We prefer front loaders and, like others, have had no mold or mildew problems with any of the ones we’ve owned. We also prefer to stack the pair for space efficiency even if the laundry room is large. Everyone told me I’d have a hard time getting things out of the dryer (I’m barely 5’4") but no issues there either. We have an old top loader at the cabin that we don’t plan to replace as it works fine but, if either of the units fails, we’ll replace with a stacked front-load pair.
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I have a Speed Queen front loading washer (also have an SQ dryer) that’s a year old. It has an electronic control pad, which I like. Honestly, I never stop my machine to add an item. I sort all the clothes I’m washing before I start and I’m very particular about my sorting piles. (My kids say obsessive, which may be the case.) I do wipe down the rubber rim on the SQ washer to prevent mildew/mold issues and leave the door slightly ajar. So far, I’ve had no issues with mold or mildew.
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I don’t know what brand washer and dryer I have. I know they don’t match because they never die at the same time. They live in the basement so I’d have to make a special trip down there to look. The washer is a top load agitatorless and does a great job. The dryer is gas and newish because the basement flooded due to a storm drain back-up and took out the water heater and the dryer. The city paid to have them replaced. My husband and brother built concrete platforms for all the basement appliances to keep them above any future floods (we hope) so I had to get a little stool to be able to reach the bottom of the washer.
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I got a new LG front loading set earlier this year. I had used the same ones at a couple of vacation rentals we had and really like them. Luckily the ones I liked were highly rated on Consumer Reports, too. I used the speed wash (15 minutes) and the speed dry (25 minutes) frequently and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the steam function on the dryer. We got them in March and so far, no problems with mold or mildew.
I mentioned this in another thread, but we got them at a Best Buy outlet–scratch and dent but brand new with all the warranties. I had to check a couple of times to find ones with cosmetic issues that wouldn’t show in our laundry room, but they did have them. The set is for sale at Costco for $3600 and I paid $1420. Plus, I didn’t have to wait. If you have a BB Outlet anywhere near you, it’s definitely worth checking out.
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Oh, so nice that you were able to actually use the W/D at vacation rentals. This week I talked to a friend that bought a new washer that she likes… but she lamented inability to try at stores since she found it very much louder than her prior washer. And good job on getting a deal!!
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Not reading all of the responses, but highly recommend buying the extended warranty on whatever you do buy.
We have the Electrolux front loader and have never had an issue with mold, but my husband thinks it’s because we run a white load with bleach at least once a week.
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Mold seems to be more of a risk when front loaders are in a place that require closing the door. I like the idea of weekly bleach load.
I rarely use bleach but I do a few hot washes a month for linens. The LG model that’s recommended by CR has a heating element so the hot washes are true hot washes. Also, it has steam which I use once a while (but not regularly). I read somewhere that many people only wash on cold for environmental reasons and that has contributed on the mold issue. I try to use cold as much as possible but not a true convert yet.
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I only wash on cold and still don’t have mold issues.
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Someone above mentioned that newer Speed Queen washers didn’t have a spin only function. Yesterday, I washed a load of clothes in a fairly new Speed Queen (got it this summer) and there was a cotton sweater that seemed fairly damp. I checked and this Speed Queen (I have the one with the electronic pad in front) had a spin only cycle. The downside was that the cycle is 10 minutes and you can’t change it. It turned out that 10 minutes was enough. Anyway–now I know, thanks to this thread
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Update: My friend who was going crazy with a new loud-throughout-full-cycle Whirlpool washer was able to do a return (Lowe’s?) and get LG instead. It was within 30 days. She had feared a 20% restock fee but there was none.
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That was me. It’s one of the two things about my SQ washer that I don’t like. I bought mine in February 2018, so it’s not really old.
I had a choice of knobs or electronic buttons, and I chose the knobs. (I figured any repair would be less expensive.) Maybe that was my mistake. Regardless, I’m very happy with the washer and dryer.
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With knobs, the selection of cycles is usually more limited. It is assumed that people who want knobs want simplicity and fewer choices.
I don’t think electronics are the major point of failure for washers or dryers… moving parts usually fail first. Electronic panels can fail due to heat exposure (common for dryers and especially ovens), so some manufacturers made changes to prevent these parts from being exposed to excess heat.
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Thought I’d mention that on many machines the detergent dispenser tray is removable. There is a tab or place to press your finger to lower a catch and it slides out. We take ours out and let it dry after washing a load, it also allows the chute to dry out. I’ve shown friends how to do this and on some of them there is mold growing on the bottom of the tray.
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You can also run the removable parts through the dishwasher. (Used to dismantle and run our pool robot through the DW every once in a while as well.)
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