Posted on 12/06/2009 1:25:35 PM PST by donna
Do you have a high-efficiency front-loading washing machine? If so, be on the lookout for mold.
This recently-published MSNBC.com piece investigates the increased likelihood of mold growth in front-loaders.
Unlike top loaders, which see most water evaporate after a cycle, front loaders experience water collection, particularly on the Rubber gasket around the glass window.
(Excerpt) Read more at bobvila.com ...
Know this problem well. The answer is to take a couple paper towels and dry out the rubber gasket after each use.
You are correct. The mold will not live on a dry gasket.
Another answer is just don’t buy one. I don’t like them at all.
What if you are in the habit of using the “sanitary” cycle (where the water is heat pretty high)? I haven’t noticed any mold on my washer...but now I know to look.
We were just getting ready to buy a front loader and will probably buy a top loader without the agitator, for a number of reasons. You offer a common sense solution to the problem.
Another global warming unintended consequence - MOLD!
I use 1/4 cup of white vinegar in place of fabric softener.(This is better for the filter in the dryer too.) It removes all soap, softens, and leaves NO vinegar...or any other smell. I never leave the door to the washer closed. Keep it open.
I LOVE my front loader. It is MUCH more economical than the top loaders I’ve had.... and does a better job on the clothes. I’ve had it for a little over 4 years now. Good clean clothes, using less water...and NO mold!
We just bought a Samsung washer & dryer set. Good to know.
Thanks for posting!
We leave the door open on ours. I haven’t noticed mold. Next time I am in the laundry room, I’ll check it out to verify.
Apparently, bleach hardens the rubber gaskets, leading to leaks.
Exactly !!
This is not rocket science :)
I leave the drawer where the soap goes open , wipe the gasket and leave that open for a time following my laundry.
I also throw some bleach into a load of whites , sheets or towels once a week.
We just leave the door open after the last load is done. The water will evaporate off the seal if it is not compressed against the unit.
My mother in law used to do that I forgot that
Thanks
Thank you for this thread, donna. My daughter just bought an Electrolux front loader and we had not heard of this problem. We’ll definitely follow what little advice the article gives to prevent this from happening. Dang machine costs too much to be ruined by mold!!
We got a great washer and dryer at a heck of a price. Bought an LG set at HH Gregg. You can’t go wrong buying from a company that used to be called Lucky.
When Sears installed my new front loader several years ago, the technician advised me to leave the door open between washes to prevent mold. I’ve done this and I regularly wash loads in the old fashioned way with hot water and bleach. I have never had a mold problem.
No, I have an old top-loading washer.
Thank you! Great tip.
But leaving the door open can be inviting to those little mammals called bats — it happened once.
Does GE still own MSNBC, or was it sold to Comcast? If so, does GE make front loaders? I’m sorry, but MSNBC is so totally corrupt, I can’t hear anything from them and not wonder about a hidden agenda.
My daughter was the first to use a front-loader, and hers definitely got mold. She was in a student house and there was virtually no way to train the kids to keep the door open or add vinegar or any of these good suggestions. It’s a hazard in that way, for sure. On the other hand, without the center post, it does a good job on even delicates. Some good, some bad.
Lol! There are NO bats in my house. We ARE planning to put up a bat house OUTSIDE next spring though. They eat tons of mosquitoes. ;-)
JOYA PING
We refuse to buy ANYTHING made by GE!!!!!!!!!!
Yes bat houses are great.
We can sit outside in the summer and not a one to be heard or seen.
just leave the door open between loads, it will dry out.
www.fisherpaykel.com
MDL No. 2001
Caption IN RE: Whirlpool Corp. Front-Loading Washer Products Liability Litigation
Transferee Judge James S Gwin
District Northern District of Ohio
Transfer Date 12/02/2008
Website http://www.ohnd.uscourts.gov/Clerk_s_Office/MDL_Cases/MDL_Cases.html
Master Docket No. 1:08-wp-65000
http://www.jpml.uscourts.gov/Docket_Information/docket_information.html
Plaintiffs counsel have been advertising for clients for a couple of years.
I just went and opened it! lol :~)
I have no idea why people close the doors to these machines, it simply replicates conditions found in a petri dish...
Great idea. So, you just put the vinegar in the compartment where the liquid fabric softener is supposed to go? Hmmm, I will have to try that. Thanks.
I can't imagine had I spent money on such a machine to have never consulted the Internet to learn all about it. Just astounds me.
What do you think of those class action suits?
What I like most about the front washers is that I never have to use more than ONE TABLESPOON of laundry detergent -- a frontloader soon pays for itself because it requires infintesimal amounts of otherwise expensive laundry detergents.
Yes, that’s all there is to it. WHITE vinegar... It works great. You only need a little bit...no more than 1/4 a cup.
Leave the washer door open when not in use.
excerpt from article, Desperate for relief, she hired technician Scott Wiseman to remove and replace the disgusting rubber gasket. Once he took the washer apart, Wiseman found mold inside the machine, too. The job cost $300.
“It’s a very common problem,” Wiseman tells me. “I get calls about this all the time.”
What’s going on here?
After a while, all washing machines can have some odor caused by mold, mildew or bacteria. But the problem seems to be worse with front-loaders because they are designed differently from top-loaders.
Front-loaders are tightly sealed. Close the door after removing the laundry and any moisture inside the machine will be trapped inside. With a top-loader the water is more likely to evaporate.
Having the tub on its side, rather than up-and-down, can also create problems.
= = =
Sigh. Will start using paper towels around the door seals. And distilled vinegar in the liquid fabric softener dispenser.
Oh my! Was this discovered before or after a load was washed?
I am glad I got a front-loading washer, last year. But, sometimes, I wonder. I don’t plan to replace it ever, but next time, if there is a next time, I just might revert to a top-loading machine.
I have apple cider vinegar on hand, but need to get some distilled white vinegar.
Thanks again.
Doesn’t the door block movement in the room?
I love mine too. Some mold, but that’s just from me being lazy.
I researched extensively. I even subscribed to consumerreports dot org just for this reason.
I had left the door open after a load and when I returned a couple days later Mr. furry was stuck nice and comfy to the side inside. After doing a little freaking out I put on some gloves and lifted the critter out into a can and the Health Dept picked him up to rad his his rights test him for rabies.
He was clean.
Then my husband reluctantly spent many hours finding and sealing the hole. A really a tiny one.
Now the bat ‘trailer’ houses them. I just hope they are not cooking up meth back there...
Oh, man. The lawyers are going to get richer.
We have one of the models shown in the video. I had heard of the problem about a year ago and when I checked, I found I did have some mold. I cleaned it thoroughly and now we leave the door open a bit after a wash (for at least a couple of hours) and also wipe the inside of the gasket down with a paper towel every so often. So far the mold has not returned.
Re: lawsuits. Did not mean to imply that Whirlpool only lawsuit about front loaders & mold.
LG front loading washing machines, ... class action lawsuit against LG Electronics USA, Inc. (”LG”) alleging that LG’s front loading washing machines contain serious design defects. These design defects cause, among other things, to (a) accumulate mold and mildew and/or residue or growth within these washing machines, (b) produce a moldy odor that permeates consumers’ homes, (c) produce a mold or mildew odor on washed clothes, (d) fail to clean these machines and remove moisture, residue and growth that lead to the formation of mold, mildew or/or associated odors; and (e) be unusable in the manner, to the extent to, and for the purpose for which, these LG washing machines were advertised, marketed, and sold.
http://www.murrayfrank.com/CM/Custom/LG-Electronics.asp
and Maytag:
“...resolved a class action law suit against the Maytag Corporation, alleging odor, mold and mildew problems with Maytag Neptune Wasters. More than two million consumers are included in the class, and may receive repair reimbursements, replacement costs up to $500, and/or washing machine purchase certificates up to $1000. Jonathan Shub of the Sheller firm served as one of three co-lead counsel in the Maytag case.
According to documents filed in the Circuit Court for the State of Illinois, many Maytag consumers have complained of their machine functioning improperly and clothing covered in mold, as a result of problems with the door latch, wax motor, motor control, and related circuit boards.
“The number of complaints coming in from across the nation to our firm was quite high, among the most we’ve ever received. It was clear that a number of problems needed to be addressed by Maytag. Thanks to all co-counsel and the relative speed with which Maytag responded, consumers were able to use the class action the way it was intended, for the benefit of all, more quickly, and at a significant reduced cost than if each consumer sued individually” according to Craig Thor Kimmel, Esq. for Kimmel & Silverman.
Under the settlement, those who purchased a Maytag Neptune Front-Load Washing Machine (any model, including stackables) any time between April 1, 1997 to August 9, 2004 are entitled to one or more of the following remedies:
Repair Reimbursements, defined as any reasonable out-of-pocket costs related to repairs prior to August 9, 2004 for problems mentioned in the suit.
Replacement Costs of up to $500, subject to depreciation, for each Maytag customer who replaced their Maytag Neptune Washer prior to August 9, 2004 as a result of the problems mentioned in the suit.
Washing Machine Purchase Certificates of up to $1000, if class member suffer the problems mentioned in the suit, and Maytag can’t repair the condition. The value of the certificate is based on the age of the machine. The certificates may be used for the purchase of a new Neptune Washer. Maytag will also cover delivery of the new machine and disposal of the old unit.
http://www.lemonlaw.com/maytag-class-action-suit-resolved.html
Let me echo all the comments about leaving the door open. I’ve had my front loader over two years now and leave the door open after every load, so far no mold.
My daughter has a front loading washer. Paid out the wazoo for it. She really liked it until.......she used my top-loading Speed Queen that I got a little over a year ago. She can’t believe how huge it is and how clean the clothes come out.
Nobody hardly carries Speed Queens around here, but if you can find a set....get them....they are awesome! Half the price too! I got them because the guy uses them in his laundromat and says they are die-hards and easy to fix.
Oh, and my nephew is plant manager for the Electrolux factory in NC and I still wouldn’t pay the price for one of his! LOL!
Just great.
I knew my Whirlpool front loader had mold and have been keeping the door open and wiped off the gasket in the past but not recently.
Does this mean I am going to have to hire a service guy to come and clean out the inside of the machine too???
(and I don’t believe in making lawyers richer....if I can help it)
Exactly! It’s no big deal to avoid the problem.
I have a front loader washer and dryer and I love it. I have never had the moldy smell..why? Because I read the directions and follow them..After I finish my loads of laundry, I wipe the drum and the window dry, remove the tray where the soap etc are put, let that area dry and I put a thin towel on the drum just enough to keep the door from closing..no smell. Also there is a product called Afresh and my machine alerts me every 30 loads to run a hot cycle using this tab which cleans out all the lines. Works just fine.
My gosh. Isn’t anything safe from mold?
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