Who Will Wash the Washers? [Mold in front loading washers]

www.bobvila.com ^ | 11-23-09 | Bob Vila

[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.

[Spok]

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.

[4horses+amule]

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.

[SumProVita]

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. ;-)

[Quix]

JOYA PING

[SumProVita]

We refuse to buy ANYTHING made by GE!!!!!!!!!!

[eleni121]

Yes bat houses are great.

We can sit outside in the summer and not a one to be heard or seen.

[HamiltonJay]

just leave the door open between loads, it will dry out.

[republicangel]

I love my Fisher&Paykel.

www.fisherpaykel.com

[Bhoy]

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.

[My hearts in London - Everett]

I just went and opened it! lol :~)

[hennie pennie]

I just leave the door WIDE OPEN, and once a month I run it empty with one cup of bleach and hot water. I've never had ANY odor whatsoever, much less mold or mildew actually grow.

I have no idea why people close the doors to these machines, it simply replicates conditions found in a petri dish...

[Joya]

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.

[hennie pennie]

It seems that 999 out of 1000 people who purchased these washers never once checked online to see what others had experienced with them. We got ours free from a relative, and the first thing I did was go to google, and the first thing I learned was to NEVER keep the door shut, unless it was in use.

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.

[SumProVita]

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.

[Joya]

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.

[skr]

Oh my! Was this discovered before or after a load was washed?

[Joya]

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.

[donna]

Doesn’t the door block movement in the room?

[KYGrandma]

I love mine too. Some mold, but that’s just from me being lazy.

[Joya]

I researched extensively. I even subscribed to consumerreports dot org just for this reason.