Washer water smells

[nickyg]

My washer drains directly into a utility tub in our laundry room. We have been noticing that the water that empties into the tub after a washer cycle smells horrible!!! (kind of eggy/or pooy) We have a private well and do not notice this smell anywhere else in the house. We can even use the utility tub itself without getting the smell. I have cleaned all of the pipes and flexible hoses associated with the washer and the tub and the smell persists. We even tried changing laudry detergent to get rid of the smell. Didnt work......

Could the laudry detergent be reacting with something in the water to create the smell? Does the water pass through some part of the washer that causes it to smell. Maybe there is a part of the washer that needs cleaned or replaced?? It is a fairly old washer....

Thanks

[Mike Swearingen]

I would try running the washer on a no-clothes "small load" with a gallon or two of bleach poured in it to see if that cleans out the odor.
Stop the washer when it begins to pump out the bleach water and let it sit overnight. Then let it continue to run through the rest of the wash cycle the next day.
Good Luck!
Mike

[Gary Slusser]

I agree with the process but believe 1-2 gallons of bleach and waiting overnight to spin out the water and then fill and put the washer into spin with non chlorinated water is too much. The bleach can damage seals, gaskets, 'rubber' tubing/drain line and metals etc. in the washer.

I suggest a quart and waiting 30-45 minutes. The minimum contact time for disinfection with chlorine is usually stated as 20 minutes. Usually viruses aren't effected by chlorine.

If the sink faucet has a aerator faucet tip, take it off without losing any parts and put it in a glass of water with a cap full of bleach for about 20-25 minutes. That will disinfect it.