Dryer Smell?

Updated on September 28, 2011
L.C. asks from Lewisville, TX
7 answers

Good morning ladies!
Ok, so I'm fairly new to doing laudry and knowing all the tricks. I have noticed recently that my dryer has a kind of yuck smell. Almost like a sweaty shirt. I've never dried anything in it but clothes straight from the washer. What do you think is causing this smell? And how do I get rid of it?

A little bit on how I wash my clothes: I use dye free perfume free detergent and no fabric softener. I do use dryer sheets that have a scent.
Thank you!!

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone for the responses! I think I will try the vinegar thing and tell my husband to clean out the vents! I use my dryer almost everyday but maybe I'm not drying my clothes enough?
Again, thank you everyone for the responses! I love this site!!!

More Answers

S.M.

answers from Kansas City on

Try wetting a small towel in vinegar and drying it.

1 mom found this helpful

T.J.

answers from Los Angeles on

maybe a bunch of lint is stuck behind the lint trap?

1 mom found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from Chicago on

I'm with Trudi...Lint stuck somewhere making the exhaust back up and trapping odors?

A.S.

answers from Detroit on

I've never had a dryer smell like that. And I've had some OOOOLLLLDDD driers.

Also... Electric or gas? BIG difference in the drying mechanism.

Smelling like a sweaty shirt would be moisture not getting dried... Like for WEEKS at a time.

How often do you do laundry? If it's only once a week and you don't have to use the dryer but once or twice that entire week, you probably have a moisture buildup from not using it much.

OR it's an old dryer that isn't effective like it once was anymore...

OR you're overloading it.

If it's simply an old dryer... Check prices... You can get a new dryer for less than $300.

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A.M.

answers from Dallas on

I have had this problem and there could be two issues. Do you have a front loading washer? I did and they are notorious for odor. I tried using washer cleaner, cleaning it all the time and it never worked. My front loader is gone and so is the odor. Second issue could be a gas exhaust smell. If the lint has built up somewhere the gas exhaust can't get out so your clothes will smell terrible. This happened about two weeks ago to me. We took out the lint trap and with a light looked inside and we had a mess. As we vacuumed the lint out we saw a SPOON in the trap. Yes, my darling little boys probably dropped a spoon in while helping with laundry. They like to clean the lint off for some reason so we think in the process they had a small spoon and just dropped it in the hole when they removed the trap. After getting this cleaned out and a few cycles, everything is back to normal.

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B.

answers from Augusta on

I'd try putting a towel with vinegar on it in the dryer and running it, vinegar is very good at getting out smells.

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K.B.

answers from San Antonio on

I have never had my dryer smell like that but my washer has. I am sure you check the lint filter but have you checked the vent that comes out the back of your dryer? Sometimes lent builds up in there. Not to sound gross but could some little critter gotten in to the dryer/motor area and taken up residence or died. Is it an older dryer? I don't really know what could be causing it. Humm, now I will be thinking about this all day haha!

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