Funny smell in HE washing machine???

Apparently this is a common problem. Many people have brought this up. After googling the remedies I decided to try the one that seemed to work the best for most commenters. Good old fashioned bleach. After reading many posts on different sites it seems that this even worked better than the Tide HE machine cleaner.  In the manual for my HE machine it advised to clean out the "trap" one a month. Which I have done. The last time it was cleaned it did have an unpleasant odor. After the cleaning I have not noticed any other odors. I decided to use the bleach method as a preventative measure. I ran a cycle of just bleach, not clothing, on HOT. This is supposed to clean out and disinfect all parts of the machine that may get water mildew. I also read that white vinegar is a good method to try. 

TIPS FOR HE WASHING MACHINE MAINTENANCE:

• only use detergent recommended for HE machines
• clean the trap at least one a month
• bleach, vinegar, or tide HE machine clean the HE machine once a month
• If there is a noticeable amount of water in the machine after your wash is finished, leave the door open to allow the water to dry and not mildew inside the machine