We've got one of those top loader washing machines. I know they're supposed to be less efficient than the front loaders, though stuff does get clean. But my issue is more about that freshly laundered smell - or lack thereof. There is just the faintest whiff when transferring from washing machine to tumble dryer but by the time that's finished, there's no smell at all! Bath towels become skanky after just a few days.

When our stuff arrived from the UK, there were some piles of clothes that had been in boxes, and the boxes inside a container for nearly 3 months, yet that still came out smelling fresher than the laundry!

We've tried the liquid, and the powder, and put more in than recommended.

Any ideas - or is American laundry detergent just less pungent than the UK?

Depends which detergent you use - some of them are deliberately scented, some are not.

What you probably need to do is to stick a couple of sheets of sheets of fabric softener in the dryer.

I would think your machine itself needs cleaning. Something like Affresh or Clorox Washing Machine Cleaner should do the trick.

You can buy something to put in the washer during the cycle to deodorise it. I'd just run bleach or white vinegar through the machine...obviously without putting clothes in.

Leave the lid open when you're not using the machine.

We've used quite a variety now (deal of the week!). We use a sheet of fabric softener but could try a couple I guess.

Ah, that's a good idea. It was a re-conditioned one so I wouldn't be surprised if it needs that. There isn't a bad smell, just no smell!

(I only discovered that I'm supposed to change the A/C filter at least every 3 months, after 4 months in this house, so one still has a lot to learn... A/C is now a lot quieter!)

Find the local supermercado rather than grocery store and you'll find stinky Ariel in there.

Oh, and get rid of the top-loader as soon as you can. It destroys your clothes.

It's scary how shit the clothes are with these top loaders....conspiracy with Old Navy to keep buying their shit perhaps?

The only good thing about these top loaders is ability to open them up and add that dropped sock, but you can do that with front loaders these days :/

A few months after my daughter moved into the condo she said she'd found tiny holes in many of her clothes. 'It's the bloody top loader' I told her...now she's got a front loader and no more holey clothes. Not only does it wash the clothes cleaner...it spins them almost dry.

Geoff...I agree with FB...buy detergent/fabric softener/dryer sheets with a nice fragrance.

Interesting thread as my MIL thinks our laundry smells great compared to hers in UK. We have front loading washer and dryer (the dryer is Gas). I use Tide and Downy in the washer and a Bounce Sheet in the dryer. Both machines are large capacity so are never really full and the dryer only takes 40 mins to dry a load and everything smells lovely when it comes out. It also smells lovely outside where the dryer vents.

We just spent three weeks in England, included a week or so staying in Exeter University in one of the halls; they rent very nice ensuite rooms there for about 60 pounds a night. They had an excellent laundry room with nice big new front-loaders. Our clothes came out CLEAN for a change, and smelling nice.

So now every time we do a laundry at home, and the clothes come out of our ancient top-loader smelling and looking not-quite-clean, I say to her "OK let's go back to Exeter University." She claims crappy washing machine is not sufficient reason to move to England, but I maintain it definitely is part of the answer.

We've tried Clorox in the machine and white vinegar, also adjusting the water-softener in various ways, but all to no avail.

I think they're going mainstream these days. When I bought one circa 2003, it came with a DVD to explain how to use front-loaders! And you used to have to search for HE powder.

Mine still get holes with the front loader - I think a lot of the fabrics just aren't woven well.

Personally I don't like a strong artificial smell and buy unscented detergent anyway.

The problem with top loaders is that they're built like Russian tanks, so you're not going to be able to wait out its life and then present her with a new front-loader unless you sabotage it in some way. I'm sure there's a guide on teh internets somewhere.

When we bought our house in '98...I was amazed to find that there were only 2 types of front loaders in the stores. I bought a Maytag front loader.

Costco sell Tide and their own brand Kirkland HE liquid detergent.

Exactly. We bought it new in 1997 and I'd guess it still has 100 years of (mediocre) life in it.