest setting and wait for agitation to begin. Pause the unit and add 1-2 tablespoons of smellywasher clothes washer cleaner and 1-3 gallons of hot water directly into the tub in order to raise the water level above the fungus line (DO NOT ADD MORE THAN 5 GALLONS OF WATER TO A FRONT LOAD WASHER). If your unit is a front loader and you can’t get the door open you can add water and cleaner through the detergent dispenser. Some washers will drain automatically if too much water is added. If this is the case - adjust the amount of water added. Some users have reported to simply unplug the unit. Allow the unit to agitate for a few moments to get the cleaner dispersed and then and allow it to soak for 2-4 hours. Normally, you can push “pause” ONCE and soak for as long as desired. Start the washer and allow it to go through the rest of it’s cycle. Fill the unit again into it’s hottest setting, add 1 more tablespoon of the cleaner and 1-3 gallons of hot water. Allow to agitate for a few moments. Stop and allow it to soak overnight. In the morning start the unit again and allow it to go through the rest of it’s cycle. You MAY OR MAY NOT see any fungus loose and floating to the top during either cleaning. If you do see any floating fungus the machine will remove it during the “drain” cycle - or if you feel comfortable doing so you can manually remove it. After the washer drains run 1-2 rinse cycles. PLEASE BE PATIENT as time is needed in order for the plastic and rubber parts in the washer to release the fungus that it has absorbed (sometimes for years). It may take several days and/or rinses for the odor to be completely removed. Please use your washer as normal in the interim of waiting for the odor to go away.
If you’re unable or unwilling to do any of the above - you can add several (3) older towels to your washer, put into a hot setting and allow it to go through it’s cycle. The added weight of the towels will increase the amp draw (work performed) of the motor causing the control to add more water. The towels also cause a “wave” effect splashing the solution higher up the side of the outer tub. Allow to soak as advised.
Don’t try to remove odor from towels and clothing until odor is completely removed from the washer. To remove odor from towels and clothing just add 1 teaspoon of cleaner instead of detergent. Rewash the clothing, rinse and dry as normal.

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All manufacturers of dishwashers claim that for proper drying rinse aid must be used.

Rinse aid’s only purpose is to aid in drying and reduce waterspots. It does this by changing the surface tension of water.

When a drop of water is put on a smooth surface it beads up. It is surface tension that holds that bead and it is the natural state of water. Just a drop of rinse aid changes the surface tension of a lot of water and makes it flow off objects easier. RINSE AID IS DISPENSED IN THE RINSE CYCLE OF A DISHWASHER. When a glass from a dishwasher that uses rinse aid is filled with water, bubbles rise to the top and fall back down. It is not detergent that causes those bubbles - it is rinse aid. PEOPLE ARE MADE OF 75 %WATER! It is not a good idea for us and especially children to drink anything that changes the surface tension of water.

If you’re not satisfied with how your dishwasher dries without using rinse aid you can pop the door ajar (1″) up to 30 minutes after the “dry” cycle. This is called “flash” drying and provides venting for moist air to escape from the tub. Do not leave the door open all the way as that is an accident waiting to happen. A few more waterspots may be noticed if rinse aid use is stopped but one must weigh the practicality of ingesting a chemical against having spotless dishes.

In order to freshen clothing many consumers like to add liquid fabric softener to their wash. Softener is dispensed in your washer by either gravity, centrifugal force or by suction created by flowing water and is simply too thick to be properly dispensed. If the user is adamant about using softener it should be diluted with water before using. Some experts claim by as much as 6:1 (water to softener, respectively). If used without diluting it can congeal and plug the dispensing ports and/or cause odor.

Dryer sheets can also be overused. They contain siliconized chemicals that can coat towels and cause them to be less absorbent. The chemicals can also coat a sensor that detects moisture in clothing on “automatic” settings in almost all dryers. This can cause long dry times and also multiple repair attempts.

There are many opinions that dryer sheets and fabric softeners contain carcinogens. The FDA claims that shampoos, detergents, deodorants, creams, soaps and other cosmetic products are not absorbed by the skin. To me that seems unlikely and past mistakes by the FDA would want me to assess my use of many products. Some articles that discuss this can be found at http://www.naturalnews.com/002693.html / http://www.ghchealth.com/forum/post-325.html http://shop.sixwise.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=92

Dryer balls are a newer, chemical-free alternative to both softeners and sheets. They soften by lifting and separating the clothing which allows air to pass more easily between items. The balls don’t cause as much noise as one may suspect because of raised nubs which take the force when hitting the side of the dryer drum. They work well but don’t leave the fresh scent of softeners and sheets and don’t completely eliminate static cling. The latter is more noticeable in colder climates. The balls cost around ten dollars for a package of two.