Mine are fine. The one time they did smell, I cleaned the drain trap on my front loader, and it stopped.
Now I clean that out about once a month, no worries.
We usually give out bath towels an extra rinse cycle and/or “water plus” then give them a good drying. The only time we get smelly towels is if they’re put away at all damp.
As for cleaning the machine, I try to have the whites as the last load. Run 'em with bleach so they’re nice and clean, and so is the washer’s insides.
That’s what I do, too - the whites with a shot of bleach is almost always my last load.
It was a last-ditch thing. About half my darks are fleece, synthetic running wear, socks and underwear though, so take my experience with a grain of salt. And truly, two tablespoons is such a small amount (1/8 cup) that nothing natural was affected in any noticeable manner.
General advice for washers of all types.
Use less detergent then the detergent brand recommends. Usually about half. Using too much detergent contributes to the smell. No amount of straight up detergent will remove it.
If you have a water softener the max you should be using is 1/10 the detergents recommendation.
Vinegar works extremely well for battling mildew smell. Add a cup or two to your wash and it may knock the smell out for some time.
If you forget a load in the washer and come to find it stinky no need to rewash with detergent add a cup of vinegar and run it through a quick cycle and the smell will be gone.
I’d seen commercials for stuff to de-stink your HE washer, but I thought it was one of those “who the hell buys this stuff” products like the no-touch soap dispenser. I didn’t realize this was a real issue with HE washers. What is it about them that makes them prone to getting smelly?
WAG, but I assume it’s because the front-loaders have to seal completely, so unless they manage to dry out between washes, the insides and seals never dry out completely, fostering mildew growth.
Or…you can buy a plain old washer that doesn’t have these issues. 
I have to admit, I’ve lived where I’ve had a HE washer (and dryer - matching sets) a couple times. They both sucked badly, and I mean seriously sucked. My current home has a good old fashioned (new) agitator non HE washer that rocks. It does what it’s supposed to do - clean my stuff. It never stinks, it never needs to be left open or propped or otherwise aired out. It doesn’t matter what load I did last, and I don’t need to do a load with bleach as my last load so the washer doesn’t reek. My clothes are noticeably cleaner than they were with the HE washers.
I know people swear by them, but my experience has been very different.
Whenever we visit my parents, who have a front loader, the towels always smell musty, no matter if I wash them in hot water and dry them completely in the dryer. At first I thought it was the closet they’re kept in, but I see others are having this problem too. One thing I read said to switch from liquid to powder detergent – the liquid has some sort of enzyme or something that coats the washer and makes a good growth medium for mold. Anyone know if that’s true?
Our Maytag front loader is 5 years old. I use about 1/4 the recommended amount of laundry detergent + a 1/4 cup of vinegar in the wash and I fill the fabric softener compartment with vinegar for the rinse. I picked up a free sample of Afresh but I’ve never needed to use it. The washer does stay open when not in use however.
I’ve had various models of the Maytag Neptune for about 12 years now (I was an early adopter, LOL) and I’ve never had a problem with mold/mildew smells. And I do everything wrong, apparently - I don’t leave the door open and I don’t run vinegar through it. I do use Tide liquid HE detergent, but never the full amount recommended - more like about a third. I do also run a load of junk cleaning towels through once a week on the hot cycle with more than the recommended amount of bleach. Maybe that’s enough. And my hot water heater is set very hot, perhaps that helps, too. And I don’t leave loads in the washer for any long amount of time.
I love my front loader. I had clothes ruined by top loaders and I will never ever buy another one, no matter how ‘improved’ they’ve supposedly become.
My Whirlpool Duet stated in the manual that at least once a month to go through a cleaning cycle with a 1/4 cup of bleach. It even has a special cycle setting: water temp, spin, and end of wash buzzer indicators all in the middle, cycle selector on rinse and spin, and then press extra rinse cycle button three times. It is a 45 minute cycle, and prompts you to add bleach through the main detergent dispenser.
Just an FYI for anyone who’s wondering - I use about a tablespoon of detergent for a regular load of laundry. I’m not sure what the recommended amount is, but that amount gets my clothes clean and I have had zero mildew problems in almost two years of use.
I also use about a quarter cup of white vinegar as a laundry softener with each load.
Yeah, I got rid of my front loader too and got a HE Top loader-I HATE IT! My towels STINK - although after reading some posts here I think I may be using too much detergent. I didn’t think you could get regular washers anymore but my friend just bought one at Lowe’s. I’m so frustrated…
I didn’t vote, because, although my towels always smell musty after washing, I’m not sure it’s the washing machine.
I live in an apartment, and it came with a nifty washer and dryer. They’re both Asko front-loaders, and they fit in a closet (stacked). There’s nothing to vent, since the dryer is electric.
But we (my wife and I) have a couple of sets of really nice towels. They’re thick and heavy and soft. But they always seem to come out smelling musty or mildewy.
My theory is that they absorb so much water that they don’t get really dry in the dryer, and so they end up smelling musty. It’s only the towels, and only the really nice ones. There’s no problem with anything else.
Any ideas on how to fix this?
I use the Tide Washing Machine cleaner when I start to notice the stink.
I prop open the door on the washer when it’s not in use.
I wipe the glass door of the washer down with a paper towel after the last load of the week.
I don’t let clothes sit in the washer anymore.
ETA: I chose “no” but there should have been a “sometimes” button.
I know one theory is that the washer seals completely, so it smells. After I have done my last load for the day I open the door, take out the little drawer where I put my detergent, fabric softener, and bleach so thar it can dry out, then I take a cloth and dry inside the seal, outside the seal, the window, and inside the opening where the detergent drawer goes because I’ve seen mildew in there. My towels are okay.
However, when I was little, in the fifties, my mother had a front loader and never did any of that, so is it something with HE? It’s just odd.
I have an old top loader that I routinely leave clothes in for a day. And it sits in a damp basement. I don’t have problems with my towels.