Anyone here have a front load washer?

We have a Kenmore HE2 and we have had it for about 4 years now. Problem is that no where in the manual do they say that if you dont wipe down the washer or run weekly/monthly cycles of just a beach load with no clothes, YOU WILL DEVELOP MOLD! it is bad to the point where I can smell my towels now and they smell a little moldy even though when I wash them, they come out smelling fine but after the dry cycle they do not. has anyone experienced anything like this?

or any fixes on to get the smell out? We use a fragrant softner and soap but they have a musky mold smell.

The mold is only that I can see located in the front boot where the door meets the tub, I am wondering if I replace that boot will it make it better? or does anyone thing I may have more inside somewhere? I need to find a place online like a appliance forum to help me fix this mess. IT SUCKS and the washer was almost 900 when I bought it.

Thanks in advance for any tips or advice.

Joe

 

Funny that you just brought this up.
I came home this weekend, and I noticed that when I went into the laundry room, the washer door was open. We have a front loader Maytag.

When I asked them about it, they said they noticed that around the seal area, it started to mildew some, so they just leave the door open now when it's not in use so that it can dry out.

Never heard of the issue before until yesterday.
Thankfully, it hasn't begun to affect our clothes, or leave any funky smells yet.

 

I have been searching all over and I have heard about using pine cleaner in the washer to help kill the bacteria. but they say not to put it in the dispenser, so would you put it in the washer? weird. I am going to replace the boot for sure and then use bleach in all the dispensers when I run the load

TS_expeed - I would recommend that you start NOW on running a bleach cycle with NO clothes once a week but put bleach not only in the bleach compartment but also put it in the softner and the detergent area as well. it will help wash out all the fungi in those areas as well. When it starts to get worse you will hate it and your clothes WILL smell and it will take a while to get out.

 

I've got an LG front loader and I don't think mine has gotten that far. Though after about half a year of owning it, I always keep the door of my washer open for at least half a day after every wash to let it dry out because I noticed musky smell if I close the door till my next wash.

Maybe wash yours out with bleach and leave the door open after every wash to let it dry and see if the problem still persists.

 

This is what I am talking about........took pictures on the camera phone. we started noticing it about 6 months ago the black stuff and have been using bleach once a week but I can not seem to get rid of it.

 

this may help: Link

 

Use this,



It will get it out. I have used just liquid bleach to clean a few items, it doesn't work. Using the bleach pen, it's gone. Not as you need it, but same problem.

 

Mold is standard equipment on front loaders. Only keep the door closed if washing, at other times leave it cracked open.

 

I leave the door open post-washing to let it dry out. And I run a bleach cycle every blue moon.

 

did you scrub it or put it on and let it soak and penitrate it?

I have one of them and I will toss some on and let it sit and work its magic. hopefully that will help for now but I am almost positive I will have to replace the boot, it is bad.

 

ours is a ge adora and is exactly like yours. We will never buy one again.

I have used the "hot" cycle before but it takes over 2 hours.

Every once in a while i will use a cup or 2 of vinegar an run the normal cycle and this seems to help.

We left our door open for a long time, but still had mold issues.

 

My mom has a Maytag front-loader and she has this problem. My mom has some crazy super extended warranty. A repair guy has come out and replaced the front seal twice so far. He said to keep calling and he'll keep replacing it. His only suggestions were (as others have mentioned) to run bleach through the washer on an empty load every now and then and to leave the door open when not in use.

Luckily for her, it hasn't affected their clothes yet.

 

We have the LG Steam units and haven't developed a problem. We leave the door open when it's not in use (or at least for 24 hours after the last load is done) and wipe it down although my wife is MUCH less diligent than I am.

 

We have a Kenmore Oasis Canyon Capacity TOP loader (capacity is even slightly larger than a front-load), and we were told at the store and in the manual to run bleach through every xx amount of time/cycles. The washer even has a separate button/setting called "Clean Washer" for when you do this. Under the button, it says "Bleach Only." It also has a separate dispenser for bleach, detergent, and fabric softener, so I only fill the one for bleach when cleaning the washer. I tend to run bleach every 4 weeks or so, and also after I clean certain dog items.

 

I've got a Whirlpool Duet HT front loader. Had to replace the bellow on it. Its not that bad. About $80 for the part and an hour or so of labor. I was told when I got it to leave the door open when I'm not using, so I always leave it cracked. No mold yet, but I've only had it a few weeks. The guy I got it from (reason I got it was the bad bellow) told me the bellow actually developed a leak from the water sitting it unable to evaporate. But he said there was never any mold. I think they ran bleach through it pretty regularly though.

 

I use them to clean mold and crap in the bathroom and elsewhere. I just squeeze it out of the tube (pop off top or cut it off) and let it sit. It's like a gell, so it doesn't off. I go back about an hour later and the scrub it.

 

We have a Samsung FL and don't have that problem; however, we go light on the detergent, wipe down the door each time, and prop the door open with a small towel. However, there's a product called Affresh that's supposed to work very well. You can pick it up a Home Depot, Lowes, etc. or find it pretty cheap on places like eBay and Amazon.

 

Add me to the list. We have a Siemens and the gasket is pretty well stained with mold. I (and only I) always wipe up the pooled water and wipe the glass when I'm done with it, but it doesn't help. I do an empty bleach load every once in a while too.

I think moldy gaskets are part of the tradeoffs with front loaders, unless you really take the time to clean it after each load. And who would've thought you'd need to clean your appliances that do nothing but clean.

 

outdoor bleach FTW... if you want strong and gel like you cant beat it ...

 

Since I work in appliance repair I have some experience with this:
On all the Front Load washers it is recommended to leave the door open after you're done with the wash, this way the air can circulate inside and keep moisture away. Also, buy a small bottle of white vinegar, pour it straight into the tub and run a cycle (any cycle should be good). This should take care of the maintenance.
Also - Whirlpool released a product onto the market - its called Affresh cleaning kit. It is basically a kit for front loaders and their mold problem.
Furthermore, if any of you guys want to buy parts (boots, gaskets, etc) for your washer or any other appliances, I can assist with looking up part numbers and prices that our distributors charge the company I work for.