Question to those with front load washing machines....

[happyhensny]

I also have a Bosch brand front loader. LOVE IT! Uses 1/4 the water and detergents, never smells. Always have the door closed. Try doing a whites load with bleach as your last load. Maybe the bleach will clean out any yucky stuff in there. Good luck!

 

[EweSheep]

Will have to get some Affresh to see if it works better than bleach.

 

[SarahFair]

Ive had mine over a year (I got it from my mom who passed.. and she had it maybe a year before that) and Ive never had a smell problem.
I love mine and will never get a top loader again.


...but then again Im really short so I have to kinda jump up and lean over to get stuff out of the top loaders.

 

[FireTigeris]

check the lint trap, mine is on the bottom left of the front.

I don't leave mine open longer then the dryer cycle. Doesn't smell- we also very seldom use hot water to wash- the salt in the detergent if fine for killing stuff.

A cycle with vinegar and baking soda (vinegar in liquid bleach tray, baking soda in the powdered softener tray also works.

We clean the lint trap once a month.

 

[bumpershoot]

I have had front load washers for ten plus years. Both that I bought can be interrupted and something else tossed in. I clean mine about once every 6 months with an enzyme cleaner that can be bought from KMart or Sears. I like the front loaders because they use a tiny amount of laundry soap and they use very little water. I shove work clothes, farm grubbies, dog beds and the like though the machine I currently have and they all come out clean AND the clothes last longer because the machine spins the clothes out better so they dry faster. My favorite function is that it has a sanitize cycle that heats the water super hot. If someone is looking to buy one of these guys I would list what you need (like interrupting the cycle) and make sure you buy those features. Personally, I would never go back to the traditional top loader.

 

[Koolduck]

I got mine last Thanksgiving. I knew people complained about the mold problem. From day one after doing a load I cock(pardon the pun!)the door open slightly with a new replacement mop head...just wide enough to dry everything out but closed enough to keep the "inquiring minds want to know" cats out of it! Id run a sanitize cyle with pure bleach only and see if it works...if not complain to the manufacturer ....you may get a coupon/voucher or product to resolve the issue out of them. My sister-in -law complains(with reason) and gets replacements and free stuff all the time...you go girl!

 

[Bluemoon420]

I saw a news cast about this very subject. It is apparently happening to certain brands of washers. They hadn't found a permanent solution for it yet. One repair guy suggested leaving the door open after washing, but that didn't solve the problem for some folks. Some folks said the bleach or any other product didn't work on theirs either. It had something to do with the water leaking inside the door somehow. If I can find the news cast I'll link it. It was awhile ago, and I'm not sure if I can find it again.

I thought about getting a front loader, and decided to hold off until I could find more information about it. We have enough trouble with rust in our current washing machine, and didn't want to deal with mold or mildew on top of that.

Bluemoon

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

This thread is great - I want to rant too - We bought ours 4 years ago thinking we were getting the TOP of line from Kenmore - I dislike the machine

since I don't feel it gets our cloths clean and I use more chemicals trying to achieve the results that I got with our old top loader.

As it happens, I was just talking with a client in our office who is a Appliance Repair person for all the top brands. I was complaining about ours that I can't get things clean. We use white cotton dinner napkins and I can not get the stains out (tomato sauce, BBQ sauce etc) then there are my husbands socks from working in the garden all day - even with wearing boots he still manages to get the bottoms really dirty. The Repair person enlighten me that the bleach is diluted to near nothing before it goes in the machine and then expressed out very quickly. He said they are made this way to help protect the environment. So, his suggestion was to soak the napkins, etc in a bucket of bleach water first then add to the washer. Now I have twice the work to get things clean.

Also, you have to make sure that you are getting hot water to the washer before turning it on. His suggestion is that if you have a faucet near the washer to run it until the water is "hot" so when the machine pulls in the tiny bit of water that it does it is hot - if you don't then you are washing your cloths in cold water and they will not completely clean. Again, wasting water to make sure the machine works - so much for water saving machine not to mention the cost of running water down the drain.

All in all, I'm like others here that can't wait for the day when the thing dies - but with my luck it will last for 30 years. The only positive is that our Kenmore does not smell - if it did I would throw it out in a heart beat - my germaphobia couldn't take that. Not getting cloth 100% clean is bad enough.

 

[herfrds]

I have not had that problem with mine.
I can hit a pause button and it unlocks the door and I can throw in the item I forgot.
Got warned by a friend about these stinking. So far nothing.

Only trouble I had was a comforter was caught in the rubber seal around the door and tore up both the seal and comforter.
Took in the washer and they put in a new one. I didn't see the corner of the comforter fall out as I closed the door.

 

[seismic wonder2]

The ONLY time my colthes were getting funky was when something broke inside my machine and I didn't know it.
I called the company and complained about the funky clothes, they sent a guy, replaced the "widget" and I have not had a problem since.

My washer is about 5 feet from the water heater, so no problem there.

Also tripple check that your washer is level, the water may be "pooling" in the bottom somewhere and can't get out.
Check that the drain setup is EXACTLY as the manufacturer recommends(Download the installation instructions from the net)
If the drain hose isn't right it won't get rid of the dirty water.


I also leave the door open most of the time.

Make sure you are using the detergent and bleach that is DESIGNED for front loaders or "Super Efficiant" washers.
It's more concentrated. I only use about two tablespoons for a FULL LOAD of jeans etc..