My dryer has a musky,fishy smell.It gets worse the hotter and longer it runs!!! It has also started taking longer to dry clothes than it should!! I checked my outside vent and it is blowing fine.When running it blows hot outside like it should.It is a maytag.Any help would be appreciated!!!
Without a model number makes it almost impossible to help much. Please post a model number.
But try taking off the back cover and look for a fried mouse! I know that sounds gross but seen it before. Check in your fan where the vent connects too.
Nat
Thanks for the info,I will check it out!!!
This recently happened to me. The cause? The power cord was scorched and when the dryer was running it emitted this "fishy" smell. Detach the power cord and see. Is it scorched? Smell it. Does it not smell "fishy?" If the answer is yes, go to either Home Depot or Lowes (or any hardware or Sears stores) and get a replacement. Should run you about $13. Bring the power cord with you if you are not sure what to get and ask someone knowledgable to help you. If you are not sure how to detach and reattach the power cord, google "how to replace power cords on dryers" for a video. The smell was gone after I replaced the cord.
Thank you so much for the help. After dissembling my dryer with no avail I read this post. I checked my plug and it was seared on one prong. After checking the outlet I realized the smell was caused by the scorching of the material inside the housing. I replaced both the cord and the damaged outlet and the problem was solved. Thanks to this thread I stopped an eventual house fire from occurring. I have read other sites that do not offer this remedy and I am concerned for those who are not made aware of this hazardous condition. Thanks.
Leslie70 said:
I also had a fish odor while drying clothes today. I’m thankful for threads like this one because it helped me find my problem. I wanted to post in case someone in the future needed help and happened upon this post. The 220 outlet our dryer was plugged into had gone bad. It was corroded and burned. I recognize electrical smells (so i thought) I wouldn’t have thought an electrical problem would cause a fishy odor, but it did. Our house could have easily burned. I often dry clothes at night. If you have a fishy smell while your dryer is running… turn it off. Check your wiring.
We had a strong dead animal or fishy odor after having our dryer ducts cleaned, which was very full of line. HINT don’t wait 21 years to have your duct cleaned.
After the cleaning, we noticed a very strong fishy, musty odor when running the dryer. I immediately called the company who cleaned the duct and had the. Redo the duct. They re-fastened the duct and it seemed fine. Then three days later the odor was back! I was beyond frustrated! Then I read the forum above. I removed the electrical 220V outlet and smelled it. Bingo ! I had my wife smell it too. That was it. I noticed than one of the. Cord blades was discolored with green and purple colors. The cord was less than a year old so a little steel wool took care of that. I replaced the receptacle and a cost of about $6 and no more odor! Many thanks to the people who posted this solutionas they may have saved our home! Cheap fix to a big potential problem. THANK YOU.