dave1949
Super Star Member
Not necessarily so.
A lot of smell or no smell comes down to the design of the gasket and spider, but more likely the operator. Some gaskets and spiders, particularly on North American models can cause smell, no doubt, but running Tide (or other such detergent), particularly liquid, in a HE front load is a recipe for disaster (smell).
We're a strong believer in Persil. Great detergent. One box lasts us 6 months with 2 kids and 2 adults, and there is absolutely NO smell in our washer. Dad and a couple friends have also been converted with the same results. We actually got onto it through dad, his Miele washer specs Persil. After using it for 3 years now, I understand why. We ran out and had to go back to Tide for a short period, you could actually feel the difference in the clothes. The clothes felt almost coated or had some residue. Its that same residue that causes the bacteria and smell I believe. Going back to regular detergent actually breaks me out.
Amazon.com: UNIVERSAL POWDER - 80 Loads Also known as PERSIL JUMBO PACK: Health & Personal Care
That's interesting Jason. Have to give that try because our front-loader likes to have musty smell. Some of the odor comes from the washer, some comes from the drain pipe. We've been using unscented liquid All detergent. Sharon puts white vinegar in loads off and on. Boraxo seems to clean it up some too.
There is no owner accessible pump filter on our Bosch 500? I was ready to go clean it out but there is no mention of that in the owner's manual. There is a round hatch panel on the lower right front corner where the filter would normally be, but I don't know how to open it. The book says for service access only.