My repairman recommended this for washers to keep them smelling fresh (although I just keep my lid open). If you want decent washing machines, the top loaders tend to clean better. I myself use Speed Queen. It's mostly American made of sturdy parts (the electrical board is made in Spain) and seems to do the job my mom's old washers used to do. My SQ dryer is awesome too!
My washing machine (it's several years old now) doesn't totally drain out all of the water--there's a little bit that stays below the basket. I can't see it, but if I jiggle the drum, I can hear it slosh. I used to use my old washing machine as my hamper. I would throw my dirty clothes in it and when I had enough for a load of laundry, I washed clothes. I noticed that when I started doing this with the new washer, the clothes got damp. That's when I realized that some water remained after each load. My washer sometimes give a load of laundry a 'musty' smell, but I just run an empty wash with some bleach every once in a while and that seems to take care of the problem. I would love to have Speed Queen appliances. I've heard that they are very reliable and can actually be repaired (instead of just tossing and buying a replacement whatever) because they are more traditionally constructed and don't rely on so much computer-based operation. Speaking of appliances, I'm cleaning the laundry room in anticipation of getting my new dryer on Wednesday (it might be earlier, so I'm cleaning this weekend just in case). I know that one should always move the dryer at least once a year (?) so you can clean out the vent hose, since dryer lint that piles up can be a fire hazard. Well, I've never done that, so I moved my dryer for the first time in 19 years. It was definitely grungy under and behind the dryer! There was about a double handful of old lint in the 'pipe' that leads to the outside, which was a lot less than I expected. It's all nice and clean now, and I'm going to move the dryer back in place for now (since it's in the way if I leave it in the middle of the room), but first I'm glad I remembered that this is the perfect time to dust the very high shelf that's over the washer/dryer that I can't usually reach without a ladder. With the dryer moved, I think I can reach it with my stepladder and a long Swiffer (there's nothing on it except a few decorative antique-looking tins, but I know they're dusty). I plan to move on to cleaning the rest of the laundry room in the next few days, but the main objective was to get the space ready for the new dryer. (the main entrance to my house--since I don't really use the front door except on Halloween to hand out candy--is the door at my carport. You go through my laundry room (which is about the size of a medium-sized bedroom and has floor to ceiling deep built-in shelves along one wall, an upright freezer, washer & dryer and still room for a couple of bicycles. It's a nice room) to get to the kitchen and the rest of the house. So, I've kind of let it get messy since no one but me has been in my house for a long time (due to the plague, you know). When it's totally clean, I plan to drag in a chair and just sit and admire it. 🙂