Front Loading Washers Have A Love Affair With Mold

[persevering]

"Front Loading Washers Have A Love Affair With Mold"

http://consumerist.com/5043121/front-loadi...ffair-with-mold

 

"Mold can be a problem for some front-loading washers"

 

posted: August 28, 2008

 

Front-loading washing machines are more efficient than traditional top-loading washers. Sure, you’ll pay a $400 to $500 premium for the average top-loader, but your electricity and water savings should offset the added expense over the lifetime of the appliance. Plus, front-loaders are among the highest-rated washers in our tests.

 

But front-loaders don’t have a spotless reputation. We’ve received myriad comments from readers about water left behind at the end of the wash cycle, bleach spotting, excessive vibrations, unhelpful service reps, and other complaints common to all washers. But one issue seems unique to front-loaders: mold buildup in the rubber gasket of the door and the resulting odor on clothes.

 

The mold problem is so widespread that class-action suits are targeting the LG, Whirlpool, and Sears, whose Kenmore front-loaders are made by Whirlpool. Maytag Neptune (link) and Whirlpool Calypso (link) front-loading washers have been part of similar lawsuits; settlements were reached for both.

 

One Consumer Reports reader had a Whirlpool Duet for four months when it and her family’s clothes began to smell of mold. She contacted the manufacturer, which she says told her to clean the machine twice a week with bleach, wipe the door down after each wash, and leave the door open to dry it out. “I work full time and have five children—four who do their own laundry,†says Merryl Nall of Collierville, Tennessee, says. “Needless to say, that would not work.†Whirlpool took back the washer, and Nall has switched to a top-loader.

 

Mold (link), according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (link), can cause symptoms that include nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing, or skin irritation, fever, and shortness of breath. For people with chronic lung illnesses, mold infections can develop in their lungs. And exposure to mold can also bring on asthma attacks (link).

 

Suggested remedies to the mold problem abound. Whirlpool sells Affresh tablets as a way to clean washer residue and mold. Sears warns against using non-HE detergents, cleaners that could create conditions for mold growth. And LG recommends that once or twice a month you run a special hot cycle to which you add bleach to clean the washer.

 

Our advice:

• When washing, use warm or hot water unless a load requires cold.

• Wipe the door gasket and glass dry once you’re done washing.

• Clean the detergent dispenser and any attachments once or twice a month.

• Run a dehumidifier if your laundry room is damp.

 

If you see mold buildup in a front-loading washer, call the manufacturer for service and save all paperwork related to the purchase and service of your machine. In the Maytag Neptune and Whirlpool Calypso settlements, plaintiffs eligible for restitution needed to document multiple authorized repair visits made during the warranty period and soon after the warranty expired.

 

In response to the many reader letters we've received, we're asking owners of front-loaders whether repairs they’ve had done to their washers relate to mold alone. We’ll report on the findings from the Annual Questionnaire, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, in future stories.—Ed Perratore

Edited August 28, 2008 by persevering

[TeeSharice]

clean the rubber seal weekly with a bleach & hot water cycle... also ya can run a cycle with this product...Sears sells it for $20...Walmart sells it for $5

 

[hlburi]

clean the rubber seal weekly with a bleach & hot water cycle... also ya can run a cycle with this product...Sears sells it for $20...Walmart sells it for $5

 

 

 

Thanks Tee!

 

I had no idea they made a product like this. I'm going to look for it this weekend

[TeeSharice]

THEY ALSO SEEL IT FOR DISHWASHERS

 

[Creditchick]

clean the rubber seal weekly with a bleach & hot water cycle... also ya can run a cycle with this product...Sears sells it for $20...Walmart sells it for $5

 

 

Tee, a friend of mine called me last night with problems of mold with her front loader. Asked me if I knew what to do (not me, my washer is a top loader and I have never had mold problems). This post is a godsend! OP thanks for the information and Tee, thanks for the product information that can help her get ride of her mold!

Edited August 29, 2008 by Creditchick

[NoMoreFEMA]

I had a front load with the same problems. I called the company and they said "Just leave the door open a crack and remove the clothing no later than 1 hour after the machine stops."

 

Believe it or not, it stopped all the problems.

[hlburi]

clean the rubber seal weekly with a bleach & hot water cycle... also ya can run a cycle with this product...Sears sells it for $20...Walmart sells it for $5

 

 

Tee, a friend of mine called me last night with problems of mold with her front loader. Asked me if I knew what to do (not me, my washer is a top loader and I have never had mold problems). This post is a godsend! OP thanks for the information and Tee, thanks for the product information that can help her get ride of her mold!

 

 

Don't thank her too much. She may start thinking she is useful or something...

[squirrelgirl]

I have a front loader. I usually do laundry at night and leave the door open for 20-30 minutes while the clothes are in the dryer.

 

I have found that there is a lot of moisture in the detergent distributor though.

 

I'm interested in the dishwasher magic though... interesting.

[brazen]

My front loader has the same problem, plus all the bending to load and unload is a pain.

I am contemplating going to a top loader.

[TeeSharice]

My front loader has the same problem, plus all the bending to load and unload is a pain.

I am contemplating going to a top loader.

 

 

 

why not buy the pedestals?

 

FWIW, Ive never had the mildew or smell problem... but I also run my machine with vinegar quite often

[hlburi]

My front loader has the same problem, plus all the bending to load and unload is a pain.

I am contemplating going to a top loader.

 

 

 

why not buy the pedestals?

 

FWIW, Ive never had the mildew or smell problem... but I also run my machine with vinegar quite often

 

 

hmmmm...like a douche for the washing machine... Interesting...

[brazen]

My front loader has the same problem, plus all the bending to load and unload is a pain.

I am contemplating going to a top loader.

 

 

 

why not buy the pedestals?

 

FWIW, Ive never had the mildew or smell problem... but I also run my machine with vinegar quite often

 

 

hmmmm...like a douche for the washing machine... Interesting...

roflmao.

i rinse weekly with the bleach and hot water cycle. i do an ungodly amount of laundry....it could just be the warmer weather, since the set is in the basement.

[hlburi]

I never thought to do either one of those things.

 

I feel like a complete laundry doofus

[persevering]

"The clothes are clean ... but what's that smell?

Stinky front-loading, high-efficiency washers give consumers ‘the willies’"

By Herb Weisbaum | Nov . 19, 2009

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33997384/ns/bu...rsonal_finance/

Edited November 20, 2009 by persevering

[sirrowan]

I had a smelly problem that nobody else in the house could smell!!!! Thought I was nuts.

 

I started using Borax powder with my Tide and of course fabric softener and my clothes have seriously been the cleanest in a long time (since I started using my frontloader).

 

Did I mention that Borax rocks?

[texasdad]

We have had ours for 4 years and never experienced any of those symptoms.

 

We wash at least 3-4 loads a week with bleach and use softener in every load. All in all we probably do 20 - 25 loads per week.

 

No problems, No Stink.

[I Need help too]

I have a front loader. I usually do laundry at night and leave the door open for 20-30 minutes while the clothes are in the dryer.

 

I have found that there is a lot of moisture in the detergent distributor though.

 

I'm interested in the dishwasher magic though... interesting.

 

Its good, I use it every week/every other week. I buy it at Wal-mart simply becuase its cheaper than anywhere else, and my Target store doesnt carry it.

 

I also get this cleaner stuff for the Garbage Disposal too. It works wonders if you use it alot and it starts to smell...its at Wal-mart too.

[blackberry74]

No problems with the front load we've had since June. I run a hot water cycle with bleach & an Affresh tablet once a month and I leave the door open to let it dry out a bit when I'm done with laundry. If there's any water left at the bottom of the gasket after that, I just wipe it with some paper towel before closing the door and that's about it. Pretty simple.

[baby duck]

I had a smelly problem that nobody else in the house could smell!!!! Thought I was nuts.

 

I started using Borax powder with my Tide and of course fabric softener and my clothes have seriously been the cleanest in a long time (since I started using my frontloader).

 

Did I mention that Borax rocks?

 

 

I love Borax. Started tossing it in the wash after we had a box left over from hurricane cleanup. Now I use it all the time.