Front Loader

[missymouseworld]

Need to get a new washing machine, pronto, and want to get reviews/opinions on the front loaders that are on the market. I have read some pros/cons (ie: mold/mildew smell and the locking door, etc) Does anyone have any info to share?

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I do not own one but had a friend recently go on Facebook and ask for opinions and she got a lot of positive feedback on Samsung products which is what she ended up buying. So far she loves it. I've heard you have to leave the doors open so that they don't mold.

[MizMissy]

I have a front loading washing machine. Words cannot express my absolute HATRED of this machine. HATE HATE HATE.
The mildew smell is awful. I find that the washing detergent "gums up" in the seal ring in the door. I can't ever close the door because the smell is so horrible. I've tried putting baking soda inside ... the cardboard box is wet the next day if I close the door. And, I do not feel that it cleans my clothes - especially stains and whites the way my old machine did. (I'm a believer in soaking clothes, not possible in this machine). Also, the cycles are longer.

I'm sure there are good ones out there. My MIL's machine does not have the same smell that my machine has, but I am counting the days until I can replace this machine and return to the old top loading type.

[MNNHFLTX]

I absolutely love my Samsung front loader washer--have had it for about 1-1/2 years now. It gets my clothes so clean and I could tell the difference in my water and electric bills (it's an electric washer). I have had no problems at all with leaking, mold or mildew smells. Then again, right from the beginning I never totally shut the door between loads--this gives it a chance to dry out so that mold won't grow. I also run the sanitizing cycle every month or so. My clothes smell nice and fresh. :)

[clausjo]

I have a Samsung front loader and I love it! There's no smell and I think it cleans the clothes really well. I've heard that they can smell, but we've been lucky so far. We've had it only about 10 months now, but it gets used a lot. Plus I love that I can put really big loads in it so it saves time on my laundry day.

[NewDVCowner]

I got a Fridgedaire Affinity about two years ago and am over all happy with it. I was told to leave the washer door open to keep the mildew from forming and I haven't had a problem with it. I use a lot less water with this machine and haven't had a problem with the soap gumming anything up. Make sure you use the soap that says 'he' on it, which is for high efficency washers specifically.

One problem that I did have was that the latch broke on me - fortunately before my warentee had expired. You need to make sure to PRESS the door closed rather than slam it closed, otherwise this could be an issue.

Over all, though, it's a good machine and I'm happy with it.

[disneymom15]

We have a Maytag front load, and overall like it. We also keep the door ajar to prevent mold and mildew. We use the HE detergent and it only uses a very small amount.

[BrerGnat]

I just bought a Whirlpool Duet HE front loader. I was all against them, but when I went to buy the one I had chosen, they were out of stock and I needed it, like, that day! I ended up scoring pretty big time. I got it for something like $765, down from $1099! It's "last year's" model number, but it was very highly rated by Consumer Reports as a "Best Buy" for 2011. I've had no problems with it. The saleslady at the store had the same washer for the past 7 years and she said it's NEVER had a moldy/mildew smell because those particular washers have a different kind of gasket to prevent that problem. Anyway, I like it a lot. It has LOTS of different options, and you can change almost everything about each programmed cycle to make it more customized. You can add a presoak, extra rinse, change the water temperatures, spin speed, and it has many other options. I particularly like the Allergen cycle, which is great for washing bedding and stuffed animals (our son has a dust mite allergy, so this is important to us).

I've found the following helps a LOT!
-using tide stain release tablets
-changing the water temp to cold on mixed loads AND using Shout color catchers (for some reason, colors bleed like crazy using this machine. Not sure why, as they weren't new clothes and not washed in hot water, but the use of the Shout color catchers fixed the problem...I like doing mixed loads...easier for me)

Also, when you are looking at brands, make sure that there are LOCAL repairmen in your area to service THAT brand. Samsung and LG are highly rated brands, but good luck finding someone in your area that can fix it if it breaks! I did a search in my area and there are NO repair people for either of those brands within 100 miles (and I live in a fairly metropolitan area). That was enough for me to stick with a more established brand.

[Daisy'sMom]

We have a Maytag front loader and LOVE IT! We do keep the laundry compartment open a bit and also keep the door ajar. Once a month we use Tide HE Washer Cleaner. Never have a problem. I think our clothes are brighter, and I wash our king and queen size comforters in them. They are the best.:mickey:

[Ed]

We have a Maytag front load, and overall like it. We also keep the door ajar to prevent mold and mildew. We use the HE detergent and it only uses a very small amount.

:ditto:

We've had our Maytag for a little over 5 years now, after having nothing but top-loaders previously. No odors, low water and electric consumption, numerous water temp/cycle combinations, and gets the clothes a lot cleaner than the old machines ever did. We use liquid detergents rather than powders, and thus have had zero buildup on the seal. We do leave the door just slightly ajar between uses to let the moisture evaporate just like top-loaders are able to do with the lid closed due to non-gasketed lids.

[missymouseworld]

Thanks for all your information. Still undecided, but at least I have some good reviews on the front loading machines.

[Renfairwedding]

I picked my front loaders to fit the space.

I was going to go with the old style top load washer with the small dyer mounted on top. (Very small loads) and it had been years since I bought a washer and boy have things changed. Insted I was able to buy a full sized washer with a bracket to put a full size dryer on top.

They do a great job I am very happy with them.

[DonLefNY]

We've had a Bosch the past few years. We just leave the door open when not being used and have no mold/smell issues. In fact, our water bill went down a bit.

[wdwaggie]

We bought the GE front loaders from Sears two years ago and love them both. We bought the optional pedestal that has the detergent and softener automatic dispenser. It is basically three over-sized tubs located under the washer. Two separate tubs for detergent and one for liquid fabric softener. We too leave the washer door slightly ajar between loads to dry it out. Ours have a computer cable that connects the washer to the dryer and this allows the washer to tell the dryer how much it needs to dry based on weight of the clothes, moisture content, etc. We love our front loaders, no complaints. No soap buildup issues, I think this is prbably from someone putting non hE detergent in accidentally?