Last modified
March 14, 2022

When you clean a front load washer, y'all're not just removing lint and grit. You're fighting a boxing against mold and mildew, not to mention the musty smell that comes forth with them. The but mode to keep the odor at bay is cleaning your machine, ane laundry mean solar day at a time.

When front end load washing machines commencement debuted in the U.South. in the late '90s, they won people over considering they don't accept an old-fashioned agitator. They tin can launder dress without chirapsia up the fabric. But that'due south not their just advantage: Fifty-fifty though most Americans even so accept a top loader, front load washers keep rising in popularity because they clean wearing apparel more than thoroughly, run more than quietly and efficiently, requite you lot more installation options (i.e., they can exist stacked, which is huge), and spin faster, saving time and energy during drying.

But there's i caveat: Front load washers can exist a handful to maintain. That's something you should know upwardly, well, forepart if your dream washer and dryer set are front end load style.

All it really takes is consistency, starting with the very first load you throw in. Keep reading for our foolproof cleaning formula to prevent mold and mildew from stinking upwardly your machine, plus skilful tips to make maintenance easier.

Why Exercise Front Load Washers Scent Bad?

Commencement let's look at the culprit behind this trouble: mold. Where does it come from, and why pick on front loaders? As amazing as these machines are, the way they're built encourages mold growth. The door has to be waterproof and airtight to foreclose leaks, and the components that seal information technology can hang onto mold-causing moisture.

That'due south why mold is arguably the biggest sticking point in the front load vs top load washer debate.

Front loader washers have a heavy condom gasket that surrounds the door and forms a leakproof seal that keeps detergent and water in during the launder bike. In addition, the detergent dispensers on front load washing machines are notoriously poor when information technology comes to drainage. Even the drum of these machines can hold onto moisture in a manner top load washers simply don't, since it tin can evaporate through the infinite around the lid.

Water, backlog detergent, and oils from your apparel can build up in these 3 spots, creating a veritable cafe for mold, mildew, and bacteria.

Over fourth dimension, your washing motorcar tin can develop a musty odor as a result of mold and mildew growth. If it gets out of control, your clothes volition end up taking on this scent as well. Until these issues are solved by the manufacturers—and they're working on information technology!—you'll demand to stay on elevation of mold if you opt for a front loading washer.

Not sure whether you want a front load or superlative load washer? Our latest caput-to-head comparison video weighs all the pros and cons.

How to Prevent Odors in a Front Load Washer

It takes only a bit of regular cleaning to keep your front load washing machine free of mold, mildew, and their associated stench. Yous can make information technology even easier by incorporating these tips into your laundry routine:

  • Always use HE detergent. They're specially formulated to clean using less water and suds than regular detergent, which ways less soap can linger in the drum, gasket, and dispenser. Don't use any that say they're but "front load compatible."
  • Utilise the right amount of detergent. Using too much detergent won't make your clothes smell ameliorate or become cleaner. Instead, it works in quite the opposite manner: it doesn't rinse away completely. The excess detergent will build up in the tub and gasket, giving mold something to nosh on and leaving a dingy film on your clothes.
  • Consider a plant based detergent. Many commercial liquid laundry detergents are petroleum-based, which makes them more probable to leave behind an oily, filmy balance in your machine—especially if you lot utilize likewise much. Plant-based laundry detergents rinse away cleaner with every cycle.
  • Include bleach or Borax occasionally. In one case a week, run your washing machine without clothing on a hot cycle. Add ½ cup bleach or Borax (a naturally occurring mineral, sodium tetraborate, that softens water, giving detergent a heave and helping remove soap residue) to the load to scrub the drum and the rubber gasket. Alternatively, you lot could add a flake of bleach to your weekly load of whites to freshen upwards your washer.
  • Inspect the drain hose. In rare instances, your bleed hose might be pushed also far into the drain stand pipe so that it's allowing dirty water to run dorsum into the automobile and cause a musty odor. Ideally the hose should be clipped to the side of the stand up pipe to prevent this issue.

Pro Tip: Don't ignore the clearest sign of all that your washer needs a little TLC: an auto alert. That's right, many washers notify you lot when they need to be cleaned. For instance, our favorite front loader for mold prevention, the GE GFW850SPNRS, tells you when it's time to run its cocky-clean cycle. It as well has built-in features to aid prevent mold, like a venting organisation called UltraFresh and Microban antibacterial surfaces.

How to Clean a Front Load Washer Daily

Nosotros've all heard the maxim, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Those wise words certainly employ to a front load washing automobile. Accept these steps to clean a forepart load washer after you've moved the last load of the day into the dryer.

one. Gather Supplies

You need only 2 nuts: a soft, clean cloth and a multipurpose cleaner (we similar Biokleen). Keep them in your laundry room, and it'll make these steps easier to recollect.

2. Clean the Gasket

Spritz the cloth with cleaner and wipe downwardly the gasket around the door. Be sure to gently fold it dorsum to clean the inside, also. Yous might be surprised by what you find in there: hair, pet pilus, stickers from habiliment, lint... There will also be excess water.

3. Hit the Detergent Dispenser

Use your trusty cleanser and material to wipe out the detergent dispenser drawer.

4. Allow 'Em Dry

Leave the dispenser open and the door ajar and so they can fully dry out. This pace is most important. If y'all do nothing else, leaving the door open so that h2o tin evaporate is key. Ask your family members to do this even if they're not responsible for cleaning.

How to Deep Make clean Your Front Load Washer

Nigh once a month, or more oftentimes if yous exercise a lot of laundry, you'll desire to give your forepart load washing machine a more thorough cleaning. Follow the steps below if you're wondering how to clean a forepart load washing machine, including the pulsate.

one. Gather Supplies

For this simple process, you'll demand:

  • A soft, make clean cloth
  • Multipurpose cleaning spray (nosotros like Biokleen)
  • Distilled white vinegar, bleach, or Borax and washing soda; yous tin also use a commercial cleaner similar Affresh

two. Wipe the Danger Zones

Wipe down the detergent dispenser, drum, door gasket, and exterior of the car with a soft fabric spritzed with cleaner. Wipe down the dryer while yous"re at it, also.

3. Clean the Drum

Add your cleaner of choice—ii cups of distilled white vinegar; ¼ cup bleach; some Borax and washing soda; or a commercial cleaner like Affresh—straight to the drum and run a hot cycle with no clothes. If your washer doesn't specifically take a hot water cycle, choose the "whites," "stain," or "heavy" setting. Manually select a second rinse cycle if your washer has one. If not, run the same bike a 2nd time without the cleaner.

four. Let 'Em Dry

Leave the door and detergent dispenser drawer open then they can dry after the cycle's finished.

If your washer'south yet smelly afterwards this, echo steps one through 4 until the aroma's gone.

Pro Tip: Miele washing machines should NOT be cleaned with bleach; information technology can harm the motorcar'south components. But use the "clean motorcar" program and wipe out the detergent dispenser (fifty-fifty if your motorcar has the TwinDos automatic detergent dispenser and you don't use it). The company also says not to utilize a commercial cleaner on the exterior since they're also abrasive. A damp fabric should exist plenty. You tin can utilise a stainless steel cleaner to clean the drum.

Conclusion

Although they require a flake more maintenance than top load washers, front load washers all the same come out alee in our opinion. They're excellent at cleaning clothes, and they're energy efficient.

Taking the time to keep your front load washing machine clean volition ensure your clothes stay in top condition and odor as fresh as possible. It's not likewise much of a chore if you arrive part of your routine.

But if this sounds similar too much to you, consider a top load washer instead—they crave practically nil maintenance.