I am moving; therefore, in the market for a new washer and dryer. My husband and I are interested in the benefits of a front loading washer and dryer; however, have heard that the washers can have a mildew problem. Has anyone experienced this? Also, does anyone have the Maytag Bravo washer and dryer? The washer is a traditional top loading machine; however, is made without an agitator so it performs as a front loading machine without the mildew problem. All opinions are appreciated.
Hi Sara,
We have the duet front loading washer and dryer. We have had them for about 3 years, and I love them! We have not had any problems at all, and since I bought mine, two of my neighbors have bought them and they have not had any issues either. Good Luck!
I've been looking at front loaders myself and haven't decided yet on which brand seems to be the way to go. I do know that I like to read consumer opinions about stuff like this before I make up my mind. Here is the link to epinions.com about the Bravo. http://www.epinions.com/Maytag_MTW6600TQ/display_~reviews
Best Buy and Sears are also good for getting reviews as well. I know I saw the one that Whirlpool has like that, no aggitater, and thought it was nice till I read the reviews that it twists the clothes, knots the clothes together, etc. So much for that one for me!!
Good luck!!
~Sharie
I have had an LG front loading washer since Nov. I like it, however I feel like it takes longer to wash clothes. I think the reason mold/mildew can occur is b/c it does not breath when the door is closed. Once u put clothes in the dryer, u need to leave the door open, mine stayed cracked all the time for air flow. My mom shut it once, not knowing, and yes it smelled moldy. Mine had a clean cycle I used with bleach. It solved the problem. One thing I do enjoy about it is it uses much less detergent. You do have to buy the special HE detergent, but it still is much more cost efficient. Also, it spins jeans, towels, sheets so well that drying time is cut down. Good luck...oh, another drawback, about a minute or 2 after u start it, u can't open it to put that found sock in. the door locks, b/c of water at the door..
My sister in law and I have had this problem and i have heard of others who have. I also know some who haven't had this problem. The greatest solution is to regularly clean it and to switch clothes quickly don't leave them in washer after cycle and keep the washer door open after you use it so it can dry out.
They do wash more clothes and I LOVE mine personally.
Laundry is cut in half for me.
I have 6 in my family and I can do two loads every few days and then when I wash towels or sheets it is an extra load or two. But I have really enjoyed mine overall.
I don't have a Maytag.
I hope you find a great one and it blesses your family
I have had a front loading washer for 8 years, and I have never had any problems with mildew. I have a GE, but will be buying a new one when we move (to match my new dryer that I replaced last year). The main benefits I have found with the front loader, it does not use as much water, and I honestly think it cleans better.
Hi sara,
I have the Miele frontloaders, washer and dryer, and absolutely love them. I paid a bit more but they work wonderful, quite and are so cost effective when doing laundry. I also have the version of Miele that does not require bleach because it has both a sanitizing cycle and an Extra white cycle. I was a bit hesitant about purchasing this feature consdiering the red soil in this area, however, I am very impressed and would recommend these units to anyone in the market. I have had these units for over a year and do not have a black mildew problem. Good Luck!
I have a front loader and it's fine. My sister has one and LOVES it. And we know a number of people that have them and really like them. The mildew thing is an issue (hence P&G is or already has come out with a cleaner to put in your washer to take care of this) however what I was told and has worked for me is when you're not using your washer, you're supposed to leave the door open. It was a pain at first and annoyed me but the fact that it didn't smell any more helped me get over it.
We bought a new Whirlpool front loader last August and have had no problem with mildew. I always leave the washer door open for a little while after I'm finished for the day, so maybe that helps with any mildew problem.
BTW, we live in a sort of rural area and are on a well that isn't the best producing in the world, and we have had no problems with our water supply since buying the machine.
Gail R
You are correct. The seal around the door gets moldy. It needs to be replaced when this happens. If I had known it perhaps I could have bleached it every month or so in prevention. This also happened to my friends'... brand new and barely used she had to replace her door seal as well. It is a little frustrating.
I have a front load washer and do not like it. I would never buy one again. The main thing I don't like about it is that you can not control how much water you use. I know it is water efficient but there are times that I have something really dirty that I would like to fill up the washer with water to be able to wash it. Also it is very difficult to add anything to the washer after you have started the wash. Another thing I don't like about it is it is difficult to transfer the wet clothes into the dryer. I end up dropping half the clothes on the floor in the process. I have noticed mildew but it is not where your clothes are so it is not much of a concern to me. It takes just a minute to wipe it down. As far as dryers, I hated the dryer we got along with the washer. We had to buy a new one when we moved because we had a gas one and now we live in an all electric house. I did not like it because again it was energy efficent which is fine except it would stop running as soon as the outside of the clothes were dry. I would have to constantly have to rearrange the clothes to get the entire load dried. When we moved we bought the least expensive dryer we could and I like it so much more than the expensive dryer we bought previously. My sister has a washer that does not have the center agitation part and she loves it. She can put a king size comforter in it without any problems.
I have the maytag bravo and LOVE it. I got it based on its increased capacity over the front loaders that were available at the time we purchased last year. My focus for my new washer/dryer was to be able to wash my entire King size bedroom set at one time - this set more than satisifies my every desire. The only thing I did not get at the time that I am thinking now maybe good to consider - Steam. The cleaning options and energy savings sound great. I have had no problems with my washer or dryer and July will make a year of regular weekly use.
I love my front loaders! All you have to do to prevent mildew is keep the door a little ajar when not in use and look in the seal area because baby socks can get in and mildew.
I have a front loading Samsung Silver and it does from time to time get mildew in the detergent tray as well as occasionally on the inside of the door. This has only happened when I let the clothes sit too long though and it is easy to clean. My biggest problem with the new front loaders is the amount of time it takes to run a load of clothes. My "quick cycle" is 59 minutes! If I had them to buy all over again, I would look for something a little more speedy. Hope that helps. Good luck!
My husband sells appliances and many people who have bought the front loaders regret it. Bending to load washer and not being able to open lid to add more clothes while washer is agitating are some reasons.
I don't know about the Bravo but I bought the Maytag Neptune when they were first on the market. YES, THEY DO MILDEW! After leaving the door closed for a week (while on vacation), I opened the door to the most horrible smell. The Tech who came out to fix it replaced the white gasket around the door with a black one. Problem "fixed." You can't SEE the mildew but sadly, it is still there. Maytag offered $100 off a new machine after paying $1,000 for the Neptune just a year before.
And while this does not answer your question, I wanted you know the way that Maytag takes care of their customers.
You will have a mildew proble with a front loading washer if you close the door completely after a wash. Always leave it open so that it can dry inside and you will be fine. We have one and I leave mine open to dry out when I'm done. The guy that installed it gave me this advise.
Hi Sara,
The guy that fixed my washing machine recently said the ones without an agitater don't clean as well, and that the front loaders are really expensive to repair.
Interesting that you should ask as I was just researching this myself. I have a Maytag Neptune and I do like it except for the persisting mold/mildew problem around the seal. I bought it about 10 years ago and because I really am weary of the dealing with the moldy seal, what I've decided to invest in next is a Staber, www.staber.com . It seems to have the same technology as a front loader with the convenience of a top loader. Being a top loader but something called a vertical axis, there isn't a seal holding in the water like front loader. That and it doesn't have electronic controls and opts for manual controls which are more reliable. I had never heard of it but it seems like the perfect solution!
There seem to be a lot of negative opinions of front loaders,so I will offer you an opposing opinion. We bought the LG front loaders about 6 months ago and I LOVE them! All you have to do is take a towel and dry the seal after you're done with your laundry and then leave the door open to make sure it dries out. We never close the door when it's not in use. We've never had a problem with mildew. They are water and energy savers (if you get the energy star kind...which I think most of them are.) You can wash lots more in one load...which is great if you have young kids since they seem to go through so many clothes. But if you don't have a large load, our LG automatically adjusts to the load size. I think that they are great! They cost more, but from what I've heard, most companies are phasing out top loaders anyway, so the prices may come down. Good luck!