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Nu Fresh, LLC

P.O.Box  272581 

Fort Collins, CO 80527

CustomerService @TechnoFresh.net

Mildew Smell in your Dryer?

I just found your web site today and was facinated by what I read. I will shock my washer as suggested, and order your product as well. However, I have a different problem--my  front load dryer has a mildew smell!! Have you heard anything about this? I never use the dryer without cleaning the lint screen, and I vacuum the lint trap area about every 6 weeks. I have cleaned all parts that I can reach with such things as vinegar, clorox and lysol. I leave the door totally open when not in use. We just became empty nesters this fall, and that's when I first noticed the problem. I went from doing at least 6 or 8 loads a week to doing 2. What do you think????

Thanks for your great web site!

Well ....... Yes and No

Yes, I have heard of mildew smell in dryers.

No, it does not make any sense. It should not be damp enough.

Except, since it is in fact happening, the mildew causing materials must be carrying over from the washer. That means the problem in the washer is much worse than assumed. Or, the dryer vent or vent line is partially plugged and needs to be cleaned out to allow the machine to work correctly.

In the past I have suggested that the washer get multiple shock treatments to clear it out. I also suggested multiple dryer loads with a large load of DRY towels or rags, run for as long as the timer allows and as hot as the settings allow, to get the machine up to as high a temperature as possible. This will dry out any nooks or crannies where the stuff could be caught. I would think that most of the mildew material will get loose and get blown out of the machine. Anything not knocked loose will most likely stick to the surface and not cause as much of a problem. 

The example from above seems to indicate that the number of loads per week went down dramatically and caused the problem to surface in the washer. Apparently it carried over to the dryer.

Since no one has complained that these ideas have not worked in the past ...... I assume they work...  ;-)

Good Luck!

Then there is this comment from a customer

Hi,
I am new to technofresh, and have found that on the whole your product works very well. I still have smelly towels from time to time, even with doing multiple shock treatments and using the technofresh regularly 2-3 loads a week. I'm not sure why that is happening. Perhaps the washer is getting too full? 

(She is still using too much detergent)

Anyway, I read on your site the question about the smelly dryer. You had said that the dryer doesn't get damp enough to cause mildew/mold build-up. Well I thought I would share our experience. We had a problem with moisture building in the dryer and it took serveral weeks to figure out the problem. We found that birds had built a nest in our dryer vent between the dryer hose and the outlet on the outside of the house. Once the debri was cleared out the dryer dried much better!

Thanks again and look forward to my next delivery!

Which brings up the subject of cleaning your lint filter screen and the vent line to the outside.

You must clean the lint filter screen before every load. This gives you the driest laundry in the shortest drying time.

You must clean the entire vent line every three months or so. Remove it from the machine and the outside vent connection and clean it out. This will keep your house from burning down because the lint can catch fire. (The commercial with the flame thrower and giant lint ball on TV is true. Statistically, this is one of the more likely reasons for house insurance fire damage claims. Make sure you clean out the vent before running the high temp procedure from above or you might get to be a statistic...) 

Reinstall at the shortest length (trim if necessary) with a minimum number of bends.

These ideas will automatically reduce costs of drying - the most energy inefficient thing you are doing.