what a coincidence! last night i 'just discovered and put the pieces together' regarding my front load washer and the dreaded mold smell. initially, i thought it was my laundry sink. but alas, i've come to realize that it IS my front load washer. btw, i bought mine about 5 years ago.

i spoke w/ an appliance salesman at sears, and he reassured me that the newer models have rectified the problem (drain holes in the seal) and for my situation, all i need to do is to leave the door open and wipe it out with a discenfectant. unfortunately, i do NOT believe this will resolve the problem.

i did a search on this, and saw many many posts by consumers who purchased front load washer's in 2006. they were complaining of the same mold problems. specifically, moldy smelling towels. they had tried borax, vinegar, bleach..and still complain of the mold problems.

since mold is such a major issue in my life, although my washer isn't broken...i'm seriously considering dumping my front loader, and buying a new top loading model.

hope this is helpful.
good luck.

Borax has anti-mold properties, as I recall. I am wondering whether you could make a paste of borax, not too thick, you wouldn't want it to harden, and smear it under the gasket and leave it for awhile. Or swab it with a 10% bleach solution. If the gasket is rubber I don't know if it would be ok to leave something that oxygenates like peroxide, but it is probably something synthetic. As I recall, the percentage of bleach is important in killing mold and algae. And then run the machine with a lot of borax (or bleach.)

Something I do in my kitchen is relevant here, if I appear to digress. After I do dishes (in hot water) I rinse my sponge about 5 or 6 times in cold water, squeeze it out, and leave it to dry. I also do that with dishrags. The reasoning is that if you rinse it in hot water it will cool to warm and thus support mold and bacterial growth. If the sponge is cold, there will be less mold growth. My sponge and dishrag never smell of mildew. (I should add, I do not have children in the house who would not follow these directions.) I forget where I read this, but it works for me. I live near San Diego, and even in more humid weather it works.

My point being that I suggest that you always rinse your laundry in cold, not warm or hot water. However, that said, I have been doing that and yet I notice my finished laundry feels warm to the touch anyway. Hopefully the water remaining in the machine (hoses, etc.) is cold though. I am using an Equator, which is a European front-loading machine and have not noticed an odor. I do leave my door open when not in use. Susie, have you considered a Bosch- I think it is from Europe.

Thanks for alerting me to this problelm.

We leave the door open after doing wash loads, and so far no problems. We've had our machine about four months.

I have a 2002 Sears front loader, but I just checked and saw that it has holes in the gasket so that the water doesn't pool. If I leave the door closed after a wash, it can smell mildewy though, so we always leave it open so it can dry.

If it does start to smell, I use Aubrey Organics Liquid Sparkle to disinfect. It has natural grain alcohol, soap and herbs. Works great!

Front Loaders are great. I have a Bosch Nexxt and have loved it for about 2 years. Just leave the door open on the washer after use and you will not have a mold problem. I have never in two years seen or smelled anything off. The water savings has been tremendous, and the clothes come out of the washer so dry, that it saves electricity because the dryer time is so short.

We've had our LG front loader for almost a year and haven't had many problems. We noticed through research before buying it that there had been problems with mildewy smells but that they could be resolved by leaving the door open to air out. So far this has worked for us - we also leave the soap compartment open so any residual moisture there airs out. We only have to leave it open for overnight after laundry day - so it's not a huge inconvenience.

Also, in response to another blogger's answer. I used to work in a fine French linens shop. We always advised people to wash and rinse their sheets in cold water and use less deteregent (I use only a smidgeon of detergent (probably about a tablespoonful for my high effieciency washer) and everything comes out clean and smelling clean). Hot and warm water will often only set stains and too much detergent, fabric softener, stain stick, etc. stays in the fibers and starts to actually accumulate dirt. At least that's what I was told and my personal experiences hold it to be true. So my point is don't be afraid to wash in cold - it won't ruin your laundry or clean it less, it'll actually help it.

I agree with Mary. Just leave it open between loads and the little puddle that sits in the gasket dries out in an hour or so. I also give it a wipe with some vineagar, and then a dry rag, to clean it every now and then, no different from cleaning off the top and edges of a top-loader periodically.

Wow...I am so happy to find this post. I have a front loading machine and it is about 6 years old and it smells like mold. I kept thinking it was leaking or something. Now I am going to try the Aubry soap someone suggested. I have a Fridgidaire model.
I really like it but it has just started smelling moldy I would say in the last year or so.

I'm going to keep reading this thread to hear what others have to say also.

Regards,
Erin

I purchased a Maytag Neptune front loading washer in March of 1999. There was always water standing in the rubber gasket and after about two years I noticed mold collecting in the gasket and called to ask about what might correct the problem of the standing water. I was told that there was a retrofit available for free from Maytag but had to pay the labor--about $150 (it was a VERY COMPLICATED installation). Since then I have had NO mold in the gasket, NEVER had any odor and there is NO water standing. Also, that is the ONLY problem I have had with my machine. Subsequently, there was a class action suit to recoup the retrofit labor cost. I cannot remember what amount was awarded.

Yesterday I wrote that I had no problem with my Equator front load washing machine smelling of mold. After thinking about it today, I realized that water definitely does pool under the gasket but I always use a couple of paper towels to blot it up and always leave the door open.

I have not had my front loading Maytag long enough to have mold problems, but I do have problems with it dancing all over the place if I run it at a high enough speed to get a lot of water out of the clothes. This, of course, negates the very reason I bought it -- to save water and electricity. Anyone have any suggestions on how the stop it from moving around?

The problem you describe is not with front loaders generally but with Maytag specifically. There may be other brands that have similar issues, but generally, the Euro brands are reputed to be excellent, if you can afford them, as well as LG.

I have the Maytag Neptune as well that I purchased about 18 months ago. After about 9 months of use I noticed the mold build up and cleaned it with a steam cleaner. I never thought to leave the door open....silly me. I do not qualify for the class action settlement because of the date of purchase. My son is very much allergic to indoor mold. Any suggestions on how to get rid of it PERMANANTLY once it is there. I have tried bleech, but the staining remains. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Hello,

I was just reading the comments on the front loading washing machines and felt I needed to comment. My husband and I are massage practitioners and have used a front loading washing machine for over six years. We have never had a problem with mould on ANY piece of our washer, gasket included. We do anywhere from five to seven loads of laundry per day and purchased a front loader for the water economy (we have to pay for our usage) and dependibility. We have been very happy with our decision to purchase a front loader and will be buying another one soon as ours probably does at least double the normal usage. Ours is a Sears Kenmore model so we will probably stick with the same brand or move up to an LG or other like it. P.S. We never leave our door open between washings, however, it is rare that the thing is not in use!!!

Lisa and Michael Lyle
Kenora Massage & Wellness Centre
Kenora, Ontario, Canada

We have a Frigidaire Gallery front loader and have had it for over 3 years. I have hated it since they day we bought it. The biggest problem is that it has always smelled like mold, even when we dry it out and leave the door open. We have also had to have it repaired for the same problem 3 times and one time it was no long under warrenty and cost us $200. Last, it just does not get out clothes clean. I used cloth diapers and would have to put them through 3-4 cycles before the got clean. I also have 2 small children and stains never come out of their clothing without pretreating and scrubbing first.

This is a lower-end frontloader, so the more expensive ones might be better. I have to admit that I do love the amount of soap (1 Tablespoon) that I have to use. I also love that I can put tons of clothes in it and even wash our king size quilt with plenty of room. It does not save us water or energy because I end up having to wash many things more than once.

Thanks so much to everyone for their suggestions about eliminating the moldy smell from front-loading washers. We've had a Frigidaire for about 2 years and I just started noticing a smell when I load and unload it. Of course, my husband thinks I'm crazy...I'm going to try some of your suggestions today!

Donna C.

I have problems with a moldy, musty smell from my front Kenmore Elite washer. I too also wished I had never bought it. The use of less water and detergent seemed to be a real plus, but the clothes don't seem to get clean. I take care of my three little grandchildren so the machine is always in use. I leave the door open. I try to wipe out the gasket, but nothing removes the smell. My problem is that the laundry room is right next to the back door and kitchen, so the odor is most annoying. I would love to have my old frontloader back. Anyone contemplating a frontloader should ask some hard questions of the salespeople..

I purchased a Sears HE1 front loader 4 years ago and have had a chronic problem with mold under the gasket. I leave the door open and have to wipe the underside of the gasket with bleach occasionally. It smells all the time and I have not been happy with that aspect of it. I am going to contact Sears and start a formal complaint process to see where that gets me. I am hoping they will at least have a retro-fit for it and acknowlege the problem. I'll keep you posted as to my results.

In addition to the issue of mold, I'd also like to address a couple other topics on the front loader that other readers have posted...

We've had our Kenmore HE2 front loader for about 6 months now and have never had a problem with mold. We just leave it open about 4 inches after washing and 1-2 hours later it's completely dry.

Nell (9-20-06) mentioned that hers dances all over the place on spin. Ours did tend to vibrate quite a bit, and since we'd purchased the protection plan (something I don't normally do), I had a technician come out to check it. Turns out the installation techs hadn't really ensured it was completely stable and so the high speeds created during the spin cycle were causing vibrations. In addition, he also discovered that one vibration noise that I had been thinking was normal was due to a hose inside near the motor that wasn't secured properly. Now the machine makes hardly any noise at all, even on its highest spin.

One other thing the tech brought up and I should pass along - in his testing, he ran the machine on a rinse/spin cycle and noticed some sudsing. He asked how much detergent I'd been using and said that this was due to residues left over from too much detergent. I had been using the recommended amount for High Efficiency washers, but apparently even that was a little too much. He suggested running the occasional empty rinse/spin cycle to ensure that all residual detergent is flushed from the system. So, further savings in detergent, less stress on the machine, and lower residual material in our wash.

Wow, thanks for all the great advice. I never thought to simply leave the door open. Hopefully that will work, because I'm tired of wondering if that mold is irritating my allergies along with everything else in my house and in the air. I don't use bleach either but I may for one wash, just to get the smell out.

We too have a bosh front loader and my wife complained about the smell and the black on the gasket. When I ran into the Bosch rep at my appliance center he told me that Bosch had changed materials for the gasket and he sent me a new one. When I removed the old gasket I discovered an abundance of grey grunge behind it and between the drum and the inside of the washer. I cleaned it out the best I could and my rep told me to run a quart of bleach in the washer, stop it before it pumps it out and let it sit for a few hours and then finish the cycle. By the way our gasket did have three holes for drainage but you can't close the door for the laundry room if the door to the washer dooris open.
Our problem is I have spent an hour trying to get the new gasket on and can not figure it out. Any suggestions? Theron

HI,

I have had a Maytag Neptune front loader for the past 6 years and have never had a mold problem. It does have the drain hole in the gasket. I use bleach only for whites occasionally and have never done anything else special. I am chemically sensitive and mold sensitive. Never any issues there.

To anwser the question from the person who said the machine is moving around. All washers need a solid surface and must be leveled properly. I would check both of those.

Rich

Hi,
This is in response to Theron. I can't get the gasket on either. Should the spring be open or attached? Anyone?
Thanks

I want to purchase a front loading washing machine & dryer using the pedistals. Bring the plumbing from the basement to put the washer & dryer in a closet area in my kitchen. The plumbing is directly below where I want to put it, but I am concerned about doing this. It all sounds ideal, but when reality starts....will I regret it. Has anyone done this? How bad were the complications? Did the washer & dryer do as well with the new environment? Did you feel that it was worth the cost for the convenience? I was told the Bosh will vibrate under those conditions, but that the Whirlpool will do fine. And is it true that Whirlpool purchased Maytag a few months ago? Thanks Jane

Hi,

I've had a GE front load washer for about 8 months and it did get some getting used to. The main changes: we need to spot clean the children's clothes first, also dish towels and other heavily-soiled items... or expect to wash them twice, and we have to place baby socks and other small items like doll clothes in a bag before washing so that they don't end up going into the drain system and stopping up the drain so the washer can't drain properly (we've had to open the trap at the bottom of the washer many times to retrieve baby socks and other small items (after watching a technician do it the first time).

We have a very large family and for the most part this washer stands up to our constant usage and really has saved us money on energy costs and water usage. My only other complaint is that I don't like the HE detergents. So far the only one I know about ti Tide and I find it doesn't work nearly as well as Tide w/ Bleach or Tide w/ Downy. My whites often come out dingy, especially cotton items. Biz and Calgon seem to help a little with this, but I miss the benefits of the regular detergents. Anyone know of a really good HE detergent?

I have a Kenmore Elite front load that is now 2 1/2 years old.
It has smelled musty for about 1 year. I now have found Im not the only one with the problem and wonder if Sears backs this problem? I will be calling on this but it sounds like either you have the problem or you don't, there is no solution to cleaning or drying the problem away. It stinks and is very annoying to have a brand new house and new equipment and then a nasty smell.

My husband and I purchased our front loading Maytag Neptune washer in 2005. I have noticed that if I don't leave the door open and dry it out around the seal it will start to smell like a sandbox. I wasn't sure what the smell was but now I have had little chunks of mold break up and it will be on my laundry when I go to put it in the dryer. We had a top loading Maytag and got rid of it for that same reason because our 5 year old son would start coughing in the middle of the night and we thought it was alergies. We found out it was the mold in our washer, it was in his bedding. We didn't know that there was mold in it until it broke loose one day during the rinse cycle. It was floating in the water when I went to put the softner in. When we took it apart to clean it, the outside of the drum was caked with mold. I just wonder if it is the whole Maytag line of washers. We bought the neptune because of the water it would save and it would be free of mold. But now we are back at square one and I have a feeling we won't be buying another Maytag. Obviously they have a problem they need to address.

I HAVE A KENMORE ELITE FRONT LOAD FOR APPROX 2 YEARS AND THE MUSTY SMELL IS HORRIBLE. IF I LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN, THE ENTIRE LAUNDRY ROOM SMELLS. WARRANTY EXPIRED SO HOPEFULLY THE MOTOR BLOWS AND MY HUSBAND LETS ME BUY A TOP LOADER. I GUESS WE ARE ALL STUCK WITH THIS EXPENSIVE NO GOOD WASHER FOR A WHILE.

We have had our front loader for 3 years. I noticed the mold appox. 8 months ago as well as puddles on the bottom of the barrel. I called Sears and they came out. The said I had a bad valve the needed to be replaced. Since they replaced the valve I have had no more water puddles. Sears said that front loaders have mold problems and to use HE (High Efficency) Tide. Also, run a load of bleach through it as needed. I did this and the mold smell cleared. I love the front loader but I hate the mold smell.

Hi All

Im Australian, just moved to Boulder CO. Found your posting while looking to buy a front loader washer. I have had frontloaders all my life (41 years) in a dry climate (Canberra) in humid/warm Sydney and also in England. We have never had a problem with mold in our washing machines. What I alsways tell people is leave the door open!!!! And I tell this alot coz Im always telling people to get front loaders. Not only are they better for the environment but they wash your clothes without trashing them:-) I would venture another suggestion since you have been having problems with American brand machines, perhaps if you buy a euopean one (ASKO and Miele are exceptional. We have a Bosch which is good) Or an Asian one like LG which I have seen many of in Australia. Perhaps the europeans just design them better... Some people like to wipe the rubber around the opening with a cloth. I was told by the Miele Service Manager that its to protect the rubber but Im sure that it would help with any mold as well.

Hope this helps!

Dont give up on the good machines!



penelope

We have had our Frigidaire front loader for about seven years and it works as advertised. Little water, clean clothes, serious spin cycle lowers dryer time.

My wife has a sensitivity to mold and noticed the moldy smell on occasion. My home is in Vermont and the air during the summer is often on the higher humidity side, though it is certainly fairly dry in the winter.

We eventually discovered how to fix this. Run a very small load of somthing unimportant (rags) with a bleaching or oxidising agent (chloride bleach, peroxide, etc), then be sure to wipe the gasket every once and a while with a little bleach and leave the door ajar to allow the drum to dry. One load of bleach will not destroy your septic system. Peroxide based bleach is better for the environment.

For us, this has removed all evidence of mold.

Those who beleieve that machines need to be perfect and just work and beleive they should not HAVE TO do these extra tricks are disillusioned about technology. Things have quirks and need attention that was not in the manual. The trick is measuring how much the technology improves your life, versus how much of a pain it is to accomodate its foibles.

Wiping a gasket once a week and leaving a door ajar is hardly, for me, going to negate the enormous water and electricity savings and shortened dryer time, and cleaner clothes from my front loader.

All washing machines, under certain conditions, will breed mold. If you want a machine to wash your laundry so you don't have to pull out the washboard in the bathtub, and you want to do it with the least impact to the environment, use biodegradeable detergent, a front loader (or a top loading Staber), wipe the gasket and leave the door ajar.

As a person who has worked in the appliance industry as a parts person and service advisor, one thing I have recommended to customers to alieviate the mold smell is to run a small "hot water wash" with a cup of calgonite dishwasher detergent, the powdered dishwasher detergent not the liquid dishwashing soap. It has to be calgonite, don't ask me why but it is the only one that seems to work. Let the machine agitate for approximately 1/2 of its' cycle then stop it for 10 minutes. Then let it finish the cycle, when it enters the draining stop it once again for 10 mins so that the pump is full of the solution. Let it continue through the cycle and when completed check to make sure that you do not have a soap build up around the soap dispenser as this will contribute to the odor. When the machine is finished wipe out the gasket, leave the door open with a large dry bath towel in the drum and leave the soap compartment open. If the problem continues you can also check to see if your machine has a straight versus an accordion pleated discharge pipe coming from the pump. I know that this was a problem with the LG machines and I am not certain if any others have used the accordion pleat since LG discovered that they held a soap build up that led to an ordour. Hope this is helpful
Melody

I have a new LG Tromm washer...i don't know about the mold problem yet but will scheck. however, with a new baby, this machine seems to be off-gassing VOC smells wehn washing on the baby cycle or even on 30+C water. The company rep explaained that it is from a coating on the hoses (if i recall correctly ) and that it will subside within a few months. However the smell is pervasive and noxious like the new car smell. I'm in korea and i wish I knew some site that supplies a test kit for VOC offgassing...help? even with open windows and a lcosed door the smeell migratres into our house.

thanks. roger

Michael Horowitz wrote about running a small load of rags with bleach for the washer mold problem. But does he mean, just add the small amount of bleach that they tell you to put in with a load normally in the little container for bleach or to use a larger amount or put it in the washer itself? You use bleach other times with a white load, so there must be some difference in what he is suggesting to do.

I have a Kenmore Elite front loading washing machine (3 yrs old). I have spent a fortune replacing smelly towels. I have tried the bleach, baking soda, white vinegar,and Lysol suggestions to get rid of the odor in my towels. I have been told only to use the hottest water possible and on the longest time setting. Strangely enough, nothing else stinks but the towels. The smell is so bad that if you dry off with them, then you'll smell that funky smell on your skin. The only solution I have found is to throw them away. We keep the door open between washes and wipe out the mold as it accumulates. I use the "correct" HE detergents, but nothing seems to make any difference. I spent a lot of money on this washer and now I am spending a lot of money replacing towels for 3 bathrooms every 4 months! I told my husband that we'd spend less money drying off with paper towels every day.

I'm elated to know I'm not alone in my mold issue!! I thought I was doing something wrong. I love my Kenmore Elite HE3, I've had it about 2 yrs,but not enjoying the mold problem. The savings of detergent, water and energy are great and my washing time is cut in half due to the large amount of cloathes in each load. BUT....I have tried a little bleach and wiping it down after each use and leaving the door open all the time but to know avail. I've also tried a little bleach and a small load of just water cycle. (although I'm going to try the "stopping it for 10 min." suggestion.) Still there. My main complaint are my towels! Especially wash cloths. Oiy! I've thrown out several and can't seem to get the soured smell out. I'm going to try, as someone suggested, Aubrey Organic Sparkle and see if that works. After all that's said, I'm not about to let go of these things, I love 'em!

We have a LG front loading washer and had it for about 6 months when all of the sudden, we developed a horrible smell coming from the washer. We were already leaving the door open after loads of laundry because of noticing a 'musty' smell. But this was a very sour smell and got into a bunch of loads of laundry before realizing it.

I did some digging on the net, and found advice to NOT use liquid detergents or fabric softeners in it, because that will cause a build up of slime that creates the mold and smell. I went out and bought some 20 Mule Borax and ran a load with 1/2 cup of Borax, 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/4 cup of distilled vinegar (fab softener disp), on the hottest water cycle with nothing in it. Wiped out the inside of the rubber seal with vinegar and water, bought Tide HE POWDER detergent and every load I wash now, I use a mix of the Tide POWDER and the Borax powder, I still leave the door open between loads.

It has been 2-3 months now and this has COMPLETELY resolved the issue. I don't even miss the fabric softener that I thought I could not live without. Best I can figure, sometimes, new things aren't always better (liquid det), sometimes there is nothing wrong with the old things. After spending a couple thousand on the set, I'm very content now that the odor problem is gone. Too bad that they don't warn you about that when you buy the products to begin with.

Hi I am happy to finally hear what could be my problem. Everytime I am folding my clothes I find they smell musty/moldy. I thought it must be my dryer vents so I took my dryer apart and it was clean. Then I figured it must be my Fridigaire Gallery front loading washer. Didn't ever realize it could actually be mold in my washer! Yuk. I only smell it when I am folding dry clothes. My first thought was something died in my dryer vent hose or maybe since I back to woods the smell was coming in the dryer and if I left clothes in overnight that caused the problem. Now I will look into everyones great suggestions on trying to clean up my washer. I too clean the rubber piece at the front but not really getting down and dirty. Guess I will today. Has anyone heard if Frigidaire is replacing the rubber part with one that has holes?

Maybe I will contact them to see if they will send me a free one. The smell is awful and I think everyone can smell me.

Thanks,

Jill in Ohio

I have a whirlpool washing machine for four years and it gets mold too. I leave the door open after every wash and I never leave wash in the washing machine after it is done. This is a breeding ground for mold. I also have a fisher pakel, which a top loader (energy saving, low water use) which I love. My brother has one too.

One repair man told me to use Tang in a empty clothes cycle and it will get rid of the mold in the front loaders. Never tried it but I thought I would pass it on. (Do you all remember tang??? The drink of Astronauts.)

The only about the FP washing machine is it spins at a very high speed so your clothes may come out a little wrinkled. If you put them in the dryer they are okay. If you have clothes that are more delicate, you can change the speed of the washing machine. Before you get one, make sure someone in your area services them. FPs are Australian.

In response to the last reply; if you are on a private septic system, you should not be using powder detergent as it doesn't break down completely and can damage your leaching field.

I wonder if the people with the must & mold problems are using the expensive HE detergent? As I have read that if you use too much detergent, you will have this problem over time, or I wonder if you use the reg detergent this will be a problem?

We just (today) had the LG (WM0642H)delivered and installed by the company that we bought it from. It sounds like a siren is going off nearby when the water is siphening. It also makes a sound like a plane getting ready to take off with the spin cycle vibration while shaking the whole house. When the load is done the beep reminds me of the beep in a plane when someone presses the service button, or that commercial 'you are now free to move about the country'. We have this unit on our 2nd floor laundry room with a tiled floor and will likely be getting some kind of vibration control under it. The clothes do feel almost completely dry when they come out after 45 minutes of washing. Overall it seems to be quieter than our other set during most of the cycle. However, I don't think we'll be able to go to bed with the washing machine on. My husband swore he heard a siren outside. I had to insist on it being the washing machine while I was close to the laundry room.

I used their sample detergent (TIDE HE) which seemed to not suds at all.

Two years ago, I did lots of research and determined a Maytag duo was just the thing for my new laundry room and they had to be stackable. A local appliance store delievered them. A couple of months later, I got word of the mold issue with Maytags and other brands. I also saw on the internet that several people were really angry because of the mold issue and also some of the electronic/computer panels were burning out quickly. I called Maytag and said I thought this was what I needed, they were too big and very heavy for the room I had and would they consider refunding. They did after putting me through to a "manager".

I then convinced the local store to find an LG for me and I love it. However, it is not without an occasional mold smell. I am now very careful to wipe it down (the gasket) and keep the door open. I have never used any of the regular detergents in it. I use a combination of 7th Generation liquid, Borax, and Miracle Clean by AFM company. It doesn\'t take much of any of them. I have used Borax only on occasion and it works well on its own.

I love the LG and feel like I have done at least one good thing for the environment by owning something that uses less water and all of that. My dryer doesn't run nearly as long because the front loader spins out much more water than a top loader.

I didn't see anyone mention Staber washing machines, made in the USA, they are a front loader that is actually loaded from the top, I have had one for a little over 2 years, no mold problems, they are the most efficient with water and energy. If you are looking to buy a new washing machine. I would check out Staber, they are worth the money, I paid $899.00.

I purchased an LG front-loading washer and dryer about 4 months ago and had been noticing a modly smell for the last 2 weeks. Sometimes, I wouldn't notice the smell so I didn't pay much attention.

But last night I did a load in cold and the moldy smell was almost unbearable which was strange because I had done 2 loads earlier (but in warm) and tyhose loads were fine. I washed the load over and over and couldn't get the smell out. Now I'm stuck with a load of clothes that I can't get the mold smell out.

After a little research (mostly reading the posts here) my suspicions are confirmed: it's my front-loading washer, the design of which (all brands, apparently) actually create mold! Had I known, I never would have purchased one. What a disappointment. Now, I have to air it out?! What nonsense! Even if it is only a minor inconvenience I'm frankly appalled that the washing machine that is supposed to clean my clothes can potentially be a health hazzard. I had researched this purchase but apparently not well enough.

So I'm going to clean the machine alone with bleach (which I've also read does *not* kill mold but I'll do it anyway) and Borax (which I've read is best at killing mold), air out the clothes, air out the dryer, and rewash the clothes using Borax (which is sad because it was a load of delicates).

I'm glad I found this site and that I'm not the only one with this problem.

AWEAVER:

thank you so much for posting your reply here! I don't like using bleach products in my home, and so was a little lost as to what to do when I realized there was mold in our Maytag Neptune. I've run a couple of empty loads containing only the Borax, baking soda, and a vinegar rinse and it seems to have helped quite a lot! Every load will be sure to have Borax in it from here on in.

What a great site this is....thanks Debra! I don't know how long it would have taken me to figure out it was mold in our machine....I was thinking it was soap scum and that the smell in our clothes had something to do with our water! After rewashing everything with hot water and borax, things are already smelling better. I will definitely be doing some looking into the LG models for our next washer/dryer purchase.

I have a two year old Whirlpool Duet front loader. I noticed the musty smell also, especially on my towels. After reading the entries, I immediately switched to powdered detergent, kept the door open, and ordered some Liquid Sparkle from Amazon. I spray the Liquid Sparkle in the washer two or three times a week, and this REALLY helped. Problem solved; the musty smell from the towels went away. Thanks for the helpful info on the blog. Sue from Reno

We have had a Kenmore HE2 for about a year now. At first we loved it. Then a couple months ago we noticed the "moldy" smell in the towels. We tried the 2nd rinse cycle, which didn't help. Tried a little more soap and also putting the anti-static freshener cloths in the drier. Nothing worked. We were getting ready to get rid of it and buy a top loader. As a last resort I actually took out the manual and READ it ! :) It says that once a month you should run the CLEANING CYCLE with 2/3 cup of bleach, which takes about an hour. (This is not a regular wash cycle.) The manual tells you how to run it. Tried it out, then did the towels over again, and they came out great. It also says to leave the door open "a crack" to help interior drying.

As for the LG model that makes so much noise. I'd be willing to bet that the washer is not balanced properly. Or the load is too much. Unevenly loaded or overloaded machines tend to make more noise when spinning. And I'd call them back to figure out all the noises. You shouldn't lose sleep over a washer!

Wow! I thought I had done all my research before purchasing a front end LG loader in March of 06....after noticing this odd smell and the fact that all of our towels smell once they get wet...oh and that when my six month old drools he smells too, I called LG to find out what the deal was...of course, after looking more closely at my washer I saw the grime and mold..YUK! Tried the bleach, the vinegar but the smell lingers. By the way, LG recommended a tech who came out and took the gasket off and couldn't put it back on - so I was left with a washer I couldn't even use! Thankfully a different guy came today and my washer can at least be used. Anyway, I guess I'll try some of the suggestions on this blog. We're moving in a few months and I just don't think I can buy another front loader.

I did all of the typical Internet research before replacing my twelve year old Sears top loading washer and matching dryer. I was tired of a dryer that took twice as long as the washer to complete a cycle---laundry room backup. I had heard all sorts of rumors about the front loaders not getting clothes clean, bad smelling clothes, mold, mildew, repair issues and so on.

After narrowing it down to LG, Whirlpool and Bosch, I went with the Whirlpool Duet ™ washer and dryer in the 9200 series. In that brand we are talking a level below the top price point. I am confident that Bosch and LG make fine machines. LG Electronics, a South Korean company has been making front loading washers for decades. Front loaders are typical in the rest of the world---only in America do we see so many top loaders. Remember: the very first automatic washers were front loaders.

The more you pay, the more cycles and features you get. There is a point of diminishing returns not to mention the fact that more gadgets can mean more things to go wrong. One name manufacturer has a dispenser system which you fill with detergent and bleach and it dispenses the stuff through multiple loads. A technician who services that brand informed me that the feature is---from a repair call perspective---a weak link in an otherwise fine piece of equipment.

After decades of doing so, we all think we know how to wash clothes. The most important thing I can recommend is to READ THE OPERATORS MANUAL! Secondly, do some research and if the sales person doesn’t seem to know what he is talking about, go somewhere else. Ask whoever you buy from if they actually set up the machines or just drop them off in your laundry room. If they don’t level the machines, hand them a level and make sure they do so, which leads me to vibration.

These machines spin at a very high RPM; 1,000 RPM is very typical while the top of the line LG machines (Tromm) spin at 1,320 which is why the clothes come out nearly dry and dry so quickly in the dryer. Mounted on a concrete floor or modern trussed floor, leveled, spaced a couple of inches apart and without the pedestals, the vibration during the spin cycle will not be an issue---these machines are remarkably quiet. Each variable you add will increase vibration. On solid flooring even with the pedestals if all else is equal, the noise and vibration factor should still be less than typical top loaders. However, on wood flooring, on a upper story in an older structure with an unbalanced load, on pedestals, unleveled and too close together---the darn thing is going too shake the house. Several manufacturers make machines specifically for upper stories with lower spin speeds.

HE detergent is not an option---it is a mandate! Simply using less regular detergent doesn’t work. In fact, if you read the HE detergent label it indicates that you should use barely a quarter to a third of a cap for normal loads. A friend who services appliances told me to use even less than the detergent maker recommends. More detergent will not get your clothes cleaner in a front loader. Suds from conventional detergents will ultimately screw up the machine, not get your clothes clean and drastically extend the wash cycle and your energy usage because the machine has to enter a SUD cycle to get rid of the excess suds. If you use the minimum recommended detergent for most loads the HE is not more expensive than convention detergent of the same brand---it may well end up being less expensive. Cheer™, Gain™ and Tide™ are all available in HE and more are being added.

Many service techs recommend powdered HE detergent over the liquids and claim that powders don’t leave the film that most liquids do---which forms a basis for mold growth. I can’t personally attest to it but it seems to make some sense. If you use powder, you can add Borateam™ or Oxyclean™ to the dispenser with the powdered detergent. If you stick with the liquids, any powdered additives should be placed in the bottom of the drum before adding the clothes.

Throw away your fabric softener! It gunks up machines worse than any other additive---it has wax in it for gosh sake! It makes towels less absorbent. It leaves a film on the outer drum that you can’ get to to clean. If you have hard water, consider buying Calgon™ Water Softener available in the supermarket and adding it to the rinse water. You might also consider adding some 20 Mule Team Borax™ or Borateam™ either with the detergent if you use a powder or in the bottom of the drum if you use a liquid detergent.

Front loaders have to seal completely or the water will leak out---unlike top loaders. That means that the interior stays damp after you close the door. Leaving the door ajar for an hour or after you remove the load will help it dry out completely---leaving it cracked open all the time makes even more sense. Consider keeping a spray bottle of something like Sam’s Club’s OdoBan™ and a rag next to the washer and wipe off the seal periodically---to include underneath and the front lip which faces inward. If your machine has a machine cleaning cycle, run it as recommended. The newer machines tend to have this cycle and it specifically jets water around and under the seal to clean and sanitize it thoroughly.

If you start getting excessively long wash cycles or fault codes, it is possible that someone didn’t empty their pockets and something is clogging the pump filter which also tend to preclude complete drainage and add to the potential mold and mildew issue. If you are going to spend two to three grand for a washer dryer pair, seriously consider a service contract---$120/unit for five years in my case but you can often negotiate these down with the salesman.

The average service call to clean out that filter is $115. If you are handy and confident, you can unplug the machine, remove three torq or hex screws on a bottom panel and do this task in a couple of minutes. I would not buy any brand in which this pump filter is not “reasonably” accessible. If you have a service contract, then they will handle the task but you may have a deductible.

Very cold water doesn’t wash clothes very well; at 60 degrees Fahrenheit and below, detergents just don’t emulsify as they should. Many front loaders have an internal water heater so that even if you select cold wash, it will heat the water just enough to make it work with detergent.

The typical front loader uses a quarter of the water that a top loader does. If you are using cold water to save money, you’ve already save 75% of the cost of heating water for a load. Warm water will always wash better than cold.

Mold and mildew: if you leave a wet load of clothes in a front loader overnight or all day while you are at work, you are asking for mildew problems. It’s a sealed container; unless the clothes have been sterilized or at least sanitized, the drum---and clothes---will grow mold and mildew. Use the delayed wash feature available on many machines---most will tell approximately how long the cycle will take---so that the wash cycle ends right before you leave the house or come home.

Follow the recommendations in the manual for proper loading and mixing of items. Put your baby socks and thongs in mesh bags---they end up in the pump filter too easily. As with any washer, full loads are preferable but front loaders don’t typically handle very small loads as well as top loaders. If you need to do a small load, consider throwing in a couple of those designer towels that have been hanging in the bathroom for who knows how long. If your family insists on throwing their wet towels on the floor or shoving them in the bottom of a hamper, you are going to start with mold and mildew problems. Molds, yeasts and mildews are very hard to get rid of once they start to grow. Short of very hot water and chorine bleach, you are fighting a lost cause.

Are front loaders “harder” on clothes than top loader/agitator machines? The opposite should be true. One measure of how much of a beating your laundry is taking is the amount of lint that collects in the dryer lint filter when you wash a relatively new, predominantly cotton item. Occasionally I buy 100% cotton rags (terry) to use around the house and in the garage. I always wash them thoroughly before I use them to get all of the starch and chemicals out. Two dozen of these relatively low end, imported rags used to throw of so much lint after a full cycle in my top loader that I had to clean the lint filter several times during the initial drying cycle. The first time I did a load of new rags in the front loader I was astounded at how little lint buildup there was.

I used to be in the hospital bedding and apparel business and have visited numerous fabric mills---you don’t even want to know what it takes, chemical wise, to produce a sheet, towel or item of apparel. You really want to get that stuff out of the fabric before it touches your body.

I digress---back to the smelly towels and such. You can try Oxyclean™, OdoBan ™ or Borateam™---or all three---but on fancy, designer towels you probably won’t be willing to risk either Chlorine bleach or super heated water. Drying them occasionally outside in the bright sun helps. Using soft water or a liquid softener (Calgon ™) may help. Getting all of the fabric softener residue out of the towels might help. Drying them completely is essential, particularly with heavy towels. If your towels are smelly indicating the existence of mold, yeast or mildew, you may not notice it when you take them out of the dryer but probably will the first time you use them and get them damp. It is easier to prevent the mold and such than it is to eliminate it. F you’ve already got it, it will probably take several cycles to get rid of it.

Another approach might be to explain to family and guests that the designer towels are just for show. Go to Costco™ or Sam’s™ and buy pure white, hotel grade towels, bathmats and washcloths. They’re really not expensive---and they are made to be washed in institutional laundries at very high temperature with both peroxide and chlorine based bleaches a high concentrations. Run them through the washer on the highest temperature possible, often called a sanitize setting.

Washer technology had improved dramatically in the last decade---dryer technology really hasn’t changed much. If you have gas, consider using it instead of electric; the dryers cost fifty to a hundred dollars more but in many---not all---parts of the country gas is cheaper than electricity so you will recoup the difference fairly quickly. You should be able to get information from your utility company, from a local appliance service or on line regarding the cost differential. If you live in an area where electricity is produced using coal, than electric may be break even or even cheaper. If you live in the southwest or Texas, natural gas is generally more cost effective.

A couple of companies make hybrids---top loading without the agitator---but there seem to be issues with those machines either in design---or in the fact that people don’t know how to use them.

In summary, assuming you can reeducate your family, the most important things you can do to prevent mold and mildew in a front loader and the resulting smelly clothes are:

Read the manual.
Leave the door ajar long enough for the drum to air out.
Use HE detergent only.
Stop using fabric softener.
Run the machine cleaning cycle as recommended. If your machine doesn’t have one, run a regular cycle with hot water and bleach---no detergent---periodically, at least once a month or more often if you do a lot of laundry.
Don’t leave wet clothes in the washer all day or all night.
Follow the loading recommendations.
If you have hard water and don’t want to/can’t install a water softener try using Calgon ™, Borateam™ or even baking soda in the wash water.
Vinegar (white, pretty cheap by the gallon) can be an effective fungicide but it’s going to take more than a tablespoon; try it instead of softener in the rinse cycle.

Haven’t tried the idea of using some powdered, enzyme based dishwashing detergent to clean the front loading washer but it makes sense. I called my friend who services all sorts of appliances and he indicated that he even recommends it even though the manual doesn’t. There is also a commercial product available on line at www.smellywasher.com that many repair techs seem to endorse.

By the way, if you prefer scent free HE detergent I know Tide has one---not sure who else does.

We love our Whirlpool Duet™ front loader washer and dryer. Laundry room backup is a thing of the past. Comforters that used to take two hours to dry are dry in under thirty minutes. The clothes are really clean. Our electric bill has gone down. There is less lint in the dryer vent---because the clothes aren’t getting as beat up as they did by that center agitator on a conventional top loader. They are both remarkably quiet but making the switch requires some reeducation.

When I read complaints from people who won’t read the manual, won’t allow the drum to dry after each use, refuse to use the right detergent and can’t be bothered to perform a few seconds of preventative cleaning and maintenance, I throw up my hands in frustration. If that is you---don’t buy a front loader!

I am so happy to read about these solutions as I bought the top of the line LG Steam Fresh model just 6 months ago to save water but have had sour towels for a couple of months now. I never use bleach and always use HE detergents. We live in the desert and always have left the door open between washings and I do laudry at least 5 days a week. I really don't think that European vs. American vs. Asian models or even climate makes any machine more immune from mold and mildew.

Hi I have been reading many comments. Obviously I am here for a reason as well. I purchased my Kenmore washer and Dryer 2 years ago and although I love them for saving me time and money (suposedly) I find my towels and dish clothes always come out with a horible smell. I have thrown many out because I have not been able to find a solution to the problem. I have tried using household Amonia in with my detergent and always liquid detergent. That helps until someone goes to dry themselves off after a shower then I hear "why do our towels stink?"

I am throwing more towels away these days because of the smell. I even started putting smaller loads in the machine so I am back to doing more loads more often.

I didn't know about leaving the door open but I am going to try that. And where is this gasket I alooking for? I live in Canada so beside Borax if I can't get it here what should I try?

If anyone has truly found a full proof solution I would love to hear from you.

Thanks Tracy

Hi, I have an lg tromm machine for about a year and a half. I have had nothing but problems with it. It works great and looks great but stinks from mold. I am getting a new machine after LG agreed to refund my money. I am considering getting a Whirlpool Cabrio 6600s. It is a top loader that works with front load technology, less water and soap, but not the tilt of the drum which builds up mold. Does anyone know anything about this machine? Does it work well and avoid the mold build up? I would appreciate any comments. thanks

Well, After reading about the LG washer, which I have purchased less than a year ago, and have found my towels with mold smell and having been cleaning scum around the rims, will the bleach and borax get the scum off the drum? I have run just bleach cycles every few washes, but the film is still there. Tomorrow I will buy powder detergent and quit using the fabric softner. Thank you for any suggestions.

We purchased an LG set just under 2 years ago. Aproximately 8 months ago I started noticing a mildew smell in our newly renovated basement. My first thought was that there were possible problems with the renovation, but traced the smell back to the washer.

I have been working out of my basement full time for about a year and started feeling sick with dizziness, nervous system problems, etc. We have been going back and forth with LG over the months leading up to my health issue and they have been doing the same as with everyone else (cleaning, hot water bleach washes, etc.) with no real improvement.

My family doctor did some blood work to find I am suffering from kidney disease. I have always been very healthy (ex triathlete) with no history of medical conditions, rarely drink alcohol, non smoker, etc), and had a medical just 5 months ago with no kidney problems.

He suggested mold, and I immediately hired an Environmental Consultant who checked out the basement to find no mold anywhere, except the washer. His advice was to get rid of it immediately.

Just hours after his visit, an LG repairman shows up. He questioned my wife on how she maintained the washer, wiping down seal, cleaning filter, using proper HE detergent, etc. He found nothing wrong with how she has been maintaining the wash, and said there was nothing he could do about the smell.

Our next step is to contact LG and demand a complete refund on the set. If we have no luck, we have ties with a very progressive TV broadcasting station that I am sure would love to hear about this. In the meantime I have been advised to relocate my office elsewhere until washer removed.

John & Marion

I hate my front loading washing machine. I thought by buying it I would be helping because it uses less water, but all the washing over and over and running everything from bleach to tang through it I use more water than I would have with my old top loader. I have a Sears Elite and no matter what I do it smells and like another, if I leave the door open my whole laundry room smells. Knock you over smell. The repair man told me that it is the main problem with the front loader and even when the repair men talk it over among themselves they can't figure out a way to fix the problem. I think we should all get together and sue the manufactures for faulty machines. The mold can't be good for us either and adding that smell just makes it even more so.

I am going to get rid of mine as soon as I have the extra money to buy a new one even though the front loader is new.

Even my clothes smell. I hate it.

Rae California

Front loading washing machines are also extremly Back breaking,
try a friends then try your moms regular side loading, (with the front loaders) you have to bend down and reach in leaning forward, while bending on your legs. The old side loading you stand and have the dryer hold the laundry basket and you just while standing, pick up and drop in. to unload, you stand and reach in. try the top loaders bend your back and rest all your weigh on your legs and reach in, try it, pray you don't have verigo. It will break your back. And now the government has passed a law, that's says because of water restrictions, that that is all we can buy. We have no choice. Check it out!!!!!!!!!

We bought the Whirlpool Duet frontload water-saving washer because we live in a town that has no water of its own and must get it from another town. WHAT A MISTAKE! We have tried for over a year to get rid of the stink--towels stink, clothes stink. Imagine a washer that gives you stinky clothes! Sounds like an oxymoron? It's just plain moronic. Not good for baby clothes! The guy who sold it to us owns one, too. And has the same problem.

Just today I thought I would try to find a cleaning product that would take care of the "moldy smell" in our Kenmore HE4 front loading washing machine. I had no idea this was such an issue! A friend of mine suggested using whirlpool bath cleaner (available at Lowe's), however it is a two-step powdered process in which one packet must be added before the second, and I couldn't figure out how to make that work with the washing machine. So, I called Sears. They recommended a product that they sell (I think it is called "washer magic" and you run it on an empty cycle and it is supposed to clean out the drum, and pipes. I am anxious to give it a try. You might want to call Sears for yourselves (even if your machine is not a Kenmore) and order the product. Hope that helps!

I am so amazed that I found this post b/c I feel like I am going nuts! My husband and I complain all the time that the towels in our house stink after we bought our new home, new towels and new LG washer! Life goes on, we are busy, we forget whatever.

Now I know, it's the LG washer. I did notice that water sits in the front rubber part and do notice that the inside STINKS...I find it hard to keep open b/c it's in the passthrough of the kitchen to the garage (laundry room) and the kids are in and out all day and it's hard to leave it open, but it smells..

I will try all the suggestions listed here but what I am confused about is why is everyone complaining about towels, specifically moldy smelling towels..why is it just towels and not clothes? Am I missing something?

I can't beleive how many people have the same problem with their smelly towels. I have had my Kenmore front loader since Jan 06 and it started to smell within months. The towels are definitely worse than all other laundry but the machine can also smell up the laundry room. If this is a universal problem then why aren't the manufacturers responsible..or liable as they say? I have also seen the scum under the rubber gasket..I have tried running bleach throught the cycle and wiping with paper towel but the problem never really goes away!

I also had this problem and came across a website...www.smellywasher.com...which states this smell comes from fungus/mold inside the washer. I ordered their product to correct the problem...will let you know how it works.

Thank you all for the information regarding "Mold in the Washer." Sounds like a summer beach read doesn't it?

I was at a birthday party last weekend in Wisconsin and the women were talking about front load washers and the mold problem, etc. Nothing like a Desperate Housewives dialogue. Anyway, I was agast in hearing this as we purchased a Neptune Maytag stackable washer and dryer 7 years ago. Because I have very little wash and yes I do wear underwear and sleep on fine sheets and have nice towels it doesn't get much use. Maybe once a week. It was never registered (thanks to my dear departed loving husband)and so I didn't know of the recall or problems. I thought it was the "Mercedes" of the washing industry. Apparently not, after reading the testimonials.

I need to get HE detergent, wash in cold water whenever possible and clean and dry after every wash. Right? Now I get all the stuff about the rubber lip and stuff like that. However, where do I find the gasket? I left the door open last night and cleaned and sprayed and whatever. But as I read in the blog I can still hear water in the basket/tub/where one puts the clothes to wash. Not sure what I am supposed to call that since my dear departed loving husband also filed all the directions/instructions for every new appliance we purchased somewhere and I have still to find the Neptune Instruction Manual. Will the water sound dry up on it's own? Would a repair person come out and clean my washer for me?

I await to hear from you.

Hi. GREAT SOLUTION for MOLD! Just recently I smelled a horrible smell in my front-loader. My clothes, especially towels, smelled disgusting. The problem came suddenly and unexpectedly. I found loads of black scum all the around and inside the rubber. I spent an hour or two wiping it out with Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds, a grease fighting all-purpose cleaner I LOVE. It seemed to help! Sal Suds is THE BEST STAIN REMOVER I'VE EVER USED.

BUT, I have also just purchased a gallon of "MOLD MAGICIAN" which is a non-toxic all purpose probioltic and organic culture for cleaning mold problems. It is supposed to be miraculous. It was used after Katrina and pulverized the mold and the smells where it was used there. I haven't tried it yet, because I'm not at that location now, but will let you all know how it works. The number is 818-897-4444.

Also, a note on BLEACH. Aside from being VERY TOXIC, it apparently kills all organisms, even ones that suppress mold, so if you use bleach to get rid of mold, you end up getting a much worse out-break weeks later.

Hi everyone first i like to say that im so glad that i found this wed site i also have a kenmore front loader i bought it in 1995 it smells so bad there is so much meldew growing inside this machine but the thing is you cant see it i clean my washer so well have tryed everything i cant even tell you how many times i have ran this washer with bleach w/sears soap they want you to use leaving the door open i have done everything and still smell we cant even enjoy a shower because we are thinking about when its time to get out and dry off i have called sears and got the run around finaly they are going to replace the drum like that is ganna help in a couple of months we will be at the same place im looking into a class action law suit i hope we can at least get our money back................

HE3 moldy mold mold

Have had an HE3 for 4 years and I just got rid of the smelly thing. This summer has been especially hot and the mold got out of control in the machine, especially in the rubber boot where it folds over itself. If a load wasn't done in 4-5 days, the smell was unbearable. I could hardly breath and my eyes would water up badly if I was around the machine or on the same level as it. I was allergic to my house! Not cool at all. I also have little ones that I was concerned about their well-being. So, it is back to a top loader and I can now be in my house without complications.

Has any investigation been done to see if HE detergent is actually fostering mold growth? Hmmm...

Can those posters who purchased non-bleach products to remove the mold from their front loaders please give an update on how those products worked? The two that have been mentioned are smellywasher.com and Dr. Bonners. Would appreciate knowing if they worked. Thank you.

I have a front loader and it has mold...severely...in the water hoses inside of the machine. My husband has been VERY ill for several years and was thought to have MS...no...it was an allergy to the mold in the machine being washed onto his clothes. All of our clothes smelll SOOOOOO bad and all of us have been ill to some degree. Sear would come out and say they couldn't find a reason for the smell....until the last tech came out and showed me the white hoses were now BLACK from mold. And...this being washed onto all of our clothes. I have to replace all of our clothes, bedding, towels...and Sears is being HORRIBLE about the whole problem. I would NEVER buy a front loader again!!!! Be careful!!! Not only is there mold in the rubber boot in the front...but in the hoses inside of the machine!!! Please be careful!!

I'm close to solving the mold problem but how do I get rid of all the water that is still in my washer? I have a feeling it has been there for 7 years? You can't see it but can hear it when I take my hand and wash the inside of the tub and turn the tub. Leaving the door open helps the mold around the gasket, but what about the water that still remains?

A repair man is coming out on Saturday but I'm afraid of what he will say. I have a front loading maytag stackable neptune, 7 years old.

I know nothing about wash machines, can you tell?

I too had a Maytag Neptune front load washing machine. The smell was incredible. I was never notified by Maytag of any problem with the machine or class action law suit. I had to throw it away.

I spent the big bucks and bought Miele. What a huge difference. My clothes are clean now and smell fantastic.

I am so upset with Maytag not only with their product but with their service as well. I will never buy anything Maytag again, and I will share my story with everyone.

I have read all of the blogs on the topic of fornt loader washers and mold. This problem is very interesting and obviously huge in scope and seems to have some very detrimental health affects to consider.

I too have had the smelly towels and slimy mold in my LG front loader, but when I changed back to Sunlight powder -not HE (I use only a very small amount, less than 100mL so that no suds form) I found that the problem has gone away.

Perhaps the mold is growing on an ingredient that is either in the HE soap used to prevent the suds or even in all the liquid type soaps? Think about it, mold needs something (generally sugary) to digest ...it doesn't live on stainless steel, or in pure water alone, there must be a food for it to live on and grow.

The fact that it seems to be a problem mainly with towels may also be a part of the big picture. Towels are made of cotton, an organic material, which the mold already growing in the machine is then able to grow on. The wash cycle is different for towels, ususally longer and then they are more difficult to dry because they don't lose as much water as other clothes. I would be hesitant to blame the type of machine because they have been used for many years in other parts of the world without this problem.

Perhaps someone (the makers of the machines) should be contacting Unilever, or the makers of Tide and asking if the problem is with the soap.
Terri Groh
Ontario, Canada

I have a Kenmore Elite HE4t- whatever that means. My machine doesn't smell because someone told me about leaving the door open, but all of our towels smell soured! What do you do? I really need some help. We live on the lake and are always lending beach towels to friends, but it's getting embarrassing how bad they smell1!- any suggestions?

Hi again, I just did a quick internet search about mold and towels and it appears that the problem of mold in washing machines seems plague top loaders as well. TG Ontario, Canada

I appreciate John's lengthy comment and suggestions. HOWEVER, the manual for our Sears Elite, front loader, HE-3, bought in 2004, does NOT include any comment about "machine cleaning cycle." A question to the Sears customer service Internet site yielded NO admission of a problem.

My Frigidaire Crown front loader is about 3 years old. I had regularly used baking soda and vinegar (along with 1 - 2 tablespoons of HE detergent)when washing wash whites and regularly left the door open to air out after use.

Several months ago I noticed a nasty smell coming from the machine. Our clothes smelled fine. When I investigated, I was horrified to see a large amount of brown sludge in the rubber boot and around the metal rim where the boot and rim connect. Right then and there I attacked it with BAC-OUT (by Biokleen). This is essentially the only cleaning product I use other than vinegar and baking soda.

It took me a good hour to clean out the sludge. Now after each load is finished, I wipe it down with the BAC-OUT and it has stayed clean and odor-free. Also, no more throwing on a load before going to sleep and waiting until morning to hang the clothes to dry.

There's a problem with MOLD in TOP-LOADING MACHINES according to Terri Groh's post. Is this all models or only the newer models without agitators? I've had many regular top loaders and never had any "mold" odors, except when I forgot about the wet clothing and left it in the machine for two days or so.

I have ordered a LG Model WM2233HS front loading washing machine. In conversation with friends was told "horror" stories of mold and mildew problems with front loaders and maybe I should reconsider. Have these problems been resolved with the newer models?? Any suggestions appreciated.

INSIGHT TO MOLDY SMELL:
I have a Kenmore front loader (about 5yrs old). After about 3 yrs (just after warrantee ran out) the main drum seal started to leak. The drum is enclosed by two halves of a plastic shell to hold the water. In-between the shells exist a rubber gasket, this gasket was what failed and was leaking water on my floor. I decided that I paid too much money for this washer to chuck it and a service call would have cost more than half the cost of the washer. I replaced the seal myself for about $14 and a whole day of work.

As I opened up the two halves of the plastic shell I noticed that the whole inside was coated with a slimy mold like substance. I started to scrape it off but I needed a putty knife to remove all of it. I tried to get all of it, but it was difficult as one half of the shell is press fit into the main bearing and I did not want to take that apart.

I use the prescribed HE detergent and after a while I began to get the moldy smell again. I tried bleach, but it only seems to help for a while.

The bottom line here is that in a horizontally mounted drum (FRONT LOADER) the water never totally immerses the walls of the drum like in a top loader (only the bottom part of drum is immersed). As the cloths are spun around with the inner drum (not shell) the water only splashes on about 60% of the surface of the shell. I think that this is a perfect breeding ground for this kind of moldy slime. Once this mold/slime takes root I further believe it will be very difficult to remove with a chemical treatment e.g. borax, bleach, etc (remember, I used a putty knife).

The only front load washer that may have a possible defense against this mold could to be the ones that generate steam, though I have not tried one yet. My wife wants a top loader again as the front loader is just too much of a pain; if you open yours up and look at the inside of the shell, you may be too grossed out to keep using a front loader.

I am now shopping for a new washer because the main bearing is leaking oil and a whole load of clothes just got ruined with oil spots. Leaning toward a top loader this time...

Note: I not a washer repairman, but I am a licensed engineer.

Has anyone tried the PureWasher product for de-fungusing your washer available at smellywasher.com? It says it is all natural, but I cannot find any ingredients listed. I have been cleaning my washer, leaving it open, running it on rinse with no detergent and running it with borax and it still smells (though less) I would love to try this just to clean it out and then try to maintain it by keeping it dry. Any advice? Debra, have you an opinion on the safety of it?

Thanks, Jen

Hi,

I have also had mold/mildew problems with my LG front load washer. I bought one last year, smelled the mold and after cleaning the rubber seal with bleach, vineger, draining the hose, leaving the door open. using only HE detergent, making sure the rubber seal was dried I could not get rid of the smell. I even had a repair man change the rubber seal but still no luck. Best Buy returned it for me and talked me into the same model saying they never heard of such a problem. I should have looked on the web site first to hear all the complaints. Five months later my new washer is doing the same thing. Now I know it's a problem with the design of the front loader. I'm also very concerned about our health. I have three young children and they are sick all the time. When ever anyone visits my house they get sick too. I'm wondering if the mold has something to do with it. My question is....has anyone contacted LG or one higher up to stop this from happening. I'm not just going to buy a new one. LG should have to be responsible for this. Has anyone gone higher up with this problem?

Thanks,

Lisa

Hi Susie,

I have experience with a Maytage Duet SP? and it wasnt so good.I used one for a year and found that it was not a good washer.I am super chemically sensitive and can not use normal detergents, unless I want my skin to glow!!!,and I so I use shaklees liquid L with no problems.However I double sometimes triple rinse each load and and what I found was that because this unit is designed to use less water this machine wouldnt put enough water in to fully REMOVE the suds and detergent . I actually was adding my own extra water from a laundry sink spray hose next to the washer. I also noticed the gasket around the door was always dirty so I washed it and wiped it down alot. Try moving the unit to the outside garage like mine was so you can open the garage door and get a lot of fresh air??!!

Anyone else heard of "MOLD MAGICIAN" mentioned in a post here? I didnt get any results in google. PLease email me if so! andy@envirologics.com thank you

Hi all, I too have an LG front-loader that smells. I have also cleaned under the rubber gasket - man, was that disgusting! I stopped using liquid fabric softener, and have noticed an improvement over the past 3-4 months. Every so often, I will run a hot wash with a cup or two of vinegar, and this seems to help a great deal. It's time to do it again.

I've also removed the small door on the lower left front, where a hose that is supposed to drain whatever water is left in the 'system' is located. This was LG's solution. The black crud that came out of there was disgusting. I don't think this is something I should have to do - the technology should be built in. If my 18 year old Whirlpool W/D could figure it out (o.k., it was a top-loader), then surely LG could as well.

I have called LG several times, only to be told that I must be doing something wrong. As a Masters of Science prepared person, who is 52, I know how to wash clothes, and also understand the concepts behind mold formation. When I 'shared' this info with LG, their suggestion was that I wipe out the washing machine after each use - as if I didn't have enough to do! I don't feel this is an acceptable step to perform after having spent $1200 buying this machine. (I should have stayed with my Whirlpool W/D!).

I have not been successful in having LG fix this problem, other than their solutions to dry out the machine after each use, which is a total cop-out. The tech that came out was very condescending, and had essentially the same 'fix'.

Perhaps if enough of us complain to LG, we can also get a class-action suit going.

For the people who were going to try the various solutions, please post your results - I'm very interested.

Hi Everyone-
I also have an LG washing machine and have the awful mold smell. I can't stand to leave the door open soi that it can dry out - it makes the entire laundry room smell absolutely disqusitng! Not to mention that I have a 14 month old that I have to keep away from it (funny how when I bought it I was attracted to the "child lock feature" - now Im not even supposed to be able to close it ??!!). I did hours and hours of research on the internet for this washing machine - consumer reports never mentioned anything about mold issues, however, that seems to be a very large problem. A repair tech told us to use dishwasher detergent - that did absolutely no good. Im going to try using powdered this time to see if it makes a difference. Our towels stink so bad - I can't even stand to use them anymore! I wish I had my 10 year old top loader back that cost us 1/2 of what this LG cost us!!!

It is fascinating to read about mold with front-loading washers because I've had mine for about five years now and have never once had any problems at all with mold or smells, and I wash a lot--like every day--and our washer is down in the basement, set on a concrete floor.

Some things I do that may explain the lack of problems: I always leave the door wide open when I'm not using the washer, and during the humid summer months, I run a dehumidifier not far from where the washer is located. Also, we have a water shutoff valve above the washing machine intake, and I always shut that off when I've finished a load of wash. It keeps pressure off the hoses when they're not needed, and may also prevent water from pooling inside the machine, anywhere.

I never use chlorine bleach, either. But one thing I swear by is tea tree oil. It will kill bacteria, mold, fungus and virus. It has a strong medicinal smell, but it's a "good" strong smell. Wiping around the inside of the rubber gasket with a cloth moistened with a few drops of tea tree oil would annihilate anything like mold and would not hurt the rubber.

Why buy a commercial product when a quick wipe with a natural essential oil would work much better? I'd bet other essential oils would help, too, such as lavender, rosemary or natural (not synthetic!) pine oil.

I love my front-loader because it saves water, allows multiple choices in wash-rinse combinations and has never given even a hiccup of trouble in a very active work life.

I'd like to comment about towels which seem to be the basis of many complaints above. I go through all sorts of acrobatics to minimize mold. After a shower I squeegee the tile and then mop it with a rag and hang each towel and bathmat on a separate clothes hanger from a bar that spans the tub. I open the bathroom window wide and run the fan to reduce moisture in my small bathroom. I put the wet rag that I mopped up with in a plastic baggie and stick it in the frig until the next day, and then hang it out to dry.

I realize that most people don't have time to go through all this, but I do question the habits I was raised with, of hanging a wet towel over the towel rack, possibly folded, and expecting it to dry.

I rinse wash rags, dish rags, sponges, etc., in very cold water, squeeze them out really well, before leaving them to dry. Since I am home all day and wash my hands often, I use mostly paper towels, as a fabric handtowel would be soon be too damp to be of use and would grow mold.

Seems like I have read that bamboo has less tendency to grow mold. If so, it seems like towels made of bamboo would be a good idea.

Jane,

interesting about your lack of mold problem! It could be possible that your daily laundering is helping to avoid the mold issue (due to the water not sitting there stagnant for a time). Still though, I have to wonder if the mold issues in my washer (a Whirlpool) may not have arisen had I started with leaving the door open between loads and had never used commercial soaps & softeners... I now use a natural, all-purpose cleaner along with baking soda, some tea tree oil and Dr. Bronners lavender, and use vinegar with a couple of drops of tea tree oil for the rinse.

For anyone else who might have straightened out their mold issues but still have a problem with their clothes smelling, we found that hanging our clothing out in the sun to dry, along with the measures mentioned above, completely took care of any residual smell.

Still, I can't help but worry that the mold problem is looming in that washer, somewhere, and will return with a vengeance should we slip up on even one step! Sheesh...

Today I opened the filter trap after washing and drained a cup or two of water from that area. May be my next action regularly after use in addition to leaving the door and soap dispenser areas open when not in use. 1 T. of natural safe for HE machines, a bit of vinegar in the rinse occasionally. I've had my machine since June and live in a humid mold producing environment. So far so great, still love my machine!

Most people seem to be complaining about LG washers...what are people's experiences with other brands ?

I purchased a Sears front loader in January 2007 and haven't had any problems with mold or smell - I leave the door open all the time and rarely close it when not in use. My problem is with the spin cycle and the vibrations. I have it sitting on pedastal and Sears tech says my floor is weak. Our house is about 9 yrs. old and has a silent floor system. My handyman has had many experiences with this same problem and installed a support and boled it to the floor support beams. Now the washer doesn't walk to floor during spin cycle but still vibrates alot. Yesterday while washing a "large" load (which is what the Sears tech also said to do) of towels, during the final spin cycle, it began to vibrate like it usually does but then it started banging. Turned it off and discovered the rubber lip had literally split from the tension of the drum pulling on the rubber. I have the extended warranty and am told it will be fixed but has anyone else had this problem at all? AFter reading posts I wonder if a bolt came loose from the vibrations. Any comments?

I have a front loader he4t sears kenmore, and had the mold smell. To correct the problem I simply read the instruction and found out i have never done the monthly cleaning of the washer, i had the unit about 2 years before the smell began. The 1 monthly cleaning that I did corrected the problem.

I bought a Maytage Neptune about 4 years ago. Our towels have a sour smell that is disgusting. Have tried several washing machine treatments that have not helped at all.

Bought a new GE toploader last night. Can't wait for the Saturday delivery.

Bye, Bye Stinky Towels!!

I just wanted to thank this site for finding the solution to my "smelly" problem.

Borax powder mixed with Tide HE powder did the trick.

I've always left the door ajar and swiped out the rubber gasket when removing clothes but this spring we took a trip to Disney World and a week later when we came back I could swear I was going to have to rip up floorboards and find where the leak was because no way could it be my Kenmore just smelling. My dad had stayed the week we were gone and I assume he didn't wipe the gasket and/or left clothes in overnight.

I searched on the web, found the info here about Mule Team Borax and Tide HE. I book marked the site so I report if it worked or not, went to the nearby Fred Meyer's and like Magic, one wash and I no longer had my hand on the phone to call the plumber to find my leak.

I wash my towels with the combo and sometimes add the borax to my regular liquid detergent. I've gone through about half a box of the borax in half a year and it has such a sweet smell (I'm not kidding) when combined with the Tide.

So Thank you, thank you for an inexpensive fix!

I have a machine that is 5 years old ,problem with leak and drum vibrating repair cost $400 plus. I have had top loaders for 15 plus years never had any major problems.my repair man said to go back to top end machine. He said all front end loaders are not holding up .

I have that problem too. I have found that if I use a powdered detergent such as Tide HE (not necessarily an endorsement of their product) and borax, it practically eliminates it. I also run a full cycle once a week with only borax to clean out the machine.

I was told by service man that the problem can occur in a machine without mechanical problems because the liquid detergents just do not dissolve properly in cold or warm water. It takes a much higher temperature to dissolve them (one that is not practical to use for laundry) and because you have undissolved detergent it builds up under and on that gasket around the tub as well as in the jets, etc. The undissolved detergent gels and then sours and turns to mold. Hence the need to run it empty with the hottest possible water available.

Thank you all so much for the information on this problem. I still love my LE front loader however, I do leave the door open after each load, pull out and turn upside down the soap tray to dry, wipe inside there and around the gasket, and drain the liquid from a tube and pull out the filter. Sounds like alot but takes a few moments and sure beats mold. I'm now down to a T. of natural detergent that is okay for HE machines, add a bit of washing soda or borax for dirtier loads and a bit of vinegar in the fabric softener area to clear it. So far (5 months) so excellent! My question is I add the borax, washing soda or baking soda to the wash cycle with the detergent. Any comments?
Thanks,
Sadie

Re: Front Loading Washers There is a website which addresses the mold problems:

www.frontloadwasherclassaction.com

Perhaps this may be of interest to some of your folks.

My Mom has a Neptune Maytag front loader and has had nothing but problems with it and the mold.

I am highly sensitive to mold...as is my entire family (we lived through a horrible black mold ordeal that cost us over $120 thousand) Mold is nothing to sneeze at! It can be very toxic...even if it is the more common species...and not necessarily "black mold".

I would never buy a front loader now seeing what my Mom has gone through. She's had to have many technicians come in and try to repair/replace that gasket with newer upgrades. My family smells her washer every time we come in the house. She even dries it out...and leaves the door open.

Just my opinion...if you haven't bought a front loader already be very wary...and learn as much as you can about the mold issue. I would like to save water too...but can't with our issues.

I do have few tips if you are stuck with a front loader. Like someone else stated...Borax has antimold properties...and you could also use tea tree oil, oregano oil, Tri-Gard Plus (google it...it's a grapefruit seed, gold, tea tree oil blend...wonderful stuff for so many uses internal and external!!! Our N.D. prescribed it for us.) If you are worried that the oils might cause issues using them in the water..go with the Tri-Gard. When my husband comes home from the inner city his clothes get treated with the full list...but mostly I use Borax daily with my laundry soap. I also make a spray of the above stuff to spray the inner tub of the washing machine to keep it mold/bacteria free.

Just my random opinion...hope it might help someone...

Good luck with those moldy front loaders....Maverick

Was looking for the story on the legal remedy being persued....but the site has gajillions of postings on the problems with these washers....with remedies that would seem to be less than consumer friendly.

So many postings that I never did find out if there is a legal remedy.

But I'm glad that someone is doing something about this....think of the billions that these companies have made on these machines with apparently little consumer type testing.

We've had a Kenmore front loader for about 5 years. Within a year it started with the smell, some days more than others. I called Sears and was told there's nothing that can be done.

The gasket has the holes, the door is left open. He said that there is always some water left in the bottom of the drum, but it's not where you can wipe it out.

Where the rubber gasket meets the stainless drum there is a groove that circles the drum. I have taken a rag and stuffed it into this groove and turned the drum. Brown/black gunk on the rag.

Today when I threatened to buy a top loader I pulled out the soap dispenser and there was black mold growing! It was especially on the fabric softener side. We don't always use softener but it was supporting the mold. No more.

I cleaned the tray well and cleaned the area it fits in. Did the bleach and hot water thing but it won't be long before the smell comes back. I truly believe that the manufacturers want us to save water and energy but they aren't interested in resolving the mold problem.

My wife and I have the LG TROM model front loader washer and dryer set. We had the same problem with the moldy smell and found that reading the owner manual section on maintenance tells you exactly what to do for the smell. Put bleach in the bleach trap, and set the washer to run the TUB CLEANING cycle. It sugests to run this cycle about every month or two. Also, leaving the door and detergent tray open after use will help prevent the problem.

Just read the manual before using the machine, truct me I wish we would have.

Ryan

My wife and I purchased an LG Tromm SteamWasher model WM2487HWM with matching dryer in March of 07. The salesman at Home Depot raved about his and we were looking for the largest load we could find. We noticed the moldy smell in the washer if we left the door closed but just leaving the door open helped, but then we started to get the smell in the towels. I checked the web and was really worried when I saw all the complaints and horror stories. I decided to get to the bottom of this problem myself and started working on a solution. Here are the things I found and the results I got.

If you have the smell problem I will also tell you what we did for our washer and out towels

The biggest single problem is standing water in the door seal. When a load is finished, if you fold back the bottom of the door seal this washer will have a cup or two of water trapped underneath. To fix this problem, just fold the seal back and use a towel to soak up this extra water.

The next biggest problem is leaving laundry in after it is finished. I don’t mean one or two hours, I mean long periods of time like during the day or over night. If you want to do laundry before bed or on the way to work, use the delay start function so it finishes just before you get up/get home.

As mentioned above, leave the door open when the machine is not in use. Let it dry completely. We don’t close it at all, so I don’t know if it could be closed after it is dry or not.

Another problem was too much soap. In my research, I found out several interesting things. The main cleaning action in a front loader is the tumbling action. If you add too much soap, suds form and cushion the clothes hampering the cleaning action. Too much soap also causes soap build up in the clothes and in the washer. If you think about it, If the washer uses 80% less water how much soap do you need for the same concentration of soap in the water (80% less) so if a full load takes about 1/3 cup (2.66 ounces) of 2X liquid detergent in a top loader then you would need .53 ounces (2.66 times .2) for the same concentration. Sorry about the math. In reality, we use no more than line 1 on the detergent cup for the largest loads and less for small loads.

I have read several things about liquid fabric softener, but we don’t us it. I do see how it could cause all kinds of problems with build up. If you want to use it, I would reduce the amount used by the same 80% rule for detergent.

So these are the rules we follow to keep the problem from occurring. Here is what we did to clear up the problem.

I used a disinfectant spray to wipe down all surfaces of the door seal I could reach. Take your time and do a good job. I then followed the Mfg. directions to clean the tub. The LG has a tub clean cycle and during this cycle it spends a lot of time spraying water through the door seal area. I ran this twice in a row using the suggest amount of bleach. Then I took a load of white towels and ran them through using the Sanatary cycle (a long cycle with extra hot wash water with steam and cold rinse) with bleach and detergent. This really cleaned up the washer and got rid of the smell in the towels. I now follow all of the suggestions above, use the clean cycle once a month and run a load of towels using the sanitary cycle now and then.

Hope this helps

My aunt recently called on a repair technician to check the mold in her front loader. His advice was to occasionally run an empty cycle with liquid bleach in the dispenser and a 1/4 cup of dishwasher powder in the tub. Also leave the door open after each wash.

Hi Everyone,

My story begins with the purchase of LG's Frontloader two years ago. After having used the washer for 2-3 months our clothes started smeling like dirty socks. Problem is you would not notice this until after you had them on for awhile. Towels on the other hand stunk as soon as they got wet even thougth they smelled good after coming out of the drier. We tried several different methods listed on the internet to rid our problem.

At last I came across a blog about detergents and Front Loaders. Our solution was buying a product off the internet called "Pure Washer" I believe. After following the instructions to clean our washer we started using SEARS HE Powdered Detergent.

I am proud to say that has totally cured our problem. We do not have to leave our door open on our washer either. Our clothes now smell good. Liquid Detergents are murder on these machines as they leave deposits on the outside drum that don't wash off. Great for mold growth! You shouldn't use liquid fabric sofeners either. SEARS has a HE Powdered Detergent with fabric sofener and it works great.



Good Luck

Kevin in KY

Well, I am very happy to know I am not crazy and find other people with this 'issue' but I am really depressed by this - I have had my Bosch Axxis washer for over 5 years now and last week this absolutely horrible smell started coming out of the laundry room - I went through the room with a flashlight looking for signs of mold & mildew but everything looks dry as a bone - then I was googling around and put this together - now I don't actually see any mold within the gasket and I did find 3 holes for draining water there although I always have a little water in the fold - and when I stick my head actually inside the washer I don't smell it either but I fear it's literally making me sick! The smell in the room is overwhelming and creeping into the adjacent rooms - I find myself avoiding working in my office.........I tried running a load of baking soda, bleach, and vinegar (all separately) TO NO AVAIL - have now ordered PUREWASH - online and waiting for it to arrive....by the way, I ALWAYS leave the door open....sincerely, Depessed in New England.

We had a calypso washer by Kenmore. It had the horrible mold smell. When the service person came out to look at it, he took it apart. What I saw was enough to scare anyone. The hose that carries to water into the washer had all this grim, sticky gunk,and moldy, smelly stuff on it. This washer "recycled" the water through. My son, who has eczema, developed an outbreak literally from head to toe. Sears was kind enough to take that back and applied the price towards a new washer. We went with the kenmore elite HE4t. He has again developed an outbreak after about 2 years of some on/off problems with the mold smell. We also have tried the bleach with cascade method as well as leaving the door slighty open. The outbreak mirrors what he had before. I can only suspect that it is somehow linked to this washer. In fact, when I took his clothes out of the washer tonight, the "just washed" clothes actually smelled a great deal like the machine. I just got to believe that if something smells that bad, it has got to have an effect on the cleanliness of the clothes. My son seems to be proving this theory.

I would like to know if anyone else has experienced eczema outbreaks/rashes after purchasing any of these types of machines. Also, I read the entry that was right before mine. I looked on line for that detergent and could not find it. Anyway I could get clarification.

I noticed right after getting our front loader that if you left the door closed, there was some moisture on the window. Therefore, I immediately began leaving the door open when not in use. Ours sit on pedestals. The best advice I can give is to have some nice strong guys place them EXACTLY on the pedestals. (We lacked that.) If they are not exactly on the pedestals, they will move. I hve repositioned mine to the best of my ability (there is NOTHING to grab onto!)more times than I can count. The washer pedestal and all continues to walk. It also gets off balance on the pedestal but I firmly believe that is because it was never positioned exactly to begin with. If you are going to place any washing machine in a place other than the basement, you really should put a liner with a drain under them. (A builder friend of mine had a lovely metal liner made to sit under the floor with a drain so that if there is any problem, there is no floor or ceiling damage. A brilliant idea and worth the extra cost.) We had one washer disaster already where the drain came out and the water flowed all over the floor and it rained in the basement and we probably have some permanent damage to the floor and the bathroom wall in the basement. It would have been worse if I had not heard the strange sound and been right on top of it with towels and anything else that would absorb water and soap. Another thing to fix when we need to sell the house.

Craig, I'll bet you could make a tidy side income by advertising to clean these things! Just kidding and thanks for your suggestions. We're buying a home in 18 months and they are leaving the frontloaders...very nice ones. Phil's knees hate the frontloaders :)..in fact, we are also getting a lovely freezer on bottom fridge...and there will be NO extra charge for them. Just be a nice person and see how you can be blessed.

OK, now I am mad.

I am furious and it is over something as stupid as a washing machine!!!!

New government regulations for new water efficiency washing machines has my family's clothing smelling like a stinking, rancid, moldy basement! This is absolutely absurd! I have been told to change laundry detergent, run hot bleach water through my washer and, get this; my washing machine is 1 year old and my clothes smell filthy!!! The mold and mildew from these nasty machines have wreaked havoc through skin rashes and allergies in my children!

I paid $1,000.000 for this da*ned washing machine and THIS is what is being sold to the public under the disguise of efficiency!!?? I have been on the phone with GE about this problem. I have, over the past 3 months, with a technician on the phone, been instructed to do the following:

*Make sure I use high efficiency detergent and fabric softener. THAT will fix my problem.
Wrong.
*Cleaned the lint trap (..that is stupidly behind a metal access plate that you have to use a screwdriver to remove screws to get to it EVERY TIME) and THAT will fix my problem.
Wrong!
*Cleaned the water hoses; THAT will fix my problem.
Wrong!
*Cleaned the gasket around the door. THAT will fix my problem
Wrong!
*Cleaned the tub with bleach water. THAT will fix my problem.
WRONG!
*REMOVED the hoses and cleaned the pump. THAT will fix my problem.
WRONG AGAIN!
*Take the pump out entirely and clean all inlet, outlets and hoses. THAT will fix my problem.
WRONG! WRONG!! WRONG!!!

NONE of this fixed my problem of filthy, wet, stinking, rancid clothing that has endangered my family's health! I even washed my children's clothing out by hand in the bathtub and put them in the washer just to rinse and spin and they STILL smelled horrific.

Finally, at the end of my rope, I returned to the appliance store from which I purchased this machine and they have told me that they cannot accept a return. They will not accept a return and I have to deal directly with GE. I HAVE dealt with GE up until the final straw when I they told me I needed a new pump, but so sorry, your warranty JUST expired 3 days ago!!!

Furthermore, my pump was fine. I did NOT need a new pump and have now been told that I cannot return the new, unused pump that cost me another $183.00. I have now been told that this is a problem with ALL front loading washing machines and I should do the following:

*First, run a full complete wash cycle on hottest setting containing Bleach – * Note: wash cycle takes 1 hour and 20 minutes
*Next, run a full wash cycle on hottest setting using high efficiency laundry detergent for another 1 hour and 20 minutes
*Next, run a full wash cycle on hottest setting using Cascade automatic dish washing detergent for an ADDITIONAL 1 hour and 20 minutes
*Next, using Bleach water, wipe down entire interior of washing machine
*Next, using clean white cloth, wipe entire interior of washing machine dry
*Next, leave door ajar to air out machine

*Finally, I have now been informed that I cannot use fabric softener in the machine even though there is a fabric softener dispenser right in the machine because the new front loading machines cannot handle fabric softener!!

Furthermore, I was told that this is new technology and since it is so new, no one really knew these kinds of problems were going to manifest themselves and I just need to try to work with these problems because it is not the manufacturers fault but the GOVERNMENT'S fault! Sorry.

Are you kidding me??

Now I have a $1000.00 piece of junk that the appliance companies are pawning off on unsuspecting consumers and hiding their horrible designs by blaming the government.

So, now this is what I want!

I want the legislature to force manufacturers to properly inform the public of these problems and those who did NOT inform consumers of these issues, COMPENSATE their customers for the $$$$$ it has cost us and the misery and frustration caused by THEIR neglect by NOT informing the consumers of these issues. I want this to be retroactive BACK to at least the year 2005. Furthermore, I want compensated for the cost of buying a top loading washing machine in an effort to keep our families away from the mold and mildew and filthy mess this has caused! Finally, I want manufacturers to own up to the fact that they disregarded the health and safety of consumers in their efforts to profit as much as possible while touting efficiency.

This is outrageous and we need to use our voices and demand we be heard!

I have a Sears Kenmore front loader, made by Frigidaire I believe. I have not had any problems with smelly clothes unless I forget about them for several days in the washer. I do leave my door open in between washes.

As far as this technology being new, that is a load %^&&*(. Europeans have been using front loading washers since I was a small child, and I'm now in my 50s. I lived in Italy for 3.5 years, and had a front loader there made by Whirlpool that was a dream. I never even had to worry about leaving the door open in between washes, yet nothing ever smelled, my clothes were sparkling clean, and they weren't torn up or tangled by an agitator. What we really need here are those same washers, but unfortunately, they tend to be much smaller in capacity, and most Americans want to be able to wash huge loads.

I'm really sad to read so many posts from people who hate their front loaders and think that we've been sold a bill of goods in reference to their energy savings. I've seen my water bill go down by 25% since I got this front loader, and my clothes are just as clean as ever. Drying also takes much less time because the clothes are wrung out so dry. So the energy savings comes not only with the lower water usage, but also the shorter drying time.

The only thing I miss about my old top loader is that I could easily dye fabric in it. I can't do that in my front loader. But other than that, I am glad that I have a front loader. Wiping out the gasket in the front and leaving the door open is a small price to pay for the energy efficiency that I've gained.

We have a nine month old LG TROMM WM2477HW (top of line) front load washer, purchased in Mar. 2006. No smells for the first 4-6 months, but for the last 3-4 months, we have noticed that as soon as our freshly cleaned towels get wet, they smell moldy. Also bad smell coming from inside the washing machine. So the new front load machines suffer same fate as the older models - even with three holes at the bottom of the rubber door seal.

The WM2477HW has a "tub wash" button. LG recommends bleach + tub wash to eliminate smells. We have tried it twice with some improvement. Note that we have been using liquid HE Tide and liquid fabric softener. Will try switching to powder and softener sheets. Plan to try Purewash too.

Ontario, Canada

SC, I can definitely understand your frustration, etc. Go to your local media and let them know what has happened. Call Tom Martino's radio show and let him know. Work your way up the chain at GE and find someone who can fix your problem...next time you talk to someone, ask for their supervisor, then ask for their supervisor, then ask for THEIR supervisor and on up the chain. I had an ongoing problem with Qwest that was never resolved, but I got through to the upper tier.

Get on their website and find the board members. Write to them (fax with receipt or certified mail, return receipt requested, that way no one can ever tell you they didn't get the letter. It takes some time as they have a FULL website, but it can be done. Email me if you need to for help.

The last thing we need to do is MORE government legislation. I want them out of my business and my life. I do not want them legislating every single little thing in my life. I do, however, make corporations take responsibility.

As for the warranty expiration, no way. TS for them. When you first call, ask them if there is a record of your complaints. They should have documented it. Ask them to either email or fax you a copy of them. That gives you ammo, in case you did not document your calls. I did this with Qwest and got numerous assurances that it was documented and they read them back to me. By the time I got up to the corporate tier, they had mysteriously vanished. So I asked the exec if that meant his people were lying to me when they assured me that my complaints had been documented. That set him back, he expected me to ask him if he was calling me a liar.

Good luck. These methods and suggestions work well anytime you are unhappy with a company. Also, make an extra effort when you are happy with a company and their service to call and let them know. if you have the name of the person who helped you, so much better. I've written more than one letter or email to someone's supervisor and copied corporate on it with compliments. I've also written home offices and copied corporate on it and gotten some great responses. I can only think of once where asking them for their help didn't work...and that was Qwest...but I've not met anyone who likes them.

I'm probably not as mad as some of these posts, but just as frustrated. While I didn't think upgrading my top loading washer/dryer to Neptunes in 2006 was going to force me to re-learn the laundry process I've been successfully performing for 25 years, I’m grateful for the constructive advice in many of these posts.

I too have noticed whites and towels not being as clean as my top loading days, and recently have been dealing with smelly towels. Actually thought it was the water change since moving from Ohio to Delaware, but its probably the mold thing as I haven’t cleaned the washer and routinely leave the door closed……stay tuned!

The reason for my post however is I’m now concerned with the small about of water remaining in the tub after a normal cycle. I’ve noticed it from when they were new that when I manually rotate the drum to check for socks and smaller things, I hear water sloshing around….can’t see it, just hear it. Thought it might be due to the slight angle of the drum in a Neptune but now I’m wondering….Is this normal for a Neptune?

I can understand your anger and frustration, but legislation is not the way to go. I feel that we have enough government interference in our lives w/o adding this one to it. Word of mouth is very powerful. As consumers we can make a lot of changes. Look at how the demand for green products or greener products has boomed over the last decade. It is supply and demand, especially demand.

Don't let them get away with the 3 day expired warranty. If you have been calling regularly, they should have documentation of it. Call and ask if your calls and complaints have been documented and to receive a copy. Public information, you can demand it. Then work your way up the supervisory chain. If they cannot help, ask to go to the next level. Be persistent, but polite. Works better. Explain that you are not sure if they can help you, but maybe they can direct you to someone who can.

I used this dealing with a problem with a phone company. Problem with the service (why do they have a disclaimer that they are not responsible for service problems when they are providing a service?) So I worked my way up the chain to the executive offices. I wrote letters and copied the entire board of directors on it. Yeah, it cost me some postage and you might want to spend more and send them certified, signed by addressee only. (I think you can do that) but just work your way up. I might be able to help--I've got friends at GE in another division.

And front loaders are not a new technology. They have been used commercially for decades and what did we use before we used top loaders? Front loaders. I admit that there is new technology in it, but it's been around forever.

Go as far up the food chain as you have to to get satisfaction. If you still like the idea of a front loader, check out the European mfrs. They are pricey, but they come in pretty colors and I've not heard complaints about them, frankly the only compjlaints I see are from GE/Maytag.

i cant beleive how many people have the problem with mold in their washer i have a maytag neptune got it in about dec 2005 early 2007 and it has made my clothes smell rally bad all of them after reading some of these i realized how many things i could be doing wrong but i beleive the manufacturer has to hold majority of responsibility for a problem that did not just start yesterday how can they sell me a washer for 1100 dollars then not warn me about how much damage they have costed people in the past i would like more information about the law suit mention at the beginning of this page posted by someone a few comments down they already know of this problems years before i bought mine and didnt fix it but i am stuck with having to replace my clothes and towels whats wrong with this picture.....

I did not realize front loaders have a problem with smelling. I purchased one of the first Maytags and although it never smelled, they did replace the rubber seal after about two years because of a different problem. I sold that Maytag with our home and bought a Whirlpool 2 1/2 years ago. When the washer was just over a year old, it started to smell. Pretty soon the house smelled. I put up with it for a few months and then moved 1500 miles and the problem moved with me.

It got worse and I decided I would have to call a repairman. Before I did, I decided to reasearch on the Internet. I found a website called smellywasher.com. They have a powder and a treatment to get rid of the fungus that builds inside the washer. (I had no visible mold on the rubber ring.) I ran their cleaning cycle twice as instructed and a miracle occurred. My washer smells brand new.

The powder was $19, including delivery and I used only 20% of what was sent. The instructions suggest that a cleaning cycle with less product may be required every few months, so I have enough for at least 10 years!! (I also used it to get that smell out of my towels. It worked there too.)

For $19 give it a try. It is much cheaper than a service call or a new washer. I can't believe how happy I am to have a house and washer that smell fresh and clean!

UPDATE....
Since my previous post, I reduced the amount of HE detergent by half, started adding Borax to everything, and some white vinegar with the Borax for towels. This saved several towels from the trash and definitely brightened everything else with the Borax.

Still a bit of a pain as I put both in the drum first, start the water with the smaller amount of HE from above, then add the clothes once the water stops filling. I restart the cycle over to adjust the water level, as the clothes or towels absorb some water.

Not sure if I'll stay with the front loaders long term, but this has definitely the promise of keeping me sane while I do some more investigating.

Please stop the lawsuit chatter too.....the lawsuit-happy mindset in this country has got to change.

I just wanted to let you guys know, I tried the product from www.smellywasher.com. It worked really well. Within minutes of adding the powder, a bunch of mold was floating on top of the water. I cleaned the entire washer with it and I'm delighted to say that my house no longer smells! Good luck to you
Mike Miller

I purchased a front-load Frigidaire Gallery washer from a scratch and dent place on ebay - I am very satisfied, I have it in my condo on the 2nd floor. I have not had any mold problems yet after a few months, but I do leave the door open to air for a day or so after use, and wipe out the gasket pretty often. What I particularly like about the front-loaders is that you can actually run the rinse water to the sink - since it uses so much less water, it also dumps much less water during use, so the kitchen sink drain will handle it, though I would prefer to have it plumbed in in most cases.

Hello,

I have a frontloader from Sears which I have used for five years without too much headaches-however, I have learned to use a few tricks to keep the machine "mold free"--without causing too much of a footprint to the enviroment.

1. Dilute all detergents with a full cup of water BEFORE placing it in the dispenser. This is with every load. Place "dry" cleaning agents--in a jar--then fill it with water--shake it throughly--THEN place it into the machine for dispensing. Keep all loads measured to the correct soap/cleaning agents measurements--then diluted with water. This is KEY. Takes no time on your part--if you keep a series of marked measuring cups next to your washing machine.

2. When you have completed your washing for the day--run your hand BEHIND the rubber gasket checking for orphaned socks, loose wash clothes or rumbled bits of lint-carefully moving your hand a full 360 around the "backside" of the gasket. After you have finished your inspection (takes less than one second) very gently slip a 12 inch wooden ruler OR wooden paint stirrer-on the bottom of the gasket ring-on the washer's "ring floor"-and it will cause the gasket to lift from the bottom floor where the "moldy fold rest" problem seems to start. Leave the washer door open/a jar with the wooden "lift" in place-ending your "mold" problems.

It seems the "soapy buildup/softner/residue/gasket film is the breeding grounds for the bacteria for mold/smell. Remove the "starter" of slime and the floppy gasket resting place and most of the problems go away--IF you keep the gasket free from unknown sources of wet makers AKA loose socks behind the gasket.

Now, I am NOT saying its a perfect world, nor should we have to address stinky problems in the washer, but--I would rather work through the problem--while the courts work out any other problems. I do LOVE the idea of my front loader and if I take a few steps of diluting my deterent--checking for a lost sock and putting a wooden ruler in the bottom of my FL to keep it fresh, OKAY. Its still better than smelling the bottom of ANY hamper--any day of the week. So, its a question of balance. I just would rather not get so upset--over a washer. I wish someone would invent a toilet that would not have a GROSS underlid-EVERYDAY! Now thats just wrong in my book.

Another site with fixes
www.fixya.com/support/t238848-frigidaire_washing_machine_collects

www.maytagfrontloadsettlement.com

I sell an all natural washing machine cleaner at www.smellywasher.com that is guaranteed to remove fungus and mold odor from all washers by simply adding a tablespoon of powder and putting the unit through it's hottest setting. The cleaner also removes mildew odor from towels and clothing by washing with a teaspoon of smellywasher cleaner instead of detergent. Enough is included with each order to keep your washer and towels odor free for up to 1 year! Go to the top right side of our smellywasher site and click on "check out our blog" to get more information on the problem and smellywasher cleaner use.

I have a Frigidaire front loading washer(which I love by the way) and also had the same problem of my towels coming out smelling moldy and then leaving the smell on your skin when you used them after a bath.

I solved this problem by using only the Arm and Hammer liquid detergent (any scent) and washing the towels in warm water and not using any fabric softener in the wash( best thing to use, if you just have to use fabric softener, are the dryer sheets while the clothes is drying).

Other people on this blog were not kidding about the use of the liquid fabric softeners leaving thick residue and messes to clean up. This solved the problem tremendously that I even recommended this to my best friend, who has a top loading washer and was having the same problem with her towels. She told me this was the best suggestion she had ever gotten for the problem and it worked GREAT!!!

Now, the only problem I have is that I cannot figure out what to use to get the black, moldy stain out of the rubber rim inside the entrance to the washer door. It has the holes in the gasket but the stain is still there and I have tried everything that I could safely try. I also leave the door open after every wash as do my grown children.Any inexpensive suggestions out there I would greatly appreciate. Thanks

hi; i have a top load washer machine now and have been told there is nothing better by my family, but i have met friends who have had nothing but front loaders all there lives and think they are great, have not said anything about mold or odors, i have noticed that on top loaders if you leave the top closed you still get the musty mold smell and they have alot of drainage holes in the bottom and sides of the tub so it does not matter if you have a top or front load you need to leave the doors open to eliminate the odors, i am still going to look into a front loader i don't have a problem leaving the door open if it will help save on electricity and water, helps both me and the environment

thank you

Guess what I find interesting about this whole discussion is that front loader have been around for decades. Once upon a time I used the front loaders at the laundromat exclusively and never had a moldy towel problem. Seems to me that maybe this is a new problem with the generations of them since '98 or so? Was this not a problem in them prior to them becoming so popular? And what about European mfrs? Have they been having complaints forever also? Front loaders have never gone out of popularity over there.

THERE ARE A FEW TOP LOAD WASHING MACHINES ON THE MARKET THAT ARE ENERGY EFFICIENT. I too was recently in need of a washing machine when old faithful stopped working after 15 years. I did some research before purchasing: Read the comparatives on Consumer reports, researched and read a few customer reviews on different brands of both top loads and front loads machine. The common problem most people had with front loads were the issue of mold. Our salesman at Home Depot reported same, based on customer satisfaction. This was enough for me to be turned off from purchasing a front load machine. I DID NOT WANT TO SMELL OR SEE MOLD ANYWHERE AROUND MY CLEAN CLOTHES or clothes I was attempting to get clean.

I bought the TOP LOAD MAYTAG BRAVOS. It is energy efficient/uses less water and is quite roomy. The agitator is lower than most traditional Top loaders and it cleans well.

I got a top load Fischer & Paykel which is energy and efficient uses less water and has high speed spin so that it leaves the clothes very dry so that the drier takes much less time and energy to dry them. I had a Bosch front load that made my clothes smelly and had mold on the rubber gasket. I LOVE my Fischer & Paykel and would recommend it to anyone.

I bought a scratch and dent Frigidaire Gallery front load washer probably 3 years ago or so, and hooked it up finally in my upstairs condo about 2 years ago. I am very pleased with it, and have had no mold problems. However, mine is installed in the dining room, across from a thru-the-wall air conditioner, so after use I leave the door open for a day or so.

I find myself thinking for some of the posters that were considering replacing their machines because of mold problems that perhaps the seals could be replaced with the newer door seals, or the old door seals could have the drainage holes added to them?

Also, I found a great product for front-loaders, KE shake-a-way pads, they are listed on the Frigidaire website, and I bought mine from repairclinic.com. I installed these pads under each of the legs of the washer (one side of the pad needs to go up, so you need to look which way they go before you install them). These pads stopped the worst part of the vibration for when the washer goes into its final "fast spin" - I love these! I paid about $30.00 - well worth it!

This is in response to front loading washers and mold/mildew issues. I have used a Kenmore Elite for nearly six years. Shortly after I purchased it, I noticed a mildew smell after every load even though I didn't leave the clothes in the barrel and dryed them right away. I searched the internet and found information about class action lawsuit against another manufacturer for their front loading washers. Then I called Sears. They told me they have a one use kit that "works." It's expensive especially for one use. They also suggested running a cycle with a cup of bleach which is a highly toxic chemical and not in my household. I solved the problem quite inadvertently. I threw in a half cup of Oxyfresh with my next washload and have never had a problem since. I leave the door open and wipe moisture from the glass door. When I dry my clothes, I use a lavender packet from Trader Joe's that gives them that lovely, extra scent. I am chemically sensitive with a nose like a bloodhound but lavender and many other natural scents don't bother me.

Front loaders are great! I was concerned about the water amount and also the amount of detergent. I overdid the amount in the beginning but learned when I saw the copious suds. I use Seventh Generation (lavender or free and clear) liquid detergent and love it.

An easy fix is to use the last article of clothing in the washer to mop up the water before tossing it in the dryer. Problem solved.

I also have problems with smelly towels in my front end loading machine. I spoke with Tom Meyer (investigative reporter) and would like anybody in the Cleveland area that is experiencing the same problem to call me at 216-215-7059. Hopefully he can resolve this problem and we get some satisfaction.

Thank you.
Lisa

I purchased a Frigidaire Affinity front loading washer in March, 2007. I recently started to notice mold growing all around the gasket and the smell was overpowering. Imagine a swamp-type smell and you will understand what my utility room was smelling like. When I contacted Frigidaire, they denied ever hearing of the problem and suggested that I purchase Affresh to eliminate the odor. Isn't it funny that there is a product now being marketed to conceal a problem that Frigidaire refuses to acknowledge? They also told me that I have to keep the door open. Now isn't that a great look? I then contacted the dealer that I purchased the washer from. He was able to get a free gasket and soap dispenser (mine grows pink mold fairly regularly)sent to me through his Frigidaire rep, who (surprise!) had never heard of the problem either. I then had to contact a service company who refused to install the new parts (even though they were direct from Frigidaire!) because they did not sell me the parts. Back to square one and calling Frigidaire yet again. This time they agreed to pay for a service call for diagnosis, get free parts, if necessary and finally, will pay for a replacement unit if the cost to repair is prohibitive. Before we came to this resolution, I mentioned a class action lawsuit if we could not come to an agreement. I am now waiting for a service repairman later this week. I urge anyone with these same problems to call Frigidaire and the store that you purchased from. They need to hear consumer complaints and own the problem. Keeping the door of a washer open is not the answer. Spraying a cover-up odor eliminator is not the answer. They need to replace gaskets free of charge to anyone with this problem.

It is very disheartening to read all the posts about recurrent mold and mildew, as we purchased a Whirlpool Duet Sport high efficiency washer with the tall pedestal in January, 2008 at the local Lowe's home improvement store. This was after our 12 year old Whirlpool Super Capacity top loader finally kicked the bucket. We as many had done alot of research through Consumer Reports and the internet and read about the potential for mold and mildew problems. We have had no real problems YET, but I worry. And I purchased a 3 year maintenance contract, just in case. FYI, Whirlpool purchased Maytag about two years ago. But I had heard horror stories about the Maytag HE washers, and stayed away from them. I found the Bosch and LG brands were too expensive for my modest budget, so Whirlpool it was. I just couldn't buy a Frigidaire washer, as I think of them as a refrigerator brand, not a laundry equipment brand. This was just my personal bias, as Consumer Reports had rated a midpriced Frigidaire HE washer as the best buy for 2007.

As an IT professional I follow the RTFM rule, "read the f***ing manual", and indeed I read about the cleaning cycle which was recommended about once a month. I have also left the door open and wiped out the inner section of the door gasket with a paper towel after every load. I use the Clorox HE bleach for the cleaning cycle. Once I smelled a bit of mildew in a load of towels and just used some of the Clorox HE bleach on the load. No more smell, thank goodness.

However, I realize that many don't want to use a chlorine bleach due to health concerns. In the past I've used 20 Mule Team Borax or Boraxo for my teenage son's football clothes. You talk about smell, whew! Too much. And the Borax added to the detergent really works wonders. Whites are not only nice smelling, they are also really bright and clean. I'm still experimenting with how and when to add the Borax to the laundry. I've tried adding it to the bleach dispenser, and that didn't work, it just gunked up the underside of the dispenser. After ten minutes cleaning that out, I finally added it to the detergent dispenser cup with about 1/2 cup of water. Though it gelled with the Tide HE liquid detergent, it did go into the wash with no problems. (Yup, I checked the dispenser top and bottom after the load finished.) I think next time I'll add it to the washer tub itself, though I worry that it won't hydrate quickly enough and dissolve in warm or cold water. I really hate to use hot water due to energy concerns.

I no longer use fabric softener as I found it gunked up on the sides of the inner drum on the old top loading machine. Instead I used to use the fabric softener dryer sheets, but I've been able to wean myself off of them by using dryer balls in the dryer. Yes, they're the ones advertised on those TV infomercials late at night, but they really do work, and reduced my laundry costs by 60% as compared to buying the equivalent number of dryer sheets. You can buy then at your local discount superstore or drug store. They cost about $10 for two. They really work well on towels, blue jeans, and heavy blankets. The clothes still smell fresh but without that fabric softener artificial smell.

By the way, my washer is located in the basement on a cement floor and at first I had vibration problems where I thought a C-5A military jet was taking off from my house. Luckily, hubby who is a mechanical engineer releveled the washer base and we have had no further problems. Since we live in New England where there are four very distinct seasons, and we don't have central air, we have a dehumidifier in the basement which helps to keep the moisture in the air reduced.

I'm also going to order some of that washer cleaner from the www.smellywasher.com website.

I'd love to hear about others trying to use Borax or washing soda and when and where they added it to their HE washer.

I read that adding Borax cleaner to a load will eliminate the odor problem so I tried it and...my golly it worked! I notice right away when it hasn't been done with the other two household members who don't to it!

I bought an LG from Sears(scratch and dent, so almost half off!) about 3 months ago, and as of yet haven't had any problems. I have been using Ecos laundry detergent, which seems to work well, but also have been using up the last of my Purex naturals in small quantities. Sometimes I add Borax, also. I didn't know where to put it, so I just put it in with the clothes, and it seemed to work okay. I don't use bleach to clean it, but have been using vinegar, and always use vinegar in the softener to help rinse clean. Didn't know that it ruins the sensors. Mine seems to work fine still, but anyone else using vinegar?

I also have a front loading (Sears) washing machine purchased in 2005. We own and operate a dairy farm thus have very dirty clothes.

I was told by our local Sears store that this machine would work beautifully. She had other very satisified customers who also had "dirty occupations" that were very please with the front loaders.

WELL....... my already dirty work clothes came from this machine just as dirty as going in. I use the HE liquid detergent ( first Tide then Cheer) since the powdered HE detergent did not disolve. I also use Oxyclean. The residual dirt and stains are frustrating to say the least! But the smell is over powering.

Front loading machines which use very little water simply will not clean filthy clothes.

Early on I got in the habit of running a bleach cycle after each load of work clothes just to hopefully clean the machine before washing regular clothes. I also have always kept the door open as I recognised that the mold odor would probably remedy itself with added circulation. HA!!

I also have from the beginning, cleaned the interior and gasket with clorex or Huggies baby wipes since there has always been residual gunk after dirty loads. By the way I DO NOT overload the machine. I leared long ago that mfg. simply overstate the cleaning capabilities of large loads...

This summer I inadvertently dislodged the water inlet at the top of the gasket while doing the usual cleaning as a result the thing started leaking first in the drawer in the pedestal then between the pedestal and washer. Called the repair guy and asked him to bring a new gasket as well as fix the leak. In the meantime while waiting on him my husband began tearing into the blasted thing. Found the leak problem and fixed it. But while he had much of it apart we were overcome/by the nausiating odor stronger then everdue to horrid c#"p buildup within the guts of the washer itself.

The repair guyreplaced the gasket and told us what we already knew for a fact that all front loaders have the same problem. Very bad design. We should NOT have to sanitize our machines - from the inside out. We have to deal with enough manure in our lives as it is.

He told us our best bet would be to purchase a no frill top loader and sell the front loader as junk to a salvage. I could not in good conscience sell the thing to anyone else. Therefore as soon as we can we will purchase a top loader. I will also have to purchase new towels and work clothes and who knows what else. Lesson learned the hard way...

PS. The repair guy told me to run 2 cups of white vinegar every few days. Did not mention anything about it wrecking any sensors. I also am in the habit of cleaning the detergent dispenser regularly. I use fabric softener since there is a dispenser for it and no one told me not to untill recently. Our owners mannual does NOT have information on cleaning the machine or gasket or leaving the door open. I did it anyway - pure commonsense. But I draw the line on dismantling the washer to clean the thing. I feel it is a health hazzard!!!!!!! We have been in the dairy business since 1972 and I have NEVER had such disgraceful laundry which I have always taken alot of pride in doing.

Help,
I have a Kenmore (Sears) front loading washer that came with the house I bought 8 months ago. I think the machine is only a few years old. There is ALWAYS standing water in the gasket and it smells and is often slimy as well. I leave the door open to try and dry it out, but there is too much water. Any and all suggestions on how to solve this would be appreciated. The water also sits in the soap drawer, what green-products could be used to clean out this drawer?

As of the last post, I would contact Sears, and maybe repairclinic.com - I wonder if this gasket has been re-designed with perhaps a drain hole to not allow water to stand in the gasket after use.

Also, regarding the fabric softener gunk left in the dispenser drawer, I found the 7th Generation fabric softener did not do this as badly as the name brands at the store, however, with all of them remember you are supposed to add the fabric softener to the dispenser, then add water to the dispenser up to the fill line - at least that is what it says on my Frigidaire. There is still just a bit of gunk left each wash, but it is easy to remove the dispenser drawer and rinse out.

Also, I believe my manual says a bit of water left in the dispenser is normal.

I have had a Kenmore Elite front loading washer and dryer for almost 2 years with no problems. I use Planet environmental powdered detergent which is better for mold avoidance than any liquid detergent and I wipe out the inside of the gasket and soap tray after each use, then leave them open to air out. I even occasionally remove the soap tray and dry inside there as well. I have never even had to do the monthly bleach preventative cycle Sears recommends, due to chlorine allergies.

I have a GE front load. There was a report last night on our local news about the problems with the odor in front load washers. I had just told my husband that I was upset with the horrible smelling towels and laundry. I'm glad to find this blog. I just thought it was my washer!!!!!!!!!! I'll try some of the remedies I'm reading about.

Sorry to hear of so many people's serious problems with their front loaders. After reading a lot of them, it seems that liquid detergents, and fabric softeners, may be the main cause, after some poor designs, as I've never had a problem with mine.

I have an LG TROMM front loader, purchased from Sears in California, about a year and a half ago, and I love it! Never any problems with mold or smell anywhere, even though there is always leftover clean water sitting in the dispenser drawer.

I have used BioKleen laundry powder for years, all natural made with grapefruit. It works in regular or high efficiency washers, I just use even less than I used to use in my old top loader. I have never used any sort of fabric softener as I just hate the smells. You don't need it for natural fibers, and I've heard it seriously reduces the absorbency of towels.

Over 40 years ago, my mom taught me to leave the door open on any washer, so I always do. It just makes sense that after using it would be damp inside, and would get a musty smell if closed. I know it's less convenient on a front loader than a top, but seems necessary to me.

I read the comment about stinky towels, and wanted to suggest that if you don't let your towels dry completely after using them, or if you leave them damp for more than a day in a hamper, they can get a smell that will not wash out, without it having anything to do with the washer. Mildew gets in the fabric.

We hang our towels to dry on bathroom towel bars after using. If I have too many wet towels (teenage daughter's shampoo, or when I henna my own hair), I do the load right away, or at least within the day. Any longer and mildew will start to grow on any damp fabric.

I have a tip to save money on drying clothes, and avoiding ironing. As most clothing comes out of the washer a bit wrinkled, I tumble for about 5 minutes on low setting in the dryer, then hang them up on hangers on a closet-type pole I installed in the laundry room. I smooth some out as I hang them, adjusting pockets and such. Most everything dries wrinkle free, fairly quickly, and it is much less wear on the clothes, especially blacks and colors. I do still tumble dry towels and sheets, though I use "low" for everything. They dry faster from the front loader than my old top loader.

My wife and I are shopping for a new washing machine and after reading all these comments, we are going to purchase a top loader. Thank you all for your insight and I am so sorry for your problems with the front loaders, I am so thankful that I found this sight before we went out and made a mistake that could even cause an unhealthy household. I suffer from sinus problems and from the sound of things, the front loaders could cause me serious health issues. Never would have thought these problems occurred. Again, thank you all and good luck.

Have been reading this with great interest - we live in Hawaii and have always had top loading, heavy duty, dial-type washers (seems to me that the more there is electronic on anything, the more can go wrong, and thus, more repairs!)- and found that we had to leave the top up all the time (the washer is in the garage) to let it dry out between washes. If we don't, the bit of water that the washer repairman says is ALWAYS left in the bottom of the washer between washes, tends to get a mildewy smell to it, pretty quickly, especially here in humid weather. When I had a washer outside and had to cover it with a cover to keep rain from beating down on it, I put a wooden block between the edge of the cover and body of the washer, to allow some air-flow - on good days, I would leave it open to dry and then, before putting cover on, would again insert the wooden block.

Our son and daughter in law have a front-loading washer and dryer, and when I read about leaving the door to the washer OPEN to let it dry out between washes, at first I thought, GREAT idea! Problem solved! BUT - they have little children, and this is my concern - they can get into the washer (or dryer) with the door left open and suffocate!!! To illustrate this (which I do with great chagrin), my daughter told me a pending-horror story out of the distant past, when we were reading about front loading washers - we have always had front-loading dryers, and as children, my daughter related that her brother, a year younger than she was (about 6 at the time, she would have been 7!!), got into the dryer, told his sister to shut the door and try turning on the dryer!!!!! He wanted to go around and around in it!!! She said she tried the button but that the dryer refused to start - yet it would go when she had him get out and tried it again...he got in once more, and once again it refused to go! Either he was too heavy a load for it to begin turning (he was a very slim child for his age!) , or it had been programmed somehow not to spin with a child in it - but I cannot imagine how one that old could have had such a mechanism built into it.

Whatever the reason, he could have been killed - yet neither one of them spoke of this until this year, because they KNEW this was a BAD thing to do(at some previous time, I had TOLD them about a child dying like this, warned them NOT to ever do this, and even on that day, they knew all this,and yet, did it anyway!) - almost 30 years later!!!!! YIKES!!! Please DO warn children (then, too, my husband says, warning them gives them ideas too - look what happened with our children! Yikes, again!)about getting into ANY open door ANYTHING - they can DIE if the door shuts on them and another child playing with them can't get it open for some reason. Les, from Hawaii

this is a post referring to mold problems with front-loading clothes washers okay, it's obvious that there are issues with this "residue build-up" in frontloading washers! I'm convinced that's the politically correct way of saying mold and mildew will build up! We purchased our whirlpool duet fl set in feb. '08 After having a kenmore toploading set for 18 years that never gave me a seconds trouble until it died finally. Not one service call,never had to spend so much money on buying tablets to clean it, never had a mold issue, never had to do extra cycles to clean it, and as far as i'm concerned i wish i still had it!!! Yes, i left and leave the doors open to dry out because it's a "no-brainer" there could be an issue, but.... Here's what i've been dealing with:

i've been sick and diagnosed with chronic sinusitis recently and on my 6th round of antibiotics since aug. 13Th. (3 1/2 Months). Literally finish one round of antibiotics to get well and then be sick within a few days and would be right back in the dr.S office again getting put back on another round because "the first round just must not have gotten the infection" (sarcastically). Now i'm am scheduled for a catscan because my ent specialist can figure out what's going on and this 6th round of antibiotics is for 3 weeks and i'm still having more symptoms everyday!

I went to a natural food store a couple months back and the told the owner what was going on and asked if there was anything i could do because i was desperate to get rid of this "infection"! The first question she asked me was: do you have any mold or mildew in your home????

Well, i told her no, because we've never had an issue, even in our basement which is completely finished off. But.... Now i'm realizing that i must have this residue build-up (mold) in my frontloading washer, and duhhhhhhh, that's probably why i've been so sick. We're all wearing clothes 24/7, washing/drying our bodies and our dishes (occasionally) with the washcloths/towels, sleeping in the sheets/blankets every night, and who knows what else.........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm convinced that there is an issue that needs to be addressed.

I called the service department of the store where we bought it - "no we've not had any complaints or problems". But here's the cs# for "whirlpool". Totally blew me off!

I spoke with whirlpool and immediately was told "that mold is one of the drawbacks to owning a frontloading washer." Ughhhhhhhhhh! Why wasn't that mentioned when we spent almost $1800 buying what i thought was a "dream set" after having a set that was so old!!!!!!!!!! It was a major purchase for us and i'm so upset! After telling her what i've been going through, she said, "oh, we need to report this to the safety department. Let me see if i can get a technician out to see if there's a problem".

Now that i've started googling, i've found all kinds of "known" problems and even law-suits over this issue. Yes, there are some of you who have never had problems, but what about the rest of us?

Has anyone else that owns a frontloading washer had the following:
*unusual sinus/allergy isues that continue on even after the "allergy" season has ended
*headaches
*drainage in your throat or sore throat
*fatigue/achiness?
Go to www.Toxic-black-mold-syndrome.Com for more symptoms.

I saw this mentioned on a local am news segment yesterday and boy am i outraged!!!!!! It fits what i'm going thru to a "t". Never heard of it, but now i'm doing some research! I'm not one to sue or pursue this type of issue, but something needs to be done!

Comments are welcome and appreciated!

I've got the "technician" coming sometime today - somehow they fit me in the busy schedule - the very day after i call!!!!! I'll update the info...

I posted earlier about my Frigidaire Gallery front loader, which I have in an upstairs condo. I never use bleach, I use 7th Generation laundry detergent (liquid) and 7th Generation fabric softener, which as per the directions I mix the fabric softener with a bit of warm water to fill it to the top of the dispenser cup (which helps in dispense better).

I have never had a problem with the mold, but when I am done I leave the door open and it air dries, and as the washer/dryer is in the main part of the condo, it is directly across from the a/c unit, which dries it well. I normally don't dry the gasket manually, but I simply pick out any dog/cat hair/lint remaining around the seal, which normally is not much.

I find myself thinking that many may wish to have a small fan, one with a timer on it would be ideal, to simply sit outside the dryer opening (perhaps on a table the right height) and exhaust the moisture left, drying the gasket -

Just a thought -

This is to thank everyone who suggested using Borax. I have had my front loader for 6 years, and started smelling the moldy smell in just the last year. It is most noticeable on my towels, but we do smell it occassionally on other articles. I now use Seventh Generation liquid plus Borax (and I use cold water to save energy) and it does a fantastic job of getting the moldy smell out and keeping it out. It also eliminates sweat and urine smells, great for my potty-training toddler. I even believe that the black spots that formed on the bottom of the rubber gasket are fading and no new ones are forming. When I wipe out any excess water there, the rag is no longer picking up any brown gunk.

I get the Borax at Walmart, and it is inexpensive. I wasn't sure how to add it to the load, so at first I dumped some into one of the problem towels, and washed it that way, and saw no damage, and now I just dump a scoop on top of the load even before I run the water.

Some people seem to be making a connection with fabric softener, and I must say that I VERY RARELY ever used fabric softener, and usually only when I had towels in the load. Maybe there is something to that connection since I didn't notice the dreaded smell for the first several years that I owned the front-loader.

I also agree with those who echoed the sentiment that they really like the water savings. I live in an area where we were in different degrees of drought conditions (even extreme and severe) and were on constant water restriction rules. It was so nice to know that I was using less water for my laundry.

I noticed the post regarding the possible connection between fabric softener and the mold problem - I have used 7th Generation fabric softener almost all of the time, and have not noticed a mold problem - but as I have mentioned, I leave the door open after washing for a day or so, and my washer is across from the a/c unit, which normally is running as I use the dryer (vented into an indoor water exhaust thing).

KEEP THE DOOR TO THE WASHER OPEN! I keep mine open all the time to allow air circulation (except when washing of course!) And this easy practice has keep us from front-load washer mold problems.

We have a Neptune, and have had the mold on the gasket, but I'm not sure how to tell if there's residual mold on our clothes. Some things come out smelling like...I have to say it...vomit. Is that a smell some of you have been getting, and could that be mold?

One concern about leaving door of front-loading washer open - sounds like an excellent idea in many cases, but be very careful about doing this if you have a pet.

When I was a kid a friend's mother left the dryer door open (I don't think they had front-loading washers in those days) and - I hate to say it, but I think it's important - unbeknownst to her the family cat got in it and fell asleep. She tossed in laundry not seeing the cat was there and started. The cat died a horrible death.

Sorry to bring up something so depressing, but having a pet die this way would be far more depressing, so caution is needed with some things when pets or small children have access to them. You never know what they'll do.

(And another warning to pet owners - my vet's office told me about a horrible case when someone used an electric reclining chair not realizing the family dog was under the chair, where the recliner mechanism is. All she'd say was "it wasn't a pretty sight." The look on her face said it all [the dog had to be euthanized]. I unplugged my reclining/lift chair after that and haven't used it since.)

It seems to me like the reclining chair incidents should not be able to happen - the manufacturers should have to have safety devices to protect against this, kind of like they have for garage doors. After all, not only Fido or Kitty Kat can get under the chair - so could an infant or a toddler - who may climb under the chair to hide or sleep -

Even the washer should have something added that would prevent it from starting if anything living was in it - there has got to be an easy way, if we consumers demand it.

Hi Everyone, December 28, 08

There is a clothes washer made by Staber that I am interested in buying. I found it through an energy, health, earth conscious friend that purchased it from Lehman's. I have yet to find anything that sounds better. I think Staber may be closed for the holidays as I have not received a call back yet. Bummer!

The machine they sell loads from the top, but spins horizontally like front loaders do. It is more water efficient than all the front loaders I have looked at. There is no risk of leaking, in the way that front loaders do, since it has two stainless steel barrels, the inner horizontal one and the outer vertical one. I like that both barrels are stainless steel. Most front load washers typically have an inner predominantly stainless steel barrel with some plastic, and an outer full plastic barrel, which can leak... and we all know plastic off-gasses..... Here's an excerpt from Staber's site:
"Top Loading Convenience with Front Loading Efficiency-
Staber washing machines are the most efficient clothes washers available and cost less to use based on total energy, water, and detergent usage. Staber is the only top load horizontal-axis clothes washer made in the U.S. Staber washers operate similar to a front loading washer except you maintain top loading convenience, there is no mildew build-up or odor as with front load machines, and Staber washers are more durable."

I am not advertising for this company, just sharing what I have found and hope it sounds good to all of you too. My friend who bought this machine through Lehman's is happy. To check it out though go directly to Staber. I called Lehman's last week and they said they won't get more machines. They don't get a price break, but the machine is good. The Lehman's clothes washer guy said Staber always stood by their machines and quickly sent repair parts.... That means something to me.

By the way, I have owned two front loaders. One went caput, and the other we threw away because the horrible smell that developed after 4 years, that WOULDN'T go away. It made me sick to smell it, our clothes would reek, and it wasn't because the door was closed. Before the smell was there the door was open. Once the smell happened, I had to close it. And, it wasn't the rubber gasket at the door where water would collect, because I had a habit of drying the water out of it, even before I thought it might ever be a problem. The horrible smell was deeper in the machine, like the pump or something????....

www.staber.com/washingmachines
1-614-836-5995.
e-mail to: sales@staber.com

I hope this is useful to someone.
Sincerely,
Beverly

I once consulted with a mold specialist and he said to add 2 cups of clear supermarket strength ammonia (not the kind with other cleaners in it) to each load. This is a good idea for mold-sensitive people, he said.

I consulted with another mold expert who knew nothing about ammonia as a mold-killing agent and didn't believe it was. So, I am going by the experience I have had with the ammonia that seems pretty good.

I had a mildewy article of clothing which I cut in half. Washed one half with the ammonia load and the other half without ammonia. Sent both to a mold lab to be tested. The ammonia-washed half got a clean report. The other half did not.

I have a G.E. front loader and have never had a mold problem even though I lived in a steamy climate. My habits: teeny amount of dry Seventh Generation, like a teaspoon. Sometimes borax. Always ammonia. Never fabric softener.

i use an extra rinse cycle with each load to clear out detergent residues, for I am chemically sensitive. I was told that the ammonia neutralizes mycotoxins, too. I always leave the washer door open between loads. I never leave a load sitting in the washer when it is done. I put a little plastic fan inside the washer when not in use. I dry all around the rubber gasket in the front of the machine. I remove the detergent drawer and allow the compartment to dry between loads. I always dry my clothes thoroughly. I always hang cleaning rags after use to dry unfolded when waiting to be washed. I don't let body towels be used more than a couple times before laundering. I never put anything in the hamper unless bone dry. I try to keep the house molds low by using various air cleaners, dehumidifier.

I spray the house occasionally with clear supermarket strength ammonia and water 1:1 with a Wagner paint sprayer. I dip kitchen sponge and scrubbers in a jar with ammonia and water every couple days. I don't make my bed. I let it air out/dry out instead. I have water purification that takes out the chlorine. So I pour a little ammonia down all the household drains sometimes too, in case mold is growing in there. I was told ammonia kills mold on contact. I was told that some products kill mold but are not able to destroy the spores. I was told that ammonia does. I hope that is true.

I have had that horrible moldy smelly problem with our front loading Kenmore washers (they are about 5 years old). It was horrible - the entire laundry room smelled. Just a couple of days ago I bought a product at Lowe's called "Allfresh" which is three tablets to run to in the front loading washers on the hottest cycle to clean out the washer. It worked! No more horrible smells. You run it by itself in hot, hot water - because I had such a bad problem I ran it with all three tablets at once. The instructions say to do that if there is a smell problem. Then you're supposed to use one tablet a month and run by itself on a hot cycle. This is the only thing I have found that works. I used to actually take cleaners and qtips to clean the rubber seal around the opening but it didn't help much.

I have a Bosch 800 Nexxt and do indeed miss my top loader.

I always use Fabric Softner, just a little bit diluted with vinegar and never have any issues with mold build up. I leave the door open and wipe out the gasket with Sol-U-Mel from Melaleuca. I only use HE detergent and also put a tiny bit of vinegar in that too. My clothes never smell moldy. Sometimes when I wash towels, I add a cap full of Sol-U-Mel too. Sol-U-Mel is approved by the EPA in killing mold and preventing new mold from growing. I use it to clean my house and on my mattress when I change my sheets to suffocate any mites. Great stuff.

I want to thank all those who have posted here. We bought a Fridgidaire Crown model back almost 8 yrs. ago.

There were hardly any HE detergents back then, so I used regular. Loved the excess suds. I was always enamored of my Grandmothers' extra clean laundry and my mother would sniff and say her mother-in-law was using excessive soap and that was why it was so clean, so I always liked lots of suds. Now, I always used the extra rinse cycle. Everything was going well. The neighborhood women would comment on how good the kids clothes looked and smelled and how it was hard for them to realize a man could do that. I was using less detergent, fabric softener, water, energy, and best of all, less time.

But then I noticed I would start sneezing every time I was doing laundry. I started getting excessive sinus problems, I seemed to be more sensitive to more allergens. We stripped carpet out of house, we put in an electronic air cleaner, we put in a UV light sanitizer in furnace system, which, by the way, had an immediate positive impact on our problems. Then one day, I started looking at washer, which was where I seemed to have my worst flare-ups. I noticed everything you all have pointed out. Especially the dispenser area. It had massive amounts of black hardened mold both in the tray and the holder.

I have since instituted many of the recommendations that have been posted and will try the rest. I thank you and maybe now I have that perfect excuse for my forgetfulness, that so exasperates my wife! (Look up symptoms of black mold exposure) I will never go back to the wasteful top-loaders, but I now have options.

Thank You!

I want to pass on a tip I got from my brother in-law. I used one cup of household ammonia in the soak cycle while the front loader wash is empty using hot water. When the cycle is complete, no more mold problem. I did this several months ago and I'm still good. Remember to well ventilate the laundry room and to leave the area while the cycle is running.

I grew up in the generation that used chlorine bleach when washing white cotton clothing. What eco-friendly products can I use in my new energy-efficient front-loading washing machine to clean a load of sweaty T-shirts, sports socks, and other stained whites? Detergent alone is just not doing the job, and I'm unwilling to settle for permanently yellow T-shirts. I'd appreciate your suggestions.

We've had a front loading washing machine for nearly 9 years and never had a mold problem. We leave the door open all the time when it's not in use. We also use borax with some loads of laundry. It's also important to have an exhaust fan in the laundry room. I wouldn't recommend getting a Maytag (or any brand) washer that has added anti-microbials. There's a good chance that they will be released into your clothes and bedding. The company certainly can't guarantee that they won't be released.

After six years of washing football, soccer, and basketball clothes, I recommend using 1/4 cup of borax powder in each wash load along with the oxygen bleach (Oxyclean, Clorox 2 or equivalent) and the usual HE detergent amount. The awful smells, grass stains, mud stains,and yellow sweat stains will be greatly reduced or even gone. For the really stubborn stains, I soaked the clothes in oxygen bleach with borax in it separately, then washed them again with the borax, oxygen bleach, and detergent combo. I never found a stain I couldn't remove with this combo. I've also found that Wisk HE detergent is amazing at removing dirt and grime. It's not as earth friendly as Seventh Generation or the new Cosco Kirkland environmentally friendly HE detergent (with lavender scent, smells lovely). But in dire circumstances such as the night before a big game and the white football pants have to be spotless, you do what you have to do.

I have been using my Whirlpool Duet Sport front loader for about 15 months now and am very happy. I do run a clean cycle with an Allfresh tablet once a month and I leave the door open after each cycle. No mold problems so far.

The problem with any chlorine, bleach or "scented" powerful soaps used with a front-loading machine is that so many of the newer homes lack window-ventilation (even if there is a fan which vents to the outside for eliminating toxins and odors. As much as I would like to purchase an energy saver model, why can't manufacturers make a washing machine which would allow you to use vinegar and other less toxic old-fashioned products which would not damage the sensors? The top loading energy-saving styles do not clean as well as the front loaders, I have been advised numerous times. Are the frontloaders used in Europe made with different specs, much like the automobiles, which get more mileage to the gallon? Or do Americans have a keener sense of smell? Just curious...

I just want to let people know we are REALLY HAPPY with our "front" load Staber washer, especially after having had two typical front loaders and their typical problems. The Staber loads from the top, but it washes and rinses like a front loader. Look it up- it totally makes sense- great machine. Clothes get really clean, and it saves so much water. They have an all stainless steel model too, which we didn't get (more$). Still, we are very happy with our choice. I am so relieved to have clean smelling clothes and fantastic machine.

I've posted my complaints about my LG front load washer on Comsumer Guide's website, and do wish a class action suit could be brought about. I am so sorry I wasted $1000 on this monster. My towels stink, clothes stink, have to drain the stagnant water manually each time I finish for the day, and clean the gaskets, etc. It costs more to buy the products that are supposed to help than the savings in water and electricity usage. Very poor design, and no offers to help from LG, only blame on the consumer's washing methods. Mine's not quite 3 years old, and I'm going to junk it and buy another top load. I wouldn't even give this one away to an enemy, as it would just give them the same problems I have.

My only recourse is to be sure I'll never, ever, buy another product the company makes.

I tried a product called smellywasher.com. It worked great to remove towel odor. It's citrus based and all natural.

We purchased our LG front load washer/dryer in December 2007. We soon learned we had to leave the door open on the washer so the unit could dry out. The set is in a small room that leads to the garage of our house. So now we walk around the open washer door to leave our house. After several days we think the washer is dry so we shut the door. About 4-6 months ago we started to notice a smell. Mold…. Then we started to clean the mold from under the door seal. We now have learned we have to mix up some hone products to try to kill/clean the mold up. This issue is in the DESIGN of the unit and not our upkeep. DO NOT buy a front load unless you want to spend time battling mold or trying to keep mold from growing.

We bought another front loader after having terrible mold problems with our old one. I researched it like crazy before we purchased another one, trying to decide what to do. We ended up getting an LG steam frontloader and I love it! We have had it a year and have no mold issues. I do work to take care of it though. I clean it regularly with the cleaner from SmellyWasher.com. I wipe it down after we use it and always keep the door open. I also only use natural, HE detergent and never fabric softener. I know one of our issues with our old washer was that I used non-HE detergent when we first got it. The suds actually started coming out the door and then we never did get the residue out. Once the mold starts, it is hard to stop it.

I have a Fridgidaire front load washer that is 5 yrs old. We noticed our towels do no smell fresh this past year and just recently started leaving the doors open and are rewashing everything in the product "smelly washer". Now a bearing has gone bad = expensive repair (heard from the service guy it's another problem of front loaders.

Looks like I will start shopping for a new top loader today.

POTENTIAL BUYERS BEWARE

(Current owners – tough luck)

Some of these front load machines have aluminium (Al) spiders connecting the spin drum to the drive pulley.

Aluminium is corroded by, amongst other things, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) otherwise known as ‘bleach’, Sodium carbonate, Sodium percarbonate, (these later two I found listed on the contents of a popular laundry aid), sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) (this one is sometimes used as a stabiliser in ‘bleach’ but I did not find it listed on the two containers of ‘bleach’ I found in our house).

To demonstrate what ‘bleach’ can do to aluminium just find a piece of scrap aluminium, without any coating, or remove the coating and let it sit in air for a couple of days to develop the naturally occurring oxide coating, then put one drop of ‘bleach’, straight from the bottle, onto the aluminium and leave it overnight. The following morning you should have a nice little pile of corrosion products on your aluminium. This is what can happen to aluminium components in your washer, albeit at a much slower rate because the ‘bleach’ is diluted.

To check if any of your laundry products are harmful to aluminium perform an Internet search for the material safety data sheet for the chemical concerned (e.g. Sodium Hydroxide Material Safety data Sheet).

I know these spiders are fitted to some ‘Kenmore’ (manufactured by Frigidaire) machines, some Frigidaire machines sold under their own name, and some GE machines.

This information has been passed to Sears and Frigidaire.

Sears advise that the information ‘will be passed to the appropriate departments’ but have refused to pass any further information on to us.

Frigidaire have assured us that they use only the best quality materials and that they will pass on the information to their design engineers, the very people who would have specified aluminium in the first place. Hardly re-assuring.

I recently had to renew the spider in one of our Frigidaire built \'Kenmore\' machines because of bearing failure. During the repair I removed a deposit from the old spider that looked like powdered detergent that had got damp and \'clumped\'. This deposit would not flush away as detergent would have as it is soluble in water.I used a pressure washer on mine and even then it is not completely clean. Two things have appened since the repair:

1. The machine is now a lot quieter. No real surprise there.

2. My wife now assures me that the moldy mildewy smell she was getting before the repair is now gone.

Conclusion. The deposit was either reponsible for the smell or was in some way contributing to it.I have seen posts where people have stripped their washers down and removed the deposits to get rid of their \'smells\'. I believe their odours will return unless they alter their laundry practices. I would guess this is not a popular solution!!

Good Luck

Wow, thanks for sharing the "spider" info. Who knew?!

Our 11 yr old Maytag Neptune finally stopped last month in the middle of a load, and I let out a cheer. Here was my excuse to replace it with something better. After doing many, many hours of research on many, many websites, I simply could not force myself to buy another front-loader, and I'm a diehard treehugger. The problems with them are legion. I decided to go with a 4.0 cubic capacity, Energy Star top-loader from Whirlpool. It was only about $450, but uses less water and energy than most top-loaders. So far it works great, on bulky stuff too. A lot of people complain about not being able to lift the lid after the cycle starts, as it will automatically then fill to the top instead of to the load size, but that's just whining. If you really need to add something to one particular load, turn off the machine, add the item, and restart. Or wait for the next load. Honestly, not a big deal.
Now I have a basic, white, boring washer and dryer from Whirlpool, and I couldn't be happier. You don't always get what you pay for.

We have had our LG front loader for about 3 years and I HATE it. Our machine has the holes in the rubber seal and we still have clothes that smell of mold. We leave the door open, we clean the seal and nothing has helped. I am ready to put a FREE sign on it and put it on the curb. Because it uses WAY less water I find my clothes are not clean at times and I have to re-wash items. I dislike that I cannot control the parts of the cyle I want to use.-say I want to fill and soak or I want to JUST spin. I can't pick the parts of the cycle I want to use. I am ALL for being green and I do so in other parts of our house, I am looking forward to getting an "old fashioned" top loading machine.

One thing I was told at our board meeting about front-loader Maytag washers in our laundry room - a few people complained that clothes "were not clean" - it seems some people have been filling the machines too full of clothes. On a front-loader, the clothes have to drop into the water at the bottom of the tub, then be able to rotate and go to the top of the tub, to again drop into the water at the bottom. In other words, if the clothes are packed too tightly, the clothes at the very top will stay at the top, and not get to drop down into the water, which is what cleans the clothes. You must keep a gap at the top of the machine, not filling it to the brim, so all clothes will rotate and not be trapped at the top. My Frigidaire front-loader has been great so far, though I installed the Shake-a-way pads under the four legs, which greatly stops vibration (I am on the 2nd floor). I do not normally use any bleach though, which an above post states seems to eat away at the aluminum spider arms. I also use 7th Generation detergents, and try to not over-do it. I also use the 7th Generaton fabric softener, which must be diluted with water.

I've had a Samsung front load steam washer since March 2009 and I couldn't be happier. I was leary at first about getting a front loader because of all the negative info about mold and smells, but I haven't experienced anything like that at all.

I wash with Seventh Generation laundry detergent (only use a tiny bit) and don't overfill the machine with clothes. I also add vinegar in each load in the fabric softener compartment - this softens the clothes but doesn't leave any smell behind; no moldy smell and no vinegar smell either. Sometimes I use Arm & Hammer washing soda if the items are soiled pretty bad and that seems to help. One thing I have learned is that you can't leave the wet clothes in the washer very long - they need to go into the dryer right away or they do get a little musty smelling, but that is true with top loaders too.

I leave the door open most of the time and I don't have excess water in the door or bad smells, so these steps work for me!

For all of you having problems with mold on front loading machines...I have a 15 yr old top loader. I have the same problem with a moldy smell. I changed detergent to tide a couple of years ago. Hmmm! I wonder if tide has something to do with this problem. I recall that my problem started after I changed and never before had the smelly mold problem.

I am not a washer repairman, but I do recall something about a gunk build up of detergent and crud could cause a moldy smell and perhaps staining of the clothes - don\'t know if this means a different detergent will fix the problem permanently, or if it means bearing may need replacement, or what? Perhaps it might be worth sending to the appliance repairman at repairclinic.com (ask the guru section) -

I also have been trying to find out about what I read recently about bleach attacking the aluminum spider arms, which tend to break on the Frigidiaire's. Frigidiare told the person reporting this that they would forward it to their engineeers, who of course should have known all along to make sure that components of the washer should not be eaten up by common laundry products.

For me, I have only used bleach once I believe in my washer, don't like to use it unless I have too. I also have been very fastidious about always using the correct detergent, so it will be neat to see if I have any bearing problems with my washer as the years go by, and if the spider arms supporting the drum break or not. I do wash comforters and stuff, so the washer gets a work out occasionally.

Do any of the readers know, does bleach really attack aluminum and create holes in it?

Hi Everyone,
There's hope.
Wanting to share that I am still so thrilled with our "front" top loader by Staber. If you ever need to buy another front loader check Staber out!!! Over ten year maybe, I went through two Frigidaire front load machines and had that horrible smell with both. We no longer have that problem, and the machine is fabulous!!! My friend has had hers for a very long time. She's still happy, and any repair is EASY by comparison!! Beverly

To Dennis from California.

Please read my post of the tenth of October 2009 to verify for yourself what bleach will do to aluminium. Should you not have a piece of scrap aluminium just use 'tin foil' it is largely aluminium, and place it in a small container of bleach. I used a small medication container and a piece of tinfoil about 2 inches square, folded in half twice. Just leave it overnight and see what you have in the morning. Does the crud look anything like mould and how much of the tin foil is left?

The more I dig into this the worse it gets. i now have reason to believe that nearly all (if not all) of the North American 'Front Load' washers use aluminium spiders so there would appear to be no easy, 'change brands' solution to the problem of corrosion and 'mold' unless our laundry practices are altered.
Sorry!

Re: comment by Lynn in Wisconsin on her front loader machine.

I do not own one, but was told at the time I was investigating them not to use vinegar as it damages the sensors over time. The owner might want to check into whether vinegar harms the machine.

Since the bleach and aluminum parts problem now seems verified, I would think that there should be a class action lawsuit against the manufacturers who have done this. As a consumer, I would expect the manufacturers to offer the people who purchased washers having these problems to offer something, such as an improved part available to replace the existing part.

I wouldn't mind doing a repair once so badly, if the replacement part would fix the problem, so I wouldn't have the same problem again. I would also expect the manufacturer to eat some of the cost of the part, and to try to arrange for lower cost repair service for those of us not able to do the repairs ourselves - personally, I am kind of a moderate handyman - not sure if I am up to the task of this repair.

I will mention to Consumer Reports again about what is coming out on these repairs. Particularly interesting is that it is not just Frigidaire? Why would washer manufacturers use a material known not so stand up to common household laundry supplies?

One other thing I have wondered for a while - I hear a lot about bearing problems in front loaders, not sure if this is because of maybe occasionally using the wrong detergent? A repairman mentioned to me how the bearings are at the end of the drum, on one side - as the drum is "held" on the end, kind of like holding a glass sideways in your hand - it makes one wonder why not have bearings on the side of the drum where the opening is also, in effect, "holding" the drum on both ends, yet allowing it to turn freely?

So far I really love my Frigidaire gallery washer, but it will be very interesting to see how it holds up, particularly since I have only used bleach once if I remember right -