Ah ... Fresh!

Those who've been reading Verbatim for a while know that I haven't always had the best experience with appliances (and if that isn't an understatement, then...). Long-time readers know better than to even utter the M-word in my presence. One of the many problems I had with that washing machine was that it smelled. Bad. I tried everything I could think of, but it still stink-stank-stunk. Finally it (and its partner in crime, the dryer) died and I replaced them with my wonderful new front-loading Whirlpool Duet pair. So far these machines work great.

I had been warned that with a front-loading washer, you need to leave the door ajar whenever you're not using it, because moisture can collect in the rubber gasket in front, which can end up getting smelly. So we do, and it doesn't. Still, I was intrigued when Mom Central offered me the opportunity to try out a product invented by Whirlpool specifically to combat washer stinkiness: Affresh "Power Puck" tablets. They look like giant Sweet Tarts, and you simply plop one into the washer once a month to keep it fresh and lovely. My washer has a specific cycle for this (look in the bottom right):

If yours doesn't, you just run one through on a regular hot cycle. It gets all sudsy and cleans the gasket as well as the area where the detergent goes and everywhere else in there that you can't see (but could potentially smell).

My only hesitation about using this product was that it would leave an artificial or chemical-y scent, but it did not. After I ran the cycle, it just smelled clean, with perhaps a tiny hint of citrus, but certainly nothing overpowering. I definitely plan to use Affresh once a month, because let me tell you from experience, having a smelly washer just stinks.

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Affresh and received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Comments

[Elena]

I have never had a smelly washer problem, but this does sound intriguing. I still recoil whenever I am shopping for appliances and see the "M" word!

[Erin Brenner]

My mother taught me to always keep the washing machine door open when the washer wasn't in use because it kept the machine from smelling. I always have, and it's seemed to have worked.