Front loading washing machines

Leave the door open after you wash your clothes, and every now and then pour some vinegar in the wash receptacle and put the machine on "rinse." Problem solved!

You have to leave the door open when it's not in use. This is non-negotiable if you want to avoid the musty smell. Also, most machines have a self-clean cycle that you can run with a splash of bleach. .

What r1 and 2 said. This is a non-issue with modern models.

I have a front loader and I have never left the door open between uses and I have never had any problem with any foul odors.

Wipe the rubber gasket after each wash, and keep the door and the soap/softener dispensers open when not in use. Bleach something, anything, once a week. If it gets heavy daily use, keep a weak diluted bleach solution in a spray bottle to spritz the rubber gasket after the last use of the day. Wipe and keep the door open.

This 80 year old Sears repairman told us this years ago after we complained about replacing our front loaders and his advice works. It also goes a long way in slowing rust on the drum bolts which can stain your clothes - sometimes by just making them dingey but other times you'll get noticible streaky or spotty rust stains. So keep the door open as often as possible. Go away R4 😜

Cheryl's pussy is a front loader too!

Westinghouse originated these.

Cheryl’s pussy hasn’t been loaded in decades.

It's very common in Europe, OP. Nobody has those top loading machines here.

Who is Cheryl and why is her pussy so precious?

Stupid. And more expensive. With greater risk for flooding. And more complained. I’ll stick with my cheap top loader.

Jesus Christ, r5, that’s ridiculous. My family has always used top loaders and they don’t require any of that maintenance.

We had front loaders for 15 years. No issues. Rust stains? Bullsh6t!

[quote]Jesus Christ, [R5], that’s ridiculous. My family has always used top loaders and they don’t require any of that maintenance.

That's great, but this thread is about FRONT loaders.

Is this code for vaginal sex?

I’m finding this thread really challenging to masturbate to.

Isn't not having an agitator better for clothes, bedding, towels, etc.?

R12 I know. The maintenance was hell. The five seconds to spritz the gasket and the seven seconds wiping it down nearly killed us.

You type fat and lazy. And dirty with your fungus laden, algae infested washing machine.

I've only ever seen front loading in Europe and yes they stink. Leave the door open and every 2 weeks wash the machine out with vinegar, baking soda or bleach. My place in Europe has no separate laundry room, it's a 75p sq ft house and the washing machine and dryer are in the kitchen beside the fridge. I try t limit how often I do a load of laundry and try to line dry because the dryer leaves the kitchen so humid and damp it gives me a headache.

I do leave the door open - maybe not every time, but every second or third load.

I'm in a rental and I think whoever lived here before just let it fester. I've tried every cleaning product in the world, but something is in those folds of rubber that smells like a rotting asshole.

r19 I might be wrong but I think front loaders outsell top loaders in the US and if not, they're certainly ubiquitous by any measure. Only grandmas and DLers have top loaders in America.

Maintenance is easy breezy!

Yeah in the US every middle class and above new house has a front load washing machine. It became the thing along with granite countertops. Now top loaders almost imply poor - even though I prefer them.

Giant front loaders seem to be a frau thing.

Part of the reason why laundromats have all but gone out of business. It used to be that housewives would take bigger items there, but these giant SUV sized washers and dryers mean you can do everything at home now.

I don’t like them because u can’t just open them to throw ina few more things

No more laundromats? R24 Doesn't live in the ghetto.

Does anybody from Dorchester/Boston remember Big Loads 💦on Washington St in da hood? Prob not on the DL. Lol! Anyway Big Loads was hopping day and night with us poors. Big drug dealing place. Then there was Doggie Style. It was a a pet groomer. We have the best shop names.

R26 I didn't say NO more, I said they've disappeared from a lot of places. And they have, from middle class areas. It is really hard to find them in a lot of neighborhoods or suburbs.

They ARE in poorer neighborhoods, for the very reasons you described - because few people in those areas have washers and dryers.....

R27 r24 Thanks for richsplaining the reasonings behind the preponderance of laundromats in the depressed socioeconomic environments of the urban underclass. I'm so glad I had your post as opposed to my life experience to inform my opinions.

R28 Change your bloody tampon dear, it's dripping on the floor.

AS IF you are the only person to have lived experience.

My friend has a very expensive high efficiency top loading washer. They exist, and she bought it after reading a lot of complaints online about the smell from front loaders.

Poor you. Still can't get rid of "ring around the caftan"?

I would just as soon give up my Zune or plasma TV than my top loading washer.

R28's menstrual years are long gone, R29.

R33 & R29 Are you bitches trying to double team me? Seriously?

Well alright but let's get a drink first.

R34

MARY!

Use some washing machine cleaner. And leave the door open, as many have mentioned.

R36 Be careful with that stuff. I used one of those to clean my front loader once, and the fragrance is STRONG! It was almost overwhelming and took about a week to subside. My whole place smelled like a box of Tide. You're better off pouring a little bleach or vinegar in the washer to freshen it up.

r37 It didn't do a thing for me.

I live in an apartment, so my washer and dryer are stacked to save space, which makes front-loading a necessity. I wipe down the rubber gasket and then leave the door open after each load and have never had a problem with odors.

I got rid of mine and went back to a top loader. No more flooding, leaking and bending to remove laundry.

I thought front loader replaced top loaders for some environmental reason? Do they still sell top loaders in the US?

My top loader is 25 years old and works great. It’s a Kenmore.

R31, I take all mine to be done at the Caftannery.

Front loading seems to be very cis-normative. Not everyone has a front-hole. It’s time to stop the transphobia and cancel these machines.

MY FRONT LOADER STINKS!

OP, you're a moron.

I've had a front-loader for 15 years and it's fantastic.

If yours smells, it's probably because you're a fucking moron and close it after you're done.

It's a water-tight seal, and you don't think to leave the door open so it can dry out? WTF is wrong with you?

R45 Hi, you smelly, illiterate cunt!

As I stated previously, I *do* leave the door open. As mentioned above, I live in a rental and believe the previous tenant was not as diligent as me. (She didn't live with a Joan Crawford type, either, like I do.)

Many of you have suggested washing machine cleaner (like R36) but that mostly cleans the actual tub itself. The smell emanates from the rubber folds that seal the door closed while it is in operation, and a cleaner like that hasn't really had any sort of impact when I have used it before.

One must use a strong cleaner, like bleach or ammonia, and reach down in those folds. It's like cleaning Chrissy Metz's gunt rolls, and it smells like shit, death and a rotting corpse, no matter how often or long I leave the door open, or what I use to clean it.

What the hell are you washing in that machine, R46? Bags that held surgical waste? My front loader doesn't have any unpleasant smell whatsoever.

R47 and other naysayers: Rubber is an organic material. Under a microscope, its evident that its surface is pitted and cratered and with continuous exposure to moisture these imperfections create an excellent environment for molds, mildew, even algae to proliferate. As they colonize the rubber, they move deeper into the microscopic fissures in the gasket where they become increasingly difficult to eradicate. It happens.

If you haven't experienced it, you're lucky. Just because you never got the plague doesn't meant it doesn't exist.

R46 - is it possible to replace the rubber gasket on your machine? (I use a laundromat so I have no idea.). Even though you rent, fixing an annoyance like that is worth the money if possible - I’ve done a number of small upgrades in my rental because ultimately it is my home and I’m happier.

[quote] It's like cleaning Chrissy Metz's gunt rolls, and it smells like shit, death and a rotting corpse, no matter how often or long I leave the door open, or what I use to clean it.

I feel your pain.

R49 Perhaps that might be a possibility.

Will have to discuss w/landlord.

R46 & OP, replacement gaskets sometimes called door boots are readily available for many models with an average cost between $50 and $100 bucks. There are YouTube videos showing how to replace the gasket yourself. Google your model, buy a replacement part, watch the video, deduct the cost from your rent. Your landlord should be grateful.