If you notice your laundry coming out of the washer with a foul odor, it is time to clean your washing machine. A smelly washing machine transmits odor onto your clothes. Detergent residue, excess moisture and dirt from your laundry all contribute to washing machine odor. Cleaning a washer requires little effort and will pay off big in terms of the condition of your laundry. Whether you have a top-loading or front-loading washing machine, cleaning the washer thoroughly will help to ensure that your laundry smells fresh.

About a dozen brands of washing machines await those shopping for a washing machine. "Consumer Reports" says the Maytag line is owned by Whirlpool and provides a lower price alternative to washers bearing its parent company's name. In addition to price, examine specifications of Maytag washers to find the model that's the best match for your needs.

Whirlpool, a major manufacturer of washers and dryers, makes washer models with a feature called "Quiet Wash." According to their website, the "Quiet Wash Plus Noise Reduction System" helps deaden noise when the machine is in operation. When experiencing issues with a Whirlpool washer that features the second-generation Quiet Wash II, try troubleshooting the problem yourself to prevent unwarranted calls for servicing to either Whirlpool or your washer retailer.

If you find that the clothes in your Sears washer aren't getting as clean as they used to be, you may have a problem with your agitator. Just putting dirty clothes in soapy water won't get them clean; the agitator is needed to help circulate the clothes and expose more of the material to the soapy water. Agitators sometimes fail and need to be replaced. You must first remove the agitator from your Sears washer so a new one can be installed.

Kenmore is an appliance brand owned by Sears Holdings Corporation, the same company that owns and operates Sears department stores. If your Kenmore 70 Series washer will not spin it may be due to one of a few common problems. In order to diagnose or solve the problem you can run through a few Kenmore authorized troubleshooting steps. Allow roughly 10 minutes to complete this task.