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[catweazle]

My machine has stopped smelling since I tried a tip - can't for the life of me think where I got it from, but this is what I do:

Mine's a cold fill like everyone elses and as Taz says, the water only gets hot enough towards the end of the washing cycle. So I put the powder in the drawer (or liquid in the drum depnding on which takes my fancy), start the machine then 'pause' it just as it starts to fill. I fill up my kettle with hot water from the tap and pour it into the drawer (only slightly open, not fully out - don't want it to go all over the floor!). On the cottons wash it takes 5 kettlefuls on the initial fill, less on the synthetics cycle.
My washing is noticeably cleaner and I've got no unpleasant smells! 

It does mean standing over the machine for a few minutes while it's filling up but I think it's worth the effort. I imagine I might be saving a bit on the leccy too (I have a hot water tank that's heated by the gas boiler every day so I might as well use the hot water up if it's there anyway).

Hubby thinks I'm bonkers doing this but I don't care! 

Catweazle x

[CLKD]

Bette - my hot wash plus towels does the job of putting the machine on a hot wash without laundry 

[limpy]

Catweazle7 - we have to do a similar thing. The machine should put hot water in, but it's broken. We fill a bucket with hot water from the tap and pour it in through the detergent drawer, has to be done slowly or it goes everywhere. 

It does take time, but OH seems to do it, he got fed up with me getting it all over the floor, much appreciated. 

[san]

I've gone back to using powder. I realised the liquid wash making the machine smell. Powder's cheaper too 

[Taz2]

The problem with doing the maintenance wash with a load in is that the powder is absorbed into the clothes and doesn't actually clean the machine.

I think these cold fill machines are throwing us back into the dark ages! I have to soak my white socks etc. before I put them in the machine in order for them to get anywhere near as clean as they used to and white shirts and t-shirts are taking on a grey colour. Give me back my old un-green machine!!

Taz x

[catweazle]

I've gone back to using powder. I realised the liquid wash making the machine smell. Powder's cheaper too 

I've only fairly recently gone back to using powder for certain wash cycles. I bought some from Aldi - it was as cheap as chips and it's brilliant, especially for whites. Pouring the hot water into the drawer from the kettle helps it dissolve - if I let the machine cold fill there's always some left stuck to the sides of the drawer.
I'm sure these so called green machines must use more leccy than the old hot fill ones. The heating element seems to be on for ages. I have an energy monitor so I can see how how long it's on and how much it's costing me. 

Catweazle x

[CLKD]

For the first time ever I put a stained jumper into a 'pre-wash' programme and was amazed that even without any powder, the amount of suds at the door  ....... even though this jumper has been washed on a gentle programme and rinsed/spun gently 

[san]

That's confusing. Where did the suds come from if you didn't use powder 

[pixie]

The previous suds???   

[san]

From the jumper or from the machine ?

[Taz2]

From the jumper - it's a sign of poor rinsing which is normally due to the short programmes and small amount of water used nowadays apparently.

Taz x

[Bette]

Could it also be from any softener used previously? I'd always assumed that some must "stay in" the clothes for them to smell of it. 
Bette x

[CLKD]

I haven't used softener on this particular jumper.  Expect it's from lack of thorough rinsing!

[giniboz]

Muchos apologias if someone else has already said this (but can't read all six pages - in lunch hour at work!!) but after I was moaning about my smelly machine, a colleague of mine suggested I get a big bottle of Milton sterilising fluid (or you can get a cheapy version in Savers) the stuff that you use for sterilising baby bottles, and pour the whole lot into all the drawers and slosh the rest around the drum.  Put on a hot, hot wash, and voila!  Fragrant smelling machine, and problem solved (well, for me anyway, my machine was really smelling of old drains, and it was revolting.  I had also tried bleach, vinegar etc.) 

Hope this helps.

P x

[CLKD]

   I use Milton for everything