We have the Maytag (he3 I believe) and haven't had any mildew problems. We've had them for 4 years now. My only suggestion is to try and get one that allows you to add clothes after a cycle has begun. Some don't and it's a pain! Of course, there is a point when you wouldn't want to add anything but if you forget something in those first few minutes it's nice to add it!
I have the Maytag front load model number MED9600SQ0. I have had since Aug 07. I love them. All I have to do is add clothes, detergant, select water temp and cycle and the washer adds the water with out me haveing to think is this a larg, med or small load? I have never had any mildo issues. I do leave my door open after I am done using it. My washer also alows you to add clothes with in a few minutes after starting a load. The dryer has a sensor on it so It will stop when the cloths are dry and not go through the full time. I love them and have no intentions on going back to top load. I got mine at home depot on sale with free delivery at $750 each. I did not get the pedistals( which i regreat) but my husband did not see the point in spending another $450. I had to compromise. I am happy and love them. It makes doing laundry more enjoyable. Good luck to whatever you decide.
I have an LG front loader and LOVE it. It is stackable so I have them stacked since I have a tiny laundry room. I have not had a mildew problem with it but to be honest I haven't paid that much attention to it. I do wash with bleach at least once a week when I do whites so that would probably take care of that. Also, my mom has a Maytag Neptune (I think) and it's the top loader without an agitator. It works just as well as my front loader and she loves it.
One thing I would like to mention about the front loaders is that they spin with such force that if you have it on a second story, you will feel it vibrating your house. It doesn't bother me too much and my son's room is right next to the laundry room and it doesn't seem to bother him, but it is definitely something to be aware of.
One thing to consider is where your laundry room is. We were looking at front loaders but our laundry room is upstairs and would have been very noisy unless we laid down some floor. We bought a new whirlpool top loader that is a dream!!!
We have a Fridgidare front loader, about 10 years old, and I had heard about the mildew problem. All I do is leave the door ajar on the washer for the rest of the day after I do a load. We're using the Kirkland (Costco) brand of HE (high efficiency) detergent -- I love that it comes unscented. Also good is the Tide HE. We just had the set serviced for the first time a few months ago. There was a bunch of lint piled up in the dryer drum, and apparently you're supposed to have it serviced for that about avery 2 years or so! oops! Also got a new motor for the washer. no big deal -- love it!
Hello Sara,
My husband and I just invested in a front loader washer & dryer. I love it!! The only down fall that I may have is that if for some reason I may leave my laundry in the washer over night..I must rewash for they will mildew. The salesman explained all of that to us. But I just leave the door ajar or either wipe the door dry before closing it. The greatest thing about the front loader is that it cleans the clothes awhole lot better than the top loaders. Dunno why, but it does and it saves on detergent use as well. The dryer is great! Once the clothes are completely dry; no matter the time it's set for..it automatically cuts off.
Good luck on your decision. Blessings, Denise
I am having problems with my front loader right now! I have heard that my problem is not all that uncommon either. The door lock is not functioning properly we have to really play with all the buttons to get it to unlock or to even lock so the washer will start. The first time it happened we were getting ready to go out of town for a week and I had a whole load stuck in it! I have heard of the door lock failing and water pouring out onto the floor, this has not happened to me.
As far as mildew I keep the door cracked when not in use otherwise it can start to smell musty.
Also if you have an upstairs laundry room, I have mine on a pedestal so it can shake the whole top floor and I have to get my husband to keep pushing it back in place. I have heard that this is not so much of a problem if it is not on the pedestal but i don't know.
The washer was very, very expensive but I am wishing I would've gone with a top loader.
My washer in a Kenmore HE4t, also Sears service is not as helpful as it was a decade or so ago.
Hope this helps!, good luck on your move!
My mother has the front loading washer. She began to have mildew problems right after she got it. The company had to replace the rubber ring, but it did not solve the problem. The mildew continues to grow on the new ring. She cleans it with bleach and she still has mildew problems.
Hi Sara,
We recently purchased a front loading washer and were told to leave the door open after using it to let it air dry to prevent mold/mildew from accumulating on the door area. Good luck with the move!
My husband and I just went throught this same decision process, and we decided to go with the toploader w/out an agitator. Our main reason for looking is that with three children, we needed a bigger washing machine to cut down on loads. We chose the toploader over the front loader for mainly two reasons. They recommend that you leave the door open because of how tight the seal is (i.e. the mildew problem), and we were afraid that we would find our children inside or swinging on the door of a front loader if the door was left open. In addition, the buttons on the frontloader we looked at were in reach of little hands, and we could see that being a problem too (although the pedestal would have put those out of reach). We also had more than one repairman tell us that the frontloaders were a pain to fix.
We have been pleased with our purchase so far and feel that it cleans better than our old one (which was pretty old :)...Hope this helps!
I did about 3 months research on this very thing. - I had trouble with a set of top loaders that were had been perchased new and the washer broke twice and the dryer 3 times in a three year period. They were Whirlpool brand. I found that Maytag, and all the Kenmore except the Kenmore elite were made by Whirlpool. I will never buy whirlpool again. Soo when I started this research, I wanted a front loader, but wanted to get the best for my money. Kenmore Elite and LG and the third one on the list wash the Bosch 500 eries. After much debate we bought the Bosch 500 series, because I did not need all the buttons and whistles that the Kenmore Elite or LG offered, so I chose the Bosch. I bought them at Lowes and paid about $ 2100.00 for the washer, dryer and 2 stands(which I would recommend buying so you do not have to bend over too far).
Now, about the mildew... We read everything about that and what causes it is shutting the door when you take a load of wash out and it forms a tight seal with the rubber seal. What we do is leave the door open and quickly wipe the seal with a small towel we keep for that purpose. You get in the habit of it and it is not a hassle. We have had them for a year now and I am still in love, lol. The wash time is longer depending on the soil, weight of the load and item(yes the diredctions say that the machine knows) BUT the items are spinned almost dry, so drying time is very reduced. They are green friendly and energy efficient. They use very little water or detergent. I would recommend the Bosch, Deb
I love my front loaders and have not had any mildew problems. I have the Kenmore Elite HE4t (washer) and HE4 (dryer) and have had them a little over a year.
Hey Sara!
My father-in-law has a front loading washer and he has horrible mold!!! The seal around the window is rubber and he didn't notice it until it was too late. The window stays wet and when you close it, it sits against the rubber in the dark. And then the mold starts. He has tried everything to get it off and nothing has worked. Also, the center bottom of the rubber (in between the metal tub and the door) is a small gap where the plastic window sits...in that small gap, water collects. Every time he is done with laundry he has to take a towel to it and dry everything out. In my opinion...not worth the money and extra effort. I am perfectly happy with my top loading machine!! Good luck!
I bought an LG front load washer two years ago and it's great. The best money I ever spent. You should register with consumer reports website and compare products. After I wash, I leave the door open for a few hours and I've never had a mildew problem. But in the hotter months you can't leave clothes in there, or they will smell soon after.
LOVE my LG front loaders. Just leave the door to the washer open for a few hours afterwards to let it dry. I do that every time and in the 10 mos that I've had it I haven't had any mildew problems. And my water bill DEFINITELY went down when I switched over from top loader!
I am unsure if I would buy another set of front loaders. We have the Kenmore Elite HE3 set and yes the washer gets mold on the door seal if you do not dry it off or wipe it down EVERY SINGLE TIME. I have a close friend who has a similar set in another state and she expresses the same problem and refuses to buy this design again. I agree with other reviews, the clothes drop on the floor easily during transfer. However our set has a pause button to add clothes and different load sizes to control water usage. We have never had trouble with the dryer or dry times.