I just moved into an apartment, and this unit was disgusting in my attempts to clean it. At this point, I still don’t know how to fully get rid of the smell of dirty socks in there.

Washing machine got a deep clean with those active tablets a few times (and PLENTY of lint & items were picked out the agitator after). Dryer, however, smelled like dirty socks upon opening & I went with the suggestion of wiping down the inside with Lysol wipes. After, I drenched a washcloth in white distilled vinegar and threw it on high heat to dry. Now it smells like vinegar and dirty socks.

I cleaned the lint filter before with soap & water. Thought it would be fine so I put it in but now it smells like the horrid scent again. I’ve taken them out at this time, and the dryer barrel DOES smell better (albeit a faint smell resides). I put a maintenance request in & said it’s most likely lint through the vent, and to please confirm smell is gone after cleaning and before leaving. Imagine my surprise when I came home to my unit only slightly shifted, with the note saying he cleaned beneath my washer (??) and inside the dryer while it STILL stank. 

So now, I took the liberty upon myself to pull the unit out, pull off the back panel, and detach the lint tunnel & clean it out with a toothbrush, my hand, and a vacuum. I detached the dryer pipe vent & cleaned that out as best as I could. The pipe definitely smells like the socks, and the dryer exhaust pipe in the wall is untouched. It’s a bit higher up so I couldn’t confirm if the smell was there too, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was. 

My apartment is two stories, and I’m on ground level. I’m putting in another maintenance request after this for them to resolve the fire hazard and moisture damage from this lint through the exhaust and to ensure the damper cap above opens. What I’m concerned about here is whether he’ll actually do it or do a good job. So if my dryer STILL smells like it, what should I do to fix what is possibly moldy lint? Is it potentially just a lingering smell or something & I should use baking soda or..? 

I should mention the image is not mine, but that’s the exact unit I have.

TLDR: Dryer smells like stinky socks, and I think the dryer exhaust pipe is the cause due to moldy lint (best guess). Maintenance didn’t clean it the way I wanted them to, so don’t know if they’ll do a good job on this second request I’ve put in. How should I proceed to eradicate the smell completely in my dryer barrel? How do I eradicate the smell from my dryer exhaust pipe in the wall?

Dryer Smells Like Socks🤢