Do all HE washing machines have mildew problems?

The problem with the mildew issues is the door seal remains wet after the wash is done, we had that problem,the wife wiped it with a bleach rag and leaves the door cracked when not in use problem solved.
P.S she only had to wipe it with the bleach rag the one time ,now just leaves the door cracked when not in use.

We leave the door and soap drawer open, it is an eight year old front loader. It does have a Ag+ setting which adds small amounts of Silver ions to the wash water, it act as an antibacterial solution. Once we have had to use a Tide product for front loader washers to remove odors.

I’ve owned both front and top loader washing machines. Mildew has never been a problem, but I tend to leave the lid open in order to allow it to dry out. With the front load, the door gasket gets wiped out with a paper towel because a larger amount of water pools at the lowest point.

The pros and cons seem to balance out whichever way you decide to go. Here is a list from Consumer Reports. Some of them may not even have been considered yet.

My only issue with a front end is that that door cannot be opened in the midst of a cycle. It’s just a matter of checking all pockets and ensuring that all items that should be washed go in before starting it.

My only recommendation is to not invest money on having the existing one repaired. It could easily add up to more than purchasing a new one.

Personally, I dislike front load machines. I think they look great but that is about all. The problem I have is that sometimes you may find a sock or something that didn’t make it in the wash, and you need to throw it in with the current wash but the machine won’t open because it has water inside and you have to wait for it to drain. Or you notice that something is bleeding color onto other clothes. With a top loader you can stop the machine and pull it out before it does much damage to other clothing. Also top loaders can have a larger basket than the front loader.

Front loaders use less water and do less damage to your clothes
Just leave the door open and run an occasional bleach cycle

@Pandora My machine will let you “STOP” the wash cycle and open the door after it unlocks the door. Then you restart the cycle, I have a little practice at this process. ;>)

I have a Sears front loading (Kenmore) washer. Its gasket and drum have been altered so they drain completely. And I’m still advised to leave the door open an inch when not in use.

I bought it from a Sears Outlet store. The sales lady urged us to get a one year warranty on the washer because if anything goes wrong with it, it usually goes bad within the first year. She told us to set an appointment and have a technician come out just before the warranty runs out, and get a “checkup” before we decide to cancel the warranty.

We have not had a problem yet. Machine is just under a year old.

Most washing machines in the uk are front loaders. I have a little blackness on the seal and drawer but it makes no difference to the wash. I have a Siemens machine and it’s the best washing machine I’ve ever had. Super clean laundry. Quiet spin. Efficient. Simple to use.

I have a front load and I finally figured out that if I run the sanitizing cycle (extremely hot water) plus, I add a little bleach, I can rid the machine of any mold problems that might be happening. I either wash old white towels or nothing during the cycle. Previous to discovering the sanitizing cycle I had a real problem with mold in my front load.

From the very start of using the machine I always wiped down the very obvious small puddle of water left in the washer after a cycle, and left the door ajar, but that was not sufficient. Another problem I have is after a bleach was I have to run another white wash afterwards, because some bleach seems to be left behind. Moreover, sometimes I would prefer for very sweaty clothes to really soak in more water. Many of my friends complained about the same things, and we all bought our washers about ten years ago. We have various brands.

Supposedly, the LG, which is the brand I have, has a new rubber gasket that does not hold water like the old one. I have to say that now using the sanitizing cycle once every couple of months I don’t even need to bother to wipe down the machine right after washing.

I do like my washing machine much better now that I don’t have the mold problem, but if it broke down I would be very torn at this time about whether to get a top load or front load. I really like that the old fashion top loads do the wash in much less time.

My MIL just bought a Samsung front load and the drum is extremely deep. It’s difficult to reach the clothes at the back of the drum. If you go front load, I recommend you try reaching to the back if the drum while you’re in the store. Especially, if you are short with shorter arms I think it’s difficult.

Oops, I was wrong. I don’t have a Kenmore, but an LG that needed the warranty.