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I used to have one and hated the nasty smell of my clothes, and I hated that I had to clean out the dispenser a lot or it would turn black. I never really felt like I got all the gunk out even when I stuck my hand inside or cleaned it out with a brush. The gasket on the drum was nasty too, and I tried and tried to get that stuff out, but I couldn't get it all out. It was always wet too. When we moved the people that bought our house insisted that we leave them with the house, and I was secretly so happy that they wanted them because I didn't want them any more anyway. The only good thing I can say about them is that they were nice looking in my laundry room. When we moved into our new house I bought a top loading Fisher & Paykel which can use HE degergent or regular and in my opinion cleans my clothes just as well. They may be "boring" looking but I don't have to worry about that stink on my clothes anymore and never have to rewash a load even if I leave it wet in the washer over nite. Since I live in a different house I am not sure if it uses more water or not, but it is so much easier to deal with!
Just put some vinegar (you can buy the big jugs in the cleaning section in the supermarket) in the fabric softener spot each wash. It will help protect the colors on your clothes, and will keep away the smell. Cheap easy solution which also is good for the clothes. And of course keep the door open between washes.
I've been using my new low-end LG without a problem for 6 months. It works great. I always add the white vinegar to make sure all the soap gets out and instead of fabric softener, which I hate. If all the soap doesn't get out, then I get a rash. Guess the side-benefit is also cleans the tubes. I also leave the door open for a day to dry out, but I did that with the old top loader too.
I highly recommend this too. Don't use commercial fabric softeners as they leave residues in the washer that will build up over time and which encourage mold growth. If your front loader is smelling, give it a good clean and then start using a small amount of white vinegar in the softener dispenser instead of the softener. Not only is it better for the wash and results in great smelling laundry, is it much less expensive.
Vinegar has been recommended for a long time as something to add to rinse water. My grandmother used to use it decades ago when she spent all day Monday washing in an old wringer washer and line dying the clothes afterwards. Supposedly it causes all of the remaining soap to participate out of the clothes. I've also heard it re-balances the chemistry of the water to since it counters the alkaloids in the detergent.
On the front loaders, as I mentioned above, I would highly recommend them over a top loader. The problem unfortunately are the "Americanized" front loaders of the last 10 years. They have been made gigantic over what normally has been available and filled with features that don't really do anything but drive up cost. Because of this, they have taken shortcuts with too many plastics and gaskets that that make perfect places for mold to grow on residues left behind by the detergent and softeners. The giagantic drums can't spin fast enough to get water out either.
If you want a front loader, I recommend that you do some homework on some of the lesser known brands that you won't find in Lowes, Home Depot and Sears. A good front loader will save an enormous amount of money over its lifetime in not only water and energy savings, but in supplies and the wear and tear on your clothes.
I recently had this problem. No matter what we washed in our Whirlpool Duet front loader, the clothes came out smelling sour. Also, there was a rotten egg smell in the laundry room when someone took a shower upstairs. I took off the bottom front cover, use a star bit driver, 3 screws on the bottom and the cover will come right off. Get some towels, or chamois to soak up water under the lint filter when you pull it out. Oh, unplug the machine just to be safe. There is a round filter holder right under the washer drum that has a black hose attached to the back of it. You can unscrew the cap off of the filter holder and pull it out. I found numerous pens, quarters, paper clips, and trash plugging the draining system. Clean those out and reinstall the filter. Make sure you feel the black hose by squeezing it to make sure you got all of the trash out. Use a flashlight to look in all of the openings. This should allow the washer to drain properly. This is really easy to do. Try before you spend big $$ on a serviceman.
My LG frontloader has been in use for a little over two months now and I haven't had any foul odors coming from it. I always immediately remove wet clothing and wipe the interior and surrounding seal after every wash. After which I leave the door and dispenser open.
The manual also says to run the tub clean at least once a month to get rid of any soap and softener residue.
I've had my front loader for 5 1/2 years and it never created any funky odors. I've never even cleaned it! Basically, it stays clean by washing my towel loads in hot water/extra rinse and no fabric softener, and by keeping the door open when it isn't in use. I use fabric softener and regular warm/cold water cycles for everything else.
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I also leave the door open for a day to dry out, but I did that with the old top loader too.
