You are supposed to clean out the front rubber seal with bleach every few weeks. Also do not close the washer door all the way when you are done using it. Let the extra water evaporate from the rubber seal or wipe it out with a cloth.

When I used to sell these washers we were instructed to tell customers this. Maybe she should have listened or read the manual?

Didn't have a from loader that smelled, but We had a similar issue a while back and a few loads of nothing but water and bleech fixed it.

I have an LG front loading washer and only get a "stinky" load when I forget to dry them after the cycle ends. But that happens with all washers, and is caused by bacteria. Not sure why a rubber ring would cause a smell like that.
I do add Borax to my loads to help the cleaning agents in the detergent and to reduce dust mites (the borate helps kill the mites) and it also helps with odors. Maybe give adding Borax a try. You can find it in most grocery stores in the detergent aisle.

@goller321: Check that... it isn't bacteria, I meant mold...

I'm betting a mold problem? Mold might thrive more in front loaders than top loaders.

That really sucks! I've had two Kenmore front-loaders, and not experienced this. However, I leave the door ajar all the time. I feel like this keeps any mold/mildew problems at bay.

Goller321, thanks for the tip about Borax. I didn't know it killed dust mites - what a great tip!

We own an LG washer, and have noticed this from time to time. Three suggestions...

1. Check the drain cleanout to see if there's any junk in it. On our LG, there's an access door at the bottom left of the washer. Remove the door, drain the water out through the drain hose, then unscrew the cleanout port (might be different for your washer). We found after a year of laundry, there was a hunk of yarn, some coins, etc. in the trap. This could be contributing to the smell.

2. When we finish doing a days worth of laundry, we leave the door open overnight. The washer is essentially air tight, so any water left in the washer can grow mold. Great feature.

3. Last, but definitely not least, run a load through with bleach only. We have a "prewash" option on our washer, we put bleach in both the prewash laundry detergent bin and the wash detergent bin. Also the fabric softener bin. Then let it air out overnight.

Hopefully this helps. Really these are great washers, we've been very happy with their performance were it not for this particular gremlin. Top loaders are less succeptible to this since they are open at the top without seals, so things tend to dry out between loads.

@bonzombiekitty: I looked at a forum discussing this and I do do (hehehehe I said doodoo :P) one other thing, I leave the dorr of the washer open after a load. The frontloaders are designed to be water tight. So if there is moisture left inside (in the gasket, or in the drum) it could be a good environment for mold growth.

As an experiment, run the sanitizing cycle with bleach and then do a load of clothes soon after. If there is no smell, then the washer is not drying out fast enough.

One option to this problem is going with the frontloading washer/dryer combo they have out now. T

This problem is common for front loaders since the machine doors impedes evaporation compared to top loaders where evaporation occurs easily as water vapor rises.

I would leave the door open to help with the evaporation process. If there's still stink in it, I would cycle the machine with water and clorox bleach.

First person to admit to having to having a stinky front-loader should get a free Consumerist t-shirt.

One of the stupid things my mom did when she bought a high-efficiency front-loader what halve the amount of detergent she used (because apparently the manual says you can?). I made her start using the full amount (I actually use more than the full amount because I'm neurotic), and now there's no more problem.

She did the same thing when she upgraded her dishwasher. She stopped using as much detergent and her plates started to REEK.

So...yeah...maybe up the amount of detergent.

There is a gap in the rubber seal that traps water. That is where you will get the mold. If you poke on the bottom portion of the seal you will see were it separates. Water, change, cat hair (trust me, lots of cat hair) will accumulate in that space. It needs to cleaned out (and dried) just like the lint filter of your dryer.

@AuntNi: No problem, it can also be used to kill roaches, fleas and as an hebicide. But it can be dangerous as it can be toxic to humans. So keep it out of food prep areas and out of reach of small ones. :)

Regarding detergent levels, the recommended amount never truly gets rinsed out of your clothes. It is why those Magic wash ball things appear to work for a while. Your clothes retain enough detergent in the fibers for about 5 loads, more or less. My college roommate was real sensitive to detergent and always bought Dreft because of it. When I convinced her to try using less detergent, she was able to switch.

Also, for front loaders, if you do use less than the recommended amount, you can get away with purchasing the cheaper normal detergent over the lets charge extra "High Efficiency" detergent

I have this washer. Leave the door open between washes, be sure to transfer clothes as soon as the cycle is over.
That's the best advice I can give! It stinks to high heaven when I forget to leave the door open, but is otherwise fine.

You also may want to look into the possibility of sewer gasses leaking back into the washer from the drain. It seems to be a common problem with HE washers, since they're commonly vented incorrectly. HE washers tend to drain so forcefully that they don't allow water to remain in the trap, thereby allowing sewer gasses to travel back through the pipes.

My parents have a front loader that they got for water efficiancy reasons, and also because it spin drys so well that clothes take less time in the drier. They use a minuscule amount of powdered detergent in it (like a tablespoon per wash) and I have never ever noticed a stink. I'm not sure of the brand of the washer, but the door is always left ajar when it's not in use.

We have a Bosch front loader, never happens. I feel blessed.

I work in appliance sales/service. Everyone who has said to leave the door open a crack after washing is right. For now, your best bet is to wash out/around/inside the rubber gasket, and start leaving the door open. For a long term solution, theres not too much to do. You can replace the gasket if this ones really nasty. Call/email the manufacturer, or call another service company. Chances are you'll get someone nice who can do it cheap, OR someone who will tell YOU how to remove the gasket, so you can order the part yourself and do it really cheap.

Maybe this is a stupid question, but why WOULDN'T someone leave the door of the washer open after the wash was done? I have a front-loader, and the first time I used it, I noticed that there was a lot of moisture on the inside of the door. I decided I'd leave it open to let it dry out.

We just got a front loader and written all over the manual in big bold letters is the warning that if you use too much detergent you will grow mold. I second the recommendations to run that sucker full of bleach as hot as you can, and let it air dry. On top of that start using much less detergent. You've got a mold/mildew problem and depending on how long it's been going on there may not be any getting rid of it until you find the mold/mildew, hand clean it, or remove the part that has molded.

We have front loaders and the only time the clothes stink, is if we leave them in teh washing machine over night.

This company sells some type of special cleaning product for this problem. I have no idea if it actually works or is just washing machine snake oil. www.smellywasher.com

>>"I found a website at one time where they said how to take off the rubber ring - so I should the repair guy - and he said "oh o.k." flipped the washer over and he couldn't access it - and that was the end of the call!!"

.

WTF does that even mean? That sentence is complete gibberish.

We have a front loader from Sears (the Kenmore labeled GE clone). Here's what we did when when we had a similar problem.

1. Poured some Liquid Plumber down the drain (moved the washer and took the hose out of the opening, of course).

2. Ran about a quarter of a cup of plain, (not Lemon) dry dishwasher detergent through a full cycle with hot water (no clothes, of course). Then ran another full hot water cycle with Clorox.

3. CLEANED the rubber gasket area that we could easily access. Mold seems to grow there quickest.

@savvy999:

We've got a stinky front-loader. We'd been fighting with Conn's about it for ages.

But I did want to say we'll keep all these tips in mind. Thanks, Consumerist commenters.

@Shadowman615: I think she meant "showed" the repair guy.

This seems like a pretty serious design flaw, doesn't it? I don't have a front load. My top load smells if I keep wet clothes in there for more than a day or two (they'd smell anywhere if kept that long though). It seems crazy to me that a product designed to use water and detergent should have any built-in potential for moldy gaskets or anything else. Why buy an appliance that needs to be used with such kid gloves?

Set it and forget it!

@SpiderJerusalem: Sure, you can use a full dose of standard detergent with your HE front load machine, but I'd only recommend it if you enjoy replacing your machine every one and a half to two years.

after 20 years of top load working perfect. I cannot see how running mulitble loads of nothing but bleach and water is high efficient.

Our Whirlpool stated to leave the door open when not in use. It also has a dedicated cycle called clean washer, where you put bleach in the dispenser and it runs a cycle to clean it. The manual recommends once a month.

@ANITRASMITH: Why wouldn't they? Because if the door shuts, it's an airtight seal on a really confined space. Pets, small children, etc. could become trapped in there if they crawled/jumped/etc. in and the door closed behind them.

You can also solar dry your wash afterwards, and the UV may help. Thanks, everybody, for the info, about the open door and cleanouts, and magic chemistry. We simply ran a separate drain pipe, not up to code, for the washer out to the rocks 30 feet above the garden. Plants are doing fine, and roses above the garden are happy.

@miran: I used to work in the business, and the HE detergents are formulated to create less foam since foam prevents the washer from working properly. That said you can use less of HE detergent than they suggest.

Now for Karen -- Your machine looks like a Frigidaire, you should call Frigidaire tell them that you have a Kenmore machine, which THEY MADE and explain your problem. It wouldn't hurt given that you've exhausted all other avenues. I would also try running your machine empty with a lot of vinegar, maybe a gallon or so. I would just put an open plastic jug of it in the washer and turn it on. My guess is that you have some soap buildup somewhere and that's feeding the bacteria. I hate proctor and gamble and I hate suggesting this but I've found that certain detergents are prone to funkiness than others, if you don't use it already try switching to Tide. Leaving the door open between loads is a good idea too.

Run an empty load with just dishwasher detergent through the washer. This will kill any bacteria or mold that might be building up inside the washer. Like everybody else has suggested, leave the front door open as well.

"Leave the door open between washes"

yep. Its a known issue.

We have a WP front-loader, and in the instructions, it states very clearly to leave the door open between washes. Even came with an instructional DVD that stated it. This was the first gen product, not sure if its fixed in the newest ones.

I think Consumerist has the wrong model pictured BTW. Sorry for the nip-pick

I bought a whirlpool model, and the salesman at Abt (excellent store by the way) told me the secret was after you did your last load of laundry, pull back the rubber ring and wipe down the inside w/ a paper towel and leave the door open. Also once a month or so, run an empty load of bleach through it. Haven't had any odor problems following those steps.

I have the Whirlpool duet which a lot of people complain about stinkiness. I actually run a lot of bleach loads with my clothes and towels so I think that cuts down on it. If the clothes do start to smell, I run a Sanitary cycle with bleach. Also, don't use liquid fabric softener because apparently wax is an ingredient and it will build up somewhere in the washer and cause a bad smell. I also use the recommended amount of Tide h-e.

@goller321: And superballs. Don't forget that you can use borax to make superballs.

@Sir Winston Thriller: This was our solution as well.

With no clothes or anything in the machine I ran a cycle on hot with dishwasher detergent.

Then I ran a cold cycle with bleach.

This fixed it for a few months, I'm going to repeat it this weekend because the towels are starting to get a little funky again.

Also, I saw a post that said to use MORE detergent...this is exactly the opposite of what you should do. The extra detergent collects in the machine, the resulting gunk collects all the smelly crap from your clothes and deposits those lovely scents in everything.

Sounds like these front-loaders are more trouble than they're worth...I'm sticking to 'old faithful' top loader!

@SpiderJerusalem: "I made her start using the full amount (I actually use more than the full amount because I'm neurotic), and now there's no more problem."

For what it's worth, I typically use about 1/2 the recommended amount of detergent, either in front or top-loading machines. For normally dirty clothes, it seems to work just fine. I think a lot of the cleaning comes from the agitation of the clothes. It's a good money saver.... Why would the manufacturers ever try to get you to use more of their product than you would actually need?? (I used to use the full amount myself.)

Also I found cold water seems to work about as well as warm water for colors. Again, this is money saved. This is for clothes that aren't very dirty.

@Shadowman615:

I had the same problem trying to read that!

Whirlpool (the manufacturer) and Sears both said that after you're done with a load of laundry, to keep the door open a crack so it can air out instead of getting moldy/musty. We did that from the start with our HE3t, and it's worked like a charm.

I have been dealing with this for a few years. I never thought to let it air out with the door open. I will try this but I don't have much clearance between the front of the washer and the bi-fold door in front of it.

I saw on another blog that a cup or two of white vinegar on the hottest cycle helps. I tried that and it worked well.

As for how much detergent, less is better. We had to have our LG serviced after 18 months because of buildup of excess soap. The repair guy said to use half the HE soap that the HE soap recommends.

I have a Kenmore 5ht front loader and its wonderful. No stink here. Are you sure you are using the 'Clean Washer' cycle every couple weeks or so?

When I bought it, the salesperson advised that I leave the washer door open after doing a load so it wouldn't always be wet.

And are you using only 'HE' detergent?

I've had a front loader that 1) heats it's own water 2) runs on 110 3) has no vent and 4) and washes and dries in the same unit. I've had it for over 9 years.

It works fine. Just leave the door open when not in use. Don't overload. Don't leave wet clothes inside for hours.

YMMV

i have an HE equator combo washer/dryer in 1 for my apartment. no issues here...