If you research dryer brands, LG provides one of the best dryers in the market. But still, it can have some issues like the bad smell if you do not maintain it well. This article will explain all the reasons for different foul odors from your dryer and the ways to solve the issues.
Why does my LG dryer smell bad and how to fix it?
The LG dryer door has a rubber frame. Mold and bacteria can grow inside the frame causing moldy smells. The lint trapped in different parts of the dryer causes a burning smell. Clean and maintain your LG dryers regularly to fix and prevent smells, as ignoring them can cause accidents like fire.
Dryers, washing machines, dishwashers, and all the other home appliances save a lot of our daily life. We can invest time in meaningful work and spend more social time or watch a movie for those helpful machines.
However, they are just machines, and they have many limitations. No machine works without some sort of maintenance. Dryers are not an exception. You need to maintain dryers regularly to get continuous service.
Neglecting the maintenance part can lead to foul smells and can even cause accidents.
This article will try to find out what causes bad smells from your LG dryer. We will go through different smells and possible causes for the bad smells. The cleaning and prevention guide will be in the later part of the article.
Dryers have a rotating chamber. We keep wet clothes in the dryer and turn on the dryer. After one hour we get fresh and dry clothes. But there are a lot of things going on inside the dryer.
The dryer has a heater that heats the air and blows it into the rotating clothes. The hot air evaporates the water from the clothes and releases the air from other parts of the dryer. Dryers can be gas or electric-powered. LG dryers have both gas and electric power dryers.
As the dryer is related to heat, gas, and clothes, you must not ignore the smells of burning gas. They can be an indication that something is wrong with your dryer.
When you find weird smells from your dryer, do not run the dryer until you are sure about the source of the smell. The leading cause of dryer smelling issues (and accidents) is the lint off your clothes. Understand the concept and functions of lint before jumping into the next section.
Our clothes are made of natural or synthetic fabric. The cloth surface has some tiny cloth portion or thread. Tiny lint detaches from the clothes when the dryer blows hot air into the cloth.
A lint trap in the washing machine catches lint from releasing air. However, the trap is not enough to catch all the lint. The lint is notorious for sticking to different parts of your dryer. Burning issues can happen when lint can get stuck in the heating chamber of the dryer.
The lint can also cause different smells if stuck in other heatless places. Let’s discuss the causes of different types of smells of dryers and how to solve them.
Smell like mildew or mold:
Dryers can smell like mold and mildew when a mold and mildew infestation is in your dryer. Well, you may not know what mold and mildew smell like.
Generally, they smell like earth. Do not go near the molds and sniff to get the smell. That can make you sick, and you may need to be hospitalized for weeks, as they can be very toxic to our respiratory system.
However, unlike washing machines, there are fewer places where molds and mildew grow in a dryer. The rubber ring frame in the dryer’s door is the most common place.
The ring makes the dryer airtight when you close the door. Water can fall inside the curve of the rubber frame while you keep the wet clothes inside the dryer. Molds and mildews can grow in the place as moisture helps them grow.
Also, you may keep the dryer over a stand and under the stand. Molds can grow if water falls while you keep the wet clothes in the dryer.
Solution:
Check and clean the rubber valve regularly. If you notice mold growth in the frame, clean the frame with mold remover spray. Also, regularly check under the dryer. Always wear protective clothing and a mask before you start handling molds.
Smell like gas:
Smelling like gas is a bad sign for the dryers. That may be an indication that gas is leaking from your dryer. When the gas leaks, a tiny spark can cause massive fire accidents. Even concerning fact is that sparks can easily be created from the lint.
Solution:
Do not run the dryer when you can smell gas from the dryer. Get help from professionals as soon as possible. Do not forget to open the windows so leaked gas can go out of your house.
Burning plastic smell:
If there is an issue with the heater of your dryer, the dryer may not regulate the temperature correctly. If the dryer uses more temperature than needed, it may burn the synthetic clothes, causing the burning smell. The plastic smell can also indicate cable burning inside the dryer.
Solution:
Call a professional to find out the issue and fix it.
Smell like fish:
The fish smell is unlikely to appear in the LG dryers or any dryers. It usually occurs in refrigerators. A fish-like smell can arise if you do not use your dryer for long.
Solution:
Dip a clean cloth with vinegar and clean the whole dryer chamber to eliminate the issue.
Smell like skunk:
Skunk smells can appear when you add some cloth with a skunk smell inside the dryer. But that is a rare scenario, isn’t it?
Solution:
You can use 3 percent hydrogen peroxide and baking soda solution to remove the skunk smell from your dryer.
Smell like smoke:
You must take the smell seriously as smoke is the first sign of fire. The smoke smell can come from the lint stuck in the dryer’s hot part. High temperature makes them like charcoal, and even a tiny spark is enough to cause a fire.
Solution:
Clean the lint trap after every 2-3 uses. Clean the different parts of the machine every 2-3 months when you are using the machine regularly.
Smell like urine:
If you are getting a urine smell from your dryer, maybe there is something to do with the washing machine. The washing machine may not correctly be washing your kid’s pants.
Solution:
Check if your washing machine is working correctly.
Smell like dog:
The same thing can happen with your dog’s smell. Don’t enter dog-smelling clothes in the dryer if it is not washed correctly.
Solution:
Make sure you clean the dog-smelling clothes properly before drying.
Smell like kerosene:
The kerosene smell is very unlikely to appear in the dryer. A cloth with kerosene can cause the odor.
Solution:
Clean your clothes properly before drying.
Tips to get rid of bad smell from LG dryer:
Here are some tips to help you eliminate the bad smells from your LG dryers.
Clean the dryer vent hose:
Lint can get stuck in the dryer vent, which can occur when they continuously stay at a hot temperature. That’s why you should clean and vacuum the dryer with long brushes and vacuum.
Clean internal parts of the machine:
Lint can reach different parts of the dryer machine. Remove the cover of LG dryer parts and remove the lint stuck inside. It happens when you do not clean the lint trap regularly.
Clean the chamber with vinegar:
Clean the chamber of the LG dryer with the LG dryer using vinegar. Dip a cloth or brush with vinegar and clean the chamber thoroughly. Do this once every month.
Tips to prevent bad smell build-up in your LG dryer:
Knowing the cure is good, but preventing it is the best thing you can do from now. Here are some tips to keep your washing machine smell free.
Do not overload:
Do not overload the chamber of your dryer.
Put clean clothes:
Ensure the clothes you are drying are clean and fresh.
Clean the lint trap:
Clean the lint trap after every 2-3 uses.
Open the machine parts and clean the lint:
Open the machine parts and clean the lint 3-4 times a year even if it does not show any sign of problems.
Final thoughts
Bad smells in the dryer are not very common. But cloth lint, mold, or dirty clothes can cause the smelling issue. You must be very careful about the smells you get from your dryers, as ignoring the smells can cause accidents. Call a professional if you see any signs of danger.