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We bought a Whirpool Duet washer and dryer about 10 years ago, and I still love them. Super efficient and clothes get really clean.
I hate top loaders because I am short and can't reach all the way in them. Even if I were taller, my kids, being kids, are not. And my kids do laundry too. I've had no issues with the machine getting moldy or leaving clothes in a knot. And I don't do anything special to prevent either.
If you use the washer regularly, there should not be any issues with mold and smell as long as you leave the door slightly open, and the detergent loading tray open. But if you don't use the washer for a couple of weeks with the door and tray closed, then the opposite occurs. Besides that, more than likely your washer has a "clean washer" reminder (?). The Maytag I have turns a light on to indicate that it is time to clean it, but since top loaders don't have door seals, any smell left behind will be from any moisture left behind under the tub, and in the detergent passages starting on top by the door frame.
As I said before all washers have pros and cons. I don't mind the heigh of an average size top loader, nor pausing the wash to add another garment or something. I don't like that I have to bend down to load a front loader, but this can be easily remedied by adding an optional stand to elevate it. The Maytag dryer we have is elevated to make it easy for my wife to load and unload it. Top loaders do use more water, but that is not a problem for us.
If you use the washer regularly, there should not be any issues with mold and smell as long as you leave the door slightly open, and the detergent loading tray open. But if you don't use the washer for a couple of weeks with the door and tray closed, then the opposite occurs. Besides that, more than likely your washer has a "clean washer" reminder (?). The Maytag I have turns a light on to indicate that it is time to clean it, but since top loaders don't have door seals, any smell left behind will be from any moisture left behind under the tub, and in the detergent passages starting on top by the door frame.
As I said before all washers have pros and cons. I don't mind the heigh of an average size top loader, nor pausing the wash to add another garment or something. I don't like that I have to bend down to load a front loader, but this can be easily remedied by adding an optional stand to elevate it. The Maytag dryer we have is elevated to make it easy for my wife to load and unload it. Top loaders do use more water, but that is not a problem for us.
Honestly, I don't think I've ever left the detergent tray open. The door is left open maybe half the time, and closed half the time. I can't even tell you the last time I ran the Clean Washer cycle (there's no reminder). But there is still no mold or moldy smell. It does get used pretty much every day, though.
We opted not to get the pedestals because it would put the top close to some built-in upper cabinets in our laundry room, and I like being able to use the top of them as a "counter," another benefit of the front loaders. But I could see how someone would prefer having them.
Our Samsung FL washer gets used every 3 days. My wife and are very diligent about leaving the units load door and its detergent dispensing tray open some, to allow it to "air" out after each use.
STILL, the machine will get the familiar "rancid" smell after about 3 weeks of use, if we do not use the "self clean" mode that takes 4 hours for the machine to complete.
As to the putting the TL washer on stands to get them off of the floor, our Samsung FL instruction manual states, " Never install your washer on a platform or weakly supported structure".
I read this text of installation caution beforehand, and still got sick of crawling around on the floor to load and unload our FL washer.
So I built a stand to sit our Samsung FL on that is IMO, a whole lot sturdier than the store bought unit shown in the pic. The FL washer weighs around 250 pounds, if I recall correctly.
I made my stand of 2" x 4"s using 3/8" carriage head machine bolts holding the stand legs. I used 3/4" plywood using 2.5 inch long construction screw and PL Premium Construction glue. Anchored the stand to the wall using 1/8" x 2" slotted angle and 3 inch x 5/16 " lag bolts. The lowered shelf side wall and bottom is build of 3/4" MDF to reduced any "racking" of the stand.
Before I ran the first load of wash with the machine on my stand, I drew #2 lead pencil marks around the legs on to the tile floor, to show any indication of the stand moving in the future. As of this morning now two month's later, the stands legs are still showing my pencil marks around stand legs RIGHT where they were two months ago.
Exactly where I marked them, which indicates NO side to side OR front to back movement of the stand legs.
Yet, when we load a blanket, jacket or some articles the machine has issues with "balancing" out as it goes in to the spin cycle, the machine is wanting to vibrate too much.
Because IMO, it no longer has the matching 125 pound Samsung dryer sitting on top of it, like that it did before I moved the dryer so I could put the washer on my stand.
So I am now in the experimental stage of seeing what it will take to reduce this vibration. The cargo strap in the pic is working for now, but is not a long term solution. Because for some reason my wife not being mechanical/garage oriented, states the strap its "ugly" on top of the washer. Go figure...
Just a heads up here for anyone wanting to put their FL washer on a stand, be it store bought or home made. I would NOT go with a "home made" stand though, like mine. I am not putting this FL washer back down on the floor again though, even if the washer, stand and all.... wobbles out the back door.
Last edited by greglovesoldtrucks; 03-24-2019 at 05:59 PM..
Honestly, I don't think I've ever left the detergent tray open. The door is left open maybe half the time, and closed half the time. I can't even tell you the last time I ran the Clean Washer cycle (there's no reminder). But there is still no mold or moldy smell. It does get used pretty much every day, though.
We opted not to get the pedestals because it would put the top close to some built-in upper cabinets in our laundry room, and I like being able to use the top of them as a "counter," another benefit of the front loaders. But I could see how someone would prefer having them.
If you use the washer regularly, then there is little smell and mold building up in it. But if you leave it unused for two or three weeks with the door and tray closed, thats when it will stink real bad. A lot of people in this forum leave their front-loader's door open to prevent smell and mold from happening. Mold growth is very normal in moist environments such as the washer's door seals and tray, and it happens to some washer more than the rest. https://www.toptenreviews.com/home/a...ps-and-tricks/
Honestly, I don't think I've ever left the detergent tray open. The door is left open maybe half the time, and closed half the time. I can't even tell you the last time I ran the Clean Washer cycle (there's no reminder). But there is still no mold or moldy smell. It does get used pretty much every day, though.
We opted not to get the pedestals because it would put the top close to some built-in upper cabinets in our laundry room, and I like being able to use the top of them as a "counter," another benefit of the front loaders. But I could see how someone would prefer having them.
For these new FL washers, they really need to "self clean" themselves periodically, IF the machine has the self clean feature on it. Because the manufacturer would not have put the feature on the machine, if the design engineers did not feel it was necessary to enhance the machines longevity.
Even though a person may not smell anything offensive, after each wash there are particles of grit and such being trapped in to places behind gaskets, and on and in ...the drums holes.
And to leave this minsiscule debris in the machine, IMO, is going to shorten the life and the efficiency of the machine.
Because the debris may over time slowly "harden" in place on to the machines working parts. And then as the drum rotates it abrades these hardened particles against the gaskets and other parts. JMO though
We used our front loader high efficiency pretty much daily and it still made the clothes stink and had mildew smell all the time. Did all the stupid things everybody keeps mentioning here such as leaving the door open and running a cleaning cycle with bleach and all of that to clean a freaking washing machine. It was a pain in the ass and we hated every minute of owning that thing.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, when we moved I bought a Speed Queen top load old style (non-HE) washer with the matching dryer. In over a year and a half, I have not had to clean the washing machine and do not leave the door open and I have yet to ever have one scent of mildew. It is nice to not have to deal with that nonsense anymore.
I prefer standard top loaders such as Kenmore/Whirlpool direct drives, vintage belt drive top loaders, and agitators that go up and down such as the Frigidaire Unimatics and 1-18s.
I have bought front loaders for awhile now. I started with Maytag, went to Whirlpool, then LG. I love the LG the larger size can wash King size comforters easily. My clothes come out clean they are easy to remove. I have severe asthma so pulling clothes out of a top loader is difficult when my asthma flares up. I find as I age the front loaders are easy to load and unload.
My husband has a back injury and he had hard time lifting heavy things out of washer. The front loaders are on pedestals so we don't have to lean down.
We have owned this LG set for 5 years and its been reliable.
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