OT front loading washers finale

I leave mine open, I also try and leave the soap dispenser drawer open, There often seems to be enough water left there that I was concerned about a musty smell. Although it has been shut a few times and no problem yet. I have only had mine since June, so I do not have a whole lot of experience. Audrey

I've never actually seen water sitting in the washer, but you should leave it open between washes to avoid smell (just a little open is fine). Some people also say that doing a boil wash every now and again (once a month?) kills of any nasties :-)

I do that, and have not had any problems.

Hanne in London

I was keeping mine shut tight (to keep Sasha out) and after about 4 months of this, I had a wash that smelled a bit musty. After some sleuthing, I tracked it down to the wash. I did a hot wash on empty, because I don't have anything that I normally wash in hot water, along with some biological laundry detergent, to hopefully destroy any nasties. Now I leave it just slightly ajar, not enough for the cat to notice, but not shut tightly either. Never had a problem since!

-- Jo in Scotland

My machine never seems to be unused for long enough to cause a problem with odour/mildew. I always leave mine ajar slightly - I've never put a cat through a cycle yet!

Cheers Fay

I purchased my machine and decided to go with a top loading FisherPaykel. It was delivered on Friday and I've done several washes since. I'm very pleased. The spin cycle removes so much water that I've cut my drying time in half and it uses less than half the water my Maytag used.

Thank you all so very much. You've saved me from a real headache. Polly

I always leave the door ajar anyway. But there must be water -see below. Maintenance tip for front loaders: Every now and then, open the panel you will probably find somewhere on the front at the bottom of the machine. (Put a towel down first, because water will come out.) There's a little hose, which I once saw a repairman use to drain water out of a machine that had died mid-cycle. (Rented house, so don't ask me how old it was.) And there's also a plastic filter. Amazing stuff gets caught in that filter! (But less amazing now that my children are grown and gone.) And yet another tip: Front loaders (at least here in Europe) have an electric coil in their innards to heat water to the correct temperature, instead of using hot water from your heater. So if your water is hard, use water softener tablets in every load. And there's a product to run through the machine once or twice a year, on its own with no laundry, that really dissolves the calcium crust. The reason for most front loader problems, according to my friendly appliance dealer, is calcium build-up. Roberta in D "Polly Esther" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:fuAzg.801$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...

I never knew you were supposed to leave the door open on a front loader, so I don't and it's been about 5 years since I bought it. But we are either the world's cleanest couple (wash a load or more every other day) or the world's dirtiest couple (how can two people who don't work outside our home dirty so many clothes???) so I guess our washer doesn't have a chance to sour???

Leslie & The Furbabies > Thank you all so very much. You've saved me from a real headache. Polly

My front loader does a little extra pump right at the end of the cycle which I presume is to empty the drum as much as possible. I usually leave the door open a spot - just because it doesn't get shut! When I am feeling tidy I shut it!

I also put the dispenser drawer >Polly Esther wrote:

I think Linda said the LG had a little door that you could drain once a month Polly. I figured since I do at least a load most days and the machine will be in the desert I didn't have to worry about that. Mildew is a rare thing in the desert.

I think we have decided to get the Whirlpool set from Costco. DH has a lot info I have tried to get him to pull together so I could post here but he has been sidetracked. There don't seem to be much in the way of Bosch repair guys around otherwise I'd go with that. A really nice machine and the one thing I can remember is the detergent dispenser isn't actually a drawer.

Taria

Polly Esther wrote:

I wipe the rubber gasket down with a towel to dry out the water in the channel. Then I leave it open for a couple of hours. I was told the musty smell can happen because people are not using the "HE" detergents. The regular detergents foam up and leave soap residue in the water and cause the moldy smell. If you get that, just wash a big load of towels with hot water and some bleach and it will disappear. Also remember to empty that little reservior at the bottom of the machine once a month.

HTH, Linda in Tx

Be careful with the Whirlpool. I had them for years and they were always reliable, but they have added alot more plastic in them now. My friend has the pair and in 3 years has had 4 repairs so far. She does more laundry than me, but the pair are only 3 years old. HTH, Linda

Taria wrote in news:CdJzg.3015$8v.1593@trnddc05:

Thanks for taking us the shopping journey!! Ours is old, we've been moved from city to rural water which is more expensive and the electric rates keep going up.... really running out of excuses to not buy that front loader soon ;-)

Yes, I think they do keep a little water in them, about the same as would be left in a top loading washer. I have had the machine start to smell a little after using All Free, but never after using the unscented Method detergent sold at Target, and I always shut the door after unloading it. (I don't want my kitties thinking the front loader is a great hiding spot so it is closed unless I am using it.) Method is an HE detergent and the All Free isn't. From what I understand the HE detergents don't leave anything in the washer to make a smell later on. I'm trying to use up the gallon of All Free we bought just before replacing our old machine with the new front loader. I have been using tiny amounts of it on days that I am going to wash more than one load so I can run one with All and the second load with Method. At this rate I may never run out of the All. Debra in VA See my quilts at

Howdy!

This entire conversation has made me go in an pat my top-loader machine and say, "Good Girl!" Thank you!

When the old Kenmore died of internal injuries several years ago I looked and compared top-loaders & front-loaders and settled on the Maytag top-loader w/ "Quiet Plus" and a big tub that sits up higher than most other brands (so I don't have to stand on my head when I pull fat quarters from the bottom of the tub). Never do I worry about water left behind after the cycle is complete, I can open the lid any time I want, the tub is huge so it holds any quilt, blanket, sheets, yardage, any type of soap, BIZ, bleach thru' the dispenser or not, doesn't leave any unpleasant odors, is convenient for MY use, and--well, I'm just glad I chose it. Having grown up w/out an electric clothes dryer, and the washer sat in an inconvenient part of the house (Dad was a carpenter; imagine how ...er..creative! our home's floor plan was ), I enjoy having the washer & dryer Inside the house, ready for use at any time, & I never take it for granted. ;-)

Whew! Thanks for all the info, folks.

Ragmop/Sandy-- ... use what works best for you ;->

p.s. one more upgrade was the new Kenmore dryer we got last year w/ the lint screen inside the dryer, very convenient, and no little itty-bitty things left on top of the dryer can get inside the machine like they did when the lint door was on top -- I know some mom designed that!

That was a big part of going with Costco. If you have a big problem you just haul the thing back in and get a refund. Like having a good sewing machine guy. They stand behind everything they sell and I trust them. Taria

nana2b wrote:

Not in mine... the innter drum has openings in it allowing the water to drain out. It really wrings the begezus out of the clothes :)

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

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