How do you keep your clothes smelling good?

How do you keep your clothes smelling fresh? I think part of it is my washer. But I’ve run the self clean cycles. Vinegar and baking soda. All the things I know to do. It’s a front load without an agitator. Someone gave it to us which is super sweet but we didn’t have this issue with our old washer. I don’t know what else to do!

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I wash towels at 90° once a month to keep the machine clean and wash everything else in a long cotton wash at 40° with adequate detergent and booster if stained. I leave the door open between washes to air. I can leave clean clothes in there wet for days without smells, but that’s only because of emergencies. I empty the filter at the first sign of trouble. We live on a farm and I dress my kids in white- if we have trouble with stubborn stains I’ll soak in bleach. I’ve never used vinegar or baking soda and would be reluctant to recommend that- don’t come at me if it works for you, great!

I would never leave clothes in the washer. Yuck. They go in dryer immediately.

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I clean the drum/door and trap once a week. I wash everything on cold. I use gain ordor control bc I have teens and young ones and my husband works in a heavy machine shop. I use resolve in every load and the scent bead things. Dry on normal temps with bounce sheets. If I dry on hot the clothes smell kinda burnt. Once a month I use the little packet thingy you can buy for front load washers and use the self clean option.

Have you cleaned the door seal? And do a clean washer cycle with bleach. Do not close the door after using it, it needs to dry out between washes.

My front load washer had a drain hose at the bottom corner and I had to drain it after every cleaning cycle, maybe yours does too?? I was also struggling with the bad smell no matter how many times I cleaned it or used softeners and scent beads. I found out it’s common for the front load washers to mold and mildew inside so I gave up and bought a top load and got rid of it, was a good decision. :sweat_smile:

We keep the washer open so it dries instead of being musty