Speed Queen top-loader towels smell bad

[eemac]

I have a 2017-era Speed Queen AWN432 top-loader. It's been mostly a good machine, but . . .

1. Clothes are getting stained over time. I don't remember that happening with my front-loader. If food falls on a shirt, there's a shadow of a stain left after washing.
2. Towels smell *bad*. This is especially sad since the first few loads in the new washer smelled SO CLEAN. I was literally burying my face in the laundry and saying, "I forgot how good this smells!" Now we make a point not to smell our towels.

Info relevant to debugging:

I use Bounce or Kirkland dryer sheets.

Non-towel clothes smell okay coming out of the washer, but not "OMG this is great" like when the washer was new.

I used Kirkland laundry detergent for about 15 years. I switched to Arm & Hammer this year to try to fix the smell problem. Towels smell better but not good.

I ran a full-size empty wash with hot water and bleach to try to clean out the washer. It didn't help.

The washer is used one day a week. The lid stays open when not in use.

What do you guys think? Suggestions?

 

[henene4]

The typical "smelly towels" syndrome is one of the only things I know that really basically always goes back to cool washing.
I wash a lot of stuff cooler than most here would, but towels and bedding are 60C at least.

Might be an EU thing, but every time I go someones place and their towels smell, especially when damp, a long wash at 60C and enough rinses fixes that immediately.

Especially given you also mention the stains left over, I think this very much sounds like a general wash performance issue.

Machine faults that could also result in poor washing would usually show in different ways as well.
A loose belt could reduce agitation - but would cause poor spinning as well.

Maybe check that the hot water valve is working correctly?
That could lead to lower than expected water temps.

Otherwise, yeah, TLs just love plenty of high quality detergent and bleach where ever possible.

 

[mrsalvo]

Hi Michael,
Yes! I was having about the same problems, and I own a 2015 SQ 432 as well. I think it’s the laundry detergent more than anything, I too was having the staining issue and very foul smelling towels, noticed it when the towels and wash cloths got wet after showering and hung the towels up to dry over the curtain rod. The best way I could describe the stench was soured vomit, reeked to the high heavens. Couldn’t abide by that anymore and I went out and bought a bottle of Persil Pro Clean liquid, and rewashed all towels and face cloths in hot water using a heavy dose of detergent included a 20 minute soak after agitation started, and two or three rinses. I do not use dryer sheets and rarely use fabric softener. It helped quite a bit with the smell, and towels seemed a lot cleaner. I have white towels. It could be a build up of detergent in the clothes, SQ has a very short rinse cycle. Don’t think that cycle is long enough to get it all out, so I’ll turn the timer to Eco Cycle after wash spin and use that as my rinse cycle, the full timer length,

(At my Dr’s recommendation I had been using All Free & Clear due to skin sensitivity issues, and I thought it was doing a good job but now suspect that many bottom and middle shelf detergents aren’t cutting the body oils, sebum, out of the clothes totally, as they don’t have the number of enzymes top shelf detergents contain. That’s my theory anyway. Find it ironic as the price of All Free & Clear isn’t exactly cheap anymore, priced just below Tide lately.)

As for the staining, I only add detergent now after agitation begins. I don’t pour it directly on the clothes anymore. I think maybe water hardness might play a factor into it as well.

I’m really torn on detergents lately. I’ve read that some consumers are finding holes in the cothes plus bad fading with Persil, so I use it sparingly. At least no stench is occurring right now.
Also don’t let wet clothes sit in the washer after cycle is done. Have read that mold sour smell can start sitting into the clothes fairly quickly, about 20 minutes after cycle is done, that’s what read somewhere.

Can’t abide sour smelling towels and sheets. I hope this helps.

Ditch the Arm & Hammer.

Barry

 

[48bencix]

Hot Wash

I have the same washer. I use hot water for all my washes and it works well. These machines have cold water rinses so you really need that hot water. I also use Tide powder poured in the bottom of the machine. I have the switch set to fill with the lid open so the detergent starts to dissolve before I add the clothes. We also use Liquid Tide with bleach for some loads. Also use the heavy duty cycle not the normal cycle.

 

[mrsalvo]

Also, that spin between wash and rinse is slow, it does not ramp up until the last spin. Plus there’s a very short spray rinse on that spin as well so clothes are still quite saturated when rinse cycle starts. They designed that for permanent press fabrics, at least that’s my understanding. The rinse cycle is 2 minutes long, unless 2 second rinse is chosen then it’s a bit longer. I think this is a design flaw IMHO. That soapy water is still in there.

Barry

 

[petek]

First get rid of the budget laundry detergent and get Tide or Persil upper brands. Are you overloading the washer and/or dryer.. That's what caused the issue with my partners clothes stinking to high heaven. I could smell it when they were drying, like old gym socks and shorts.. And add an extra rinse and don't overdo the detergent either, get the dosing right. More isn't always better.

 

[panasonicvac]

When I was living up in Washington state and used two SQ top loaders, I never noticed that problem before even with just using Kirkland detergent alone. But I did however noticed it on my LG front loader even with warm and hot water wash. So this is what I've been doing that solved my problem. I've been adding OxiClean Odor Blasters on my darks and whites that cannot be bleached every time, that had been a huge game changer. And I've been adding Clorox on whites that can be bleached every time, not just once in a while anymore. I also used some Lysol Laundry Sanitizer before and I liked the scent that it left behind, reminds me of the commercial chemicals that janitors use. Vinegar helps break down the detergent during the rinse cycle.

 

[brisnat81]

I agree with Hene, as someone who grew up in the 80s with the advent of Coldpower and cold water washes, I always associate smelly towels with cool wash temps. You need to be washing towels at 120-140 if you want them to stay odor free.

Do they smell when dry, or only after they’ve been used once or twice?

The best advice is never use the Cold wash option, wash everything in warm or hot and check your hot water heater is set to 140.

 

[littlegreeny]

My experience with foul smelling towels was a build up of detergent residue. Have you tried washing the towels on the heavy duty cycle on hot with no detergent? I wouldn't be surprised if you see suds on both the wash and rinse.

Get your towels thoroughly rinsed and then switch to a high quality powder detergent such as Tide and only use 1 or 2 tablespoons (yes that's enough) for your towels. Use the heavy duty cycle on hot.

Good luck!

 

[eemac]

> Do they smell when dry, or only after they’ve been used once or twice?

They smell immediately after washing, and continuously afterwards.

I just tried the "Persil Proclean + many rinses" approach. The towels smell okay instead of bad. That's an improvement! I'll plan on an extra spray rinse in the future, see how things go. Thanks all for the help.

 

[combo52]

Stinky towels, etc.

Lots of good advice, but this is the basic problem with using a top load washer. You have to use a lot of good detergent and a lot of hot water to get things as clean as you get them in the front load washer if you’ve been used to using a front loader, you’re gonna have to more than double your detergent usage, also skip the cheaper brands like arm and hamme.

I still use my top load washers on occasion, but I always use the wash water too or even three times. It’s just too big and investment in water, heating and detergent, the top loader concept was really meant to be used in wringer washers where you used the water over and over once you built up a good washing solution.

You basically cannot use too much detergent, and there is no such thing as detergent buildup, the amount of detergent left in a load of clothing is never greater than the detergent concentration in the last rinse that they were rinsed in, detergent, dissolves easily, and water, so it can’t build up it only ever be as strong as the last rinse.

Liquid chlorine bleach is also a very effective way to be absolutely sure that there is no odor left in towels, sheets, etc.. I always use a small amount of liquid chlorine bleach near the end of the wash cycle in light colored towels, etc. I actually left my white sheets closed in my front load Speed Queen washer for four weeks one time when I was in Australia, open, the door, took them out. They smelled absolutely fresh and wonderful. You shouldn’t have anything growing in your clothing.

If you do use a lot of detergent, use an extra rinse and you’ll have virtually nil amounts of detergent left in the clothing.

It’s not really possible for the belts to slip during agitation on a Speed clean top load washer, so that’s not the problem.

 

[littlegreeny]

Too much detergent

This is a topic I completely disagree with John on. You can easily use too much detergent, I have experienced this first hand, especially when I had a top loader. Excess detergent will stick to laundry and in extreme cases, cause a sticky or waxy soap scum-type buildup in your clothes. Eventually this causes biofilm to grow and those bad odors to develop.

Why do you think so many detergents have odor release technology? It's just a strong perfume to cover up that funk that many folks have in their laundry.

You could try adding a couple of tablespoons of borax to your loads and see if that helps.

 

[helicaldrive]

Clean the inside of the agitator

Pull up on the fabric softener dispenser to remove it. Or see You Tube videos on how to do that. Then check the inside of the agitator. It is hollow. And might be filmed with black mold or other smelly slime from detergent and/or fabric softener build up.

Also try washing your towels with chlorine bleach, then next with clear non-sudsing ammonia, about a half to a full cup for a full load. Ammonia will strip any detergent or softener build up. So will vinegar. Neither will leave behind any odor, hard as that may be to believe.

 

[mark_wpduet]

I hope you find the source. I think there are multiple factors which could cause this... cold water, overloading, not using bleach or at least hot water and sometimes I think if the washers are in an area that isn't climate controlled that can cause it too..

I do not think it's using bargain detergent...cuz I've used that for YEARS with no issues...but I also use bleach with whites and never wash in cold water.

Aren't speed queens outer tub stainless steel? Maybe it IS the agitator.

 

[DADoES]

Biofilm

 
A search finds some reports that a primary cause of biofilm in washing machines is the combination nowadays of decreased temperatures and elimination of the stronger, caustic detergent ingredients that were common in the past along with consumers shying away from chlorine bleach.

One paper says that the recommended detergent concentration (referenced as 7 g l⁻¹, presumably per the product usage instructions?) of whatever type of detergent was involved isn't sufficient to destroy biofilm.  A dosage range of 0.0007–7 g was tested.  The paper is behind a paywall for full access.

Another lab compared that the amount of biofilm coming into the washer (presumably via the water supply and what's already on the fabrics?) was equal to what remains or accumulates in the machine after the typical washing process is complete.

 

[helicaldrive]

Colored towels?

Most likely chlorine bleach will not change their color or change them to white. Hard to believe but I’ve never had a bath towel change color with chlorine bleach. Besides, what difference does it make. Getting clean is more important. Also make sure you’re drying them on highest heat.

Good luck!

 

[mark_wpduet]

I've ruined colors on towels in the past with LCB. The colors remained uniform, not blotchy or spotted...but they were a really super faded ugly color and you could tell they had been bleached... and this was only with a little LCB. In fact, I still have two faded bleached beige towels...I also have a set of dark navy blue bed sheets that it did the same thing....but I don't care about the sheets as long as they're clean.

There have been a couple of times in the past where I had a really gross load that I was prepared to throw away...and used LCB and the hottest water and the LCB didn't phase those loads of mixed colors...so I don't know.

 

[me]

Coloured towels

Being from the UK, top loaders and using chlorine bleach in a washing machine are alien to me, however I would have thought it would be better to use the relatively colour safe oxygen bleach plus a bleach activator with colours. I believe TAED works best at 40C+ and SNOBS needs about 30C+. Oxygen bleach + TAED makes peracetic acid in the machine which is an excellent biocide and oxidiser.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

heavy duty

I'd stay away from normal eco and stick to heavy duty.