Hey there moms, I just want to say first of all this is such a great site!!! Ok now with my question. We bought a used washer from my sister in law's sister (it is pretty old) and if you leave clothes in it for any lenght of time (even a few hours) you need to rewash it because it smells musty. As you know with a little one it is hard to get to the basement to change the laundry every time it needs to be changed. Is there anything I can put in it to make the smell go away or at least not be so strong?
Vinegar, and leave the washer lid open when it's not in use. BTW, I add vinegar during the wash cycle...there's no way I'm timing it to get back down there for the rinse cycle. However, if you have a bleach or fabric softener dispenser that you don't use, I suppose you could try adding the vinegar in there for a "timed release". I never thought about it...I just always added vinegar with the soap.
White vinegar - put it in the rinse. Your clothes will not smell even after sitting. It probably will get the smell out of the washer too.
I have a washing machine from 1987 and it worked for me.
By the way vinegar can be used as a fabric "softner". It will not get rid of static, to avoid that do not put synthetics in the dryer.
I third the vinegar idea. This is what we use on my daughter's cloth diapers and it works great. To get the smell out of the washer, put about a cup of vinegar in the wash with a couple small towels. That should work!
