front-load washer -- mold/mildew inevitable?

[HawkeyeNFO]

....We bought a top load Samsung. It blew up. Google it. There was a national court case and recall on it. It flooded our second floor laundry room. Lots of damage. Samsung gave us $50. We will never, ever buy a Samsung product again because of our experience....

Yeah we have a top-loader Samsung, and it's a P.O.S. Often has a bad stink and leaves debris in the wash when it's done. Can't recommend Samsung washers, ours is not very good.

 

[Secondact]

I put a few squirts of Microban on the gasket after each wash. It's not perfect, but it makes a difference. I also put a few squirts in the dishwasher after each cycle, which keeps those odors down between uses.

 

[kgtest]

Obviously, something’s amiss but my LG hasn’t needed any repairs in the 7 years we’ve owned it. When it goes, I probably will buy a top loader, but I’m in no hurry.

I think one of the reasons our LG started going off-balance is because we had at the time 2 little kids and we were doing an insane amount of laundry including lots of heavy loads like bedding and blankets. The drum is balanced with concrete and there are essentially 4 evenly distributed "shocks" placed around the drum. That was a dryer issue though, and after replacing those the fix worked for a year and then the shocks appeared to be warn out again.

The washer, was the smell and the fact water was constantly backed up. I believe this was just inherently due to the nature of the side-load design. We kept the traps clean and stuff, but the water never really wanted to drain properly. Maybe there was a pump or something else failing. We haven't had drainage issues with the top loaders and it's been a few years. Nothing lasts forever and the washer/dryer was about 12 years old when we started experiencing issues.

 

[Jimonlimon]

We have the issue with a 10 yr+- old Samsung. It gets run most every day. My dad has a similar washer but only runs it one day a week "laundry day" and no odor. I think it's about whether it can completely dry between uses.

 

[Koolau]

We have the issue with a 10 yr+- old Samsung. It gets run most every day. My dad has a similar washer but only runs it one day a week "laundry day" and no odor. I think it's about whether it can completely dry between uses.

If your washer is like the 3 front loaders we've owned (1 on mainland) there is always water inside the unit. I don't understand why they are designed that way, but after 8 months away, the mainland front loader still has water such that turning the drum by hand makes the "swish" sound of water. I mention this because, if that is the case, NOTHING inside really ever drys out. You might find no beaded water on the gasket, but the humidity inside must be approaching 100% - whether you wash daily or not. Not sure what this all means, but it is what I've noticed about our front loaders. And we have very little odor. Of course, we do bleach one load, just about every time we do laundry (once a week or maybe every 2 weeks - we have a lot of clothes and they're generally shorts and T's due to it always being summer - no matter where we are.)

Off topic: One load per day? Big family or small loads? Just curious, so feel free to ignore as YMMV.

 

[jazz4cash]

I have one gripe about our LG He top loader. The metal around the bleach cup rusts out because, well that’s what bleach does. I looked online and it’s a very common problem for various brands with similar design. Repair by replacing the entire top panel ($$$$)! I caught it early, sanded down to bare metal, and put a heavy bead of silicone around the cup. That was several years ago and now I need a redo.

 

[Dtail]

We have a new LG front loader with no issues yet.

 

[ncbill]

I have one gripe about our LG He top loader. The metal around the bleach cup rusts out because, well that’s what bleach does. I looked online and it’s a very common problem for various brands with similar design. Repair by replacing the entire top panel ($$$$)! I caught it early, sanded down to bare metal, and put a heavy bead of silicone around the cup. That was several years ago and now I need a redo.

Same issue with ours but I just ignore it...washer is over a decade old anyway, wont rust out around the bleach cup before it needs replacement

 

[PointBreeze]

We've had our LG front loader for almost 4 years now, and never had any odor problems whatsoever. But after my last load weekly, I dry off the inner door glass, completely dry off the inner gasket folds, and remove and dry the soap dispenser tray and leave it out until the next time I do laundry (once a week). The door stays wide open all week when not in use. I also clean the filter once every 6 months, but there's never much in there. I had heard this was the best defense before buying a front loader, so I've done the above from day one.

This my exact routine, with the addition of running a clean cycle with Affresh every 2-3 months. No mold, no smell. It’s in the basement, and I run a dehumidifier down there during the months the furnace is not running.

 

[kgtest]

Yepp, Our LG had a constant swish of water as Koolau described. It never had the chance to dry out. We cleaned it vigorously. Bleached the rubber seals, but we don't bleach any of our laundry loads and with 5 people in our family, no way we can get away with doing laundry one day a week.

The unit's were pretty noisy as well. And I was offered a tax rebate through my state AND my local power company so I figured with 2 rebates, older machines, and the issues we were facing we my as well just upgrade. The new top loads are quieter, more efficient and best of all, no mildew and mold smells!

 

[bloom2708]

We have no issues after switching to powder detergent.

You also don't need to use that much for front loaders.

 

[Cerys]

There is a lady on Facebook called Renee the appliance lady? She fixes appliances, and one of the common things that she runs into with smells is not just the washing the drum with affresh — which works, it’s using too much soap which causes the problem. According to her you should be using an HE detergent, and only 2 tablespoons in a full load.

I used to let my neighbors do laundry every once in a while, and they measured their laundry detergent via glugs. Multiple. And they always overfilled the drum.

I didn’t mind because I like the smell of detergent, and I went through a phase of eczema, and I had to go plant-based with my detergent, with no scent. I kind of miss that detergent smell.

 

[Badger]

We had a front load for a few years. It used to always seem to eventually get musty smelling, even after leaving soap tray and door open, and doing bleach wash as last load.

We ended up switching to a LG Top Load HE washer with no middle agitator. Best washing machine we ever had!

I never had a front loader due to cost. Now after reading posts I don't think it would be worth the trouble with all the cleaning it requires and having to constantly clean filters and rubber gaskets and leaving the door open. Since we live in Florida leaving the door open to a dark damp place just invites what is loving referred to as Palmetto Bugs. Not sure I want to wash them with my clothes.
I just ordered a GE top loader. The old one is getting noisy due to worn out bearing/bushing that is the nemesis of most washing machines and the most frequent problem that affects washing machines these days. Repair cost that involves replacing the bearing/bushing (cost about $30) are often as much as a new machine due to labor because the machines often have to be taken totally apart. It seems like all repair technicians, sales people that I have talked to, and what I have read at reputable reviews have said that these days most washing machines have an expected lifespan of 10-12 years.

Cheers!

 

[Koolau]

There is a lady on Facebook called Renee the appliance lady? She fixes appliances, and one of the common things that she runs into with smells is not just the washing the drum with affresh — which works, it’s using too much soap which causes the problem. According to her you should be using an HE detergent, and only 2 tablespoons in a full load.

I used to let my neighbors do laundry every once in a while, and they measured their laundry detergent via glugs. Multiple. And they always overfilled the drum.

I didn’t mind because I like the smell of detergent, and I went through a phase of eczema, and I had to go plant-based with my detergent, with no scent. I kind of miss that detergent smell.

Yeah, I have to keep reminding DW not to use so much detergent. Our clothes are never really "dirty" and too much detergent is a waste and causes problems in the washer though YMMV.

 

[CardsFan]

A few years back (maybe more?) there was a thread about this. After reading it, we went looking for a top loader, but all were too high for DW to reach the bottom.

So, we went with a Samsung front loader. Dealer advised to: use liquid HE detergent, run the clean cycle when prompted, leave the door open if possible (this was easy and out of the way with the position of the washer).

Doing these few things we have never had a mold or odor problem.

 

[W2R]

A few years back (maybe more?) there was a thread about this. After reading it, we went looking for a top loader, but all were too high for DW to reach the bottom.

So, we went with a Samsung front loader. [...]

Frank's washer is kaput, so he has been using my oversized top-loader. He is considerably shorter than I am and I was concerned that maybe he might even fall into my washer while trying to reach for the bottom. That would be disastrous! So, I now keep my reacher-grabber tool on top of the washer for his convenience.

 

[Koolau]

Frank's washer is kaput, so he has been using my oversized top-loader. He is considerably shorter than I am and I was concerned that maybe he might even fall into my washer while trying to reach for the bottom. That would be disastrous! So, I now keep my reacher-grabber tool on top of the washer for his convenience.

I don't think that tool would w*rk for pulling Frank out of the washer if he should ever fall in.





Sorry 'bout that.

 

[W2R]

I don't think that tool would w*rk for pulling Frank out of the washer if he should ever fall in.

Sorry 'bout that.

Well, but he might be able to retrieve a sock from the washer with it.