Is LA's totally awesome all purpose concentrate cleaner degreaser spot remover able to clean the washer for odd smells too? I have to get a funky stinky smell out of the washer before I can't wash my clothes anymore! It's getting nasty!
Totally Awesome Cleaner is good for many things but I do not think it is the best method for removing smells from your washing machine.
You do not say if you have a top-loading machine or a front loading machine (HE) and the method to remove foul smells/odors is entirely different with these models.
One thing to remember for sure; if you have an HE machine always use only 1/2 as much of any product that states it's for cleaning a top-loading machine.
I have a top-loader and I use baking soda and vinegar on a regular basis but there are several other ways that you might want to think about.
If your washer has not been cleaned in a long time it may take more than one cleaning to remove all of the foul smell.
Here are a couple of links that have some very good suggestions for both styles of washers.
www.21oak.com/
www.howards.com/
First of all, you need to get rid of the source of the smell.
I found a great post about this problem www.bobvila.com/
So, first clean your washing machine. Remove the soap, bleach, and softener dispensers and scrub them individually. Use an old toothbrush to get inside the cracks and crevices and a pipe cleaner to dig out buildup lodged inside the pipes of the dispensers.
Then sanitize the machine using chlorine bleach. It's the absolutely best solution for killing mold and mildew. Just take precautions when using it and don't mix it with other cleaners. Set the washer to the highest possible temperature setting. Add four cups of bleach to a top-loading machine or two cups to a front-loader, then start a cycle. Let the tub fill, and stop the wash cycle once the agitator has mixed in the bleach. Allow the bleach water to sit for 30 minutes, and then resume the cycle. One more run of the rinse cycle should remove all traces of bleach.
To remove any last lingering smells use vinegar. Set your washer on its hottest setting. Add four cups of plain white vinegar (not balsamic or apple cider) to a top-load machine or two cups to a front-load model. Don't use laundry detergent or anything else in this cycle. Allow the tub to fill, then stop the wash cycle once the agitator has mixed the vinegar and water. After 30 minutes, turn the washer back on and allow the cycle to resume until complete.
Awesome Cleaner is ok for the laundry. But you need to clean and sanitize your washing machine. Using too much detergent can cause your wash machine to smell bad.
I would get the smell out by using vinegar instead.
Is it ok to put a couple cups of the awesome streak free Cleaning Vinegar in my rinse cycle just basically make them softerror like regular white Vinegar does . I know it's probably not good but I ask my girl to grab some at the store and she brought home this.
We just had a technician to our building regarding this. The technician recommended that we stop using fabric softener and showed me where the smell was coming from so I could clean it myself. He also recommended I read an article regarding fabric softener on Consumer Reports. I removed the fabric softener dispenser and found complete black grossness, included clogged drain holes w/ 1/2" gunk. No more smell. He said that they clean washers but I could also do it myself with one load with oil or other mild degreaser then another load with the cleaning vinegar from Dollar Tree as that is what they do.
