Appliances Discussions

No, you cant leave your clothes in.  Front loaders are great BUT they are different than your old washer and you should have been told that when you bought it.  You do need to keep the door open if you can (especially in the summer) and wipe the door seals when you can to keep mold and mildew from growing.  Do that and use Affresh every month or so and you will fine.

Agreed Bodyguard, front load washers do not allow for leaving clothes in them for any length of time after the wash cycle.  Maytag got sued for mold problems on their Neptune front load washers in a class action lawsuit.  I have the Kenmore 4T washer and I make sure I leave it open at all times when not in use.  The Maytag Neptune I had before this Kenmore was a disaster, and I will not repeat that mistake!  At least Kenmore told the user to leave the door open!

I have the same problem, only I have a top loading washer.  I have tried everything to get rid of the smell.  I even used hylex in a wash with no clothes in the washer, thinking that could cure the smell.  The first load is the worse and the next load the snekk us a little fainter.  Don't know what I can do, but to buy another washer, when this one is working perfectly well.

The worse smell could be some of whatever built up breaking apart. Try baking soda in each load seemed to help with my old calypso.

Smells from clothes left in a washer are from bacteria growing in the clothes. Clothes should be dried as soon as possible after washing. Whirlpool's new front-load washers have a new feature called "TumbleFresh" that keeps the clothes moving every once in a while to prevent stagnation, which prevents bacterial growth. This problem happens in all washing machines.

A more general bit of advice: do not leave your washer closed after you're finished. Trapping moisture in a dark warm place will assuredly result in bacterial growth, mold, and mildew, regardless of the type of washer you have. Leave the washer open to dry, and maintain it with a product like Washer Magic or Affresh to eliminate detergent residues (or, use Oxi-Clean or similar products regularly).

I have been told by one of my friends who is an appliance serviceman for a very reputable company, to stay away from front loading washers. None of the companys maufacturing these have found a solution to there problem. So why buy a problem.Ill live with old and reliable.

Welcome to the world of "green".  This problem is occuring in all washing machines now.  And it is because "PHOSPHATES" have been removed from laundry detergent.  We have a brand new Haier top load washer the kind without an aggitator.  Have the same problem.  My wife recently bought this new washing machine cleaner made by TIDE and it works great.  We used to be able to leave clothes in the washer for a day or two, but not anymore.  Anyway try the TIDE washing machine cleaner, we did it about 3 weeks ago and now the smell is gone. and when the washer has finished it's cycle leave the door open. It might be easier to do with a top load than a front load but that's what we do. 

Read the instruction manual and it will let you know when and how to maintain it.  I clean my washer on a regular basis using affresh tablets.  I have yet to smell any mold or mildew in my unit and its 3 years old.

I have had the same problem as has my mother with our front load washers. Leaving the door open or at least ajar so that it can dry out and give mold a less hospitable environment has been the biggest help.

My question is, why are you even considering starting the laundry if you aren't going to have time to finish it?

Also, you stated that you have used th products on the market (ie Affresh) for 2 or 3 loads.  Please note that the instructions on the product itself state that if there is already a problem, then it may take a while to be effective.  I would recommend running a load of baking soda, just as you would the cleaning tablet.  Maybe try that a few times, THEN switch to the cleaning tablets for the monthly use.

Hope this helps.