gzec, does your washer have an internal heater? If so, my suggestion would be to run a couple of sanitary cycles with bleach first and then with liquid dishwasher detergent. If you don't have sanitary, the longest and hottest cycles your machine can achieve should work as well (it may be Whitest Whites, or something similar). Clean out the drain trap, the rubber seal around the door opening (make sure you pull back the rubber seal and get into all the nooks and crannies ;-) and the detergent/softener dispenser (including the dispenser drawer opening in the machine). Oh, and don't forget to run off the cold water before you begin your hot/sanitary cycle. Basically, you need the hottest possible cycle with strong detergent or bleach in order to kill the mold and mildew. My old Duet Sport without a heater had an occassional smell issues when I didn't know any better about HOT washes. My new LG with an internal heater (I regularly run HOT and SANITARY washer in it) has absolutely no trace of mold, mildew or smell after a year and a half of use. Good luck and let us know how you do.

It does sound like the OP may have experienced either a design or manufacturing defect with her HE4T. The whole point of the pump is to remove water from the machine, not leave it sitting there to go moldy! However, I take issue with people who state that mold and mildew are inherent problems of FLs. I grew up with FLs in the UK; first a Philips-Whirlpool, then Hoover and finally Miele. My family never experienced problems with moldy washers, even in a house that got quite damp in the winter. Now I own an LG steamwasher (bought right after I got the house) that lives in a tiny laundry room in my garage. In fact - to even open the washer door it has to be perfectly positioned in the laundry room doorway. Following every load, I take a clean rag and wipe any excess water from the gasket and washer door. I then leave the rag to dry over the open door. I seldom use bleach (and then only a 10-20% soln.), although I do run a sanitary cycle about twice a week. I have never had any mold or mildew in my washer. This is in a house that had so many mold problems when we bought it that I joked it should be called STACHYBOTRIS. There was black mold in the laundry room, along the drywall in the garage as well as the ceiling. In fact the whole garage ceiling had to be torn down; revealing mold spores on the wooden beams. So although there is NO shortage of mold spores ready to colonize my machine this has not happened. WHY? 1) The machine is kept as clean and dry as possible between loads. 2) The door is open as much as possible, but at least 1-2" 3) I run an extra hot sanitary cycle and extra rinses at least twice a week. 4) I dilute my fabric softener and use less just enough detergent (even if DH doesn't!) 5) I keep a dehumidifier in the garage/laundry area. 6) Every time I go near the laundry I use my $6.47 temp/humidity meter from Wal-Mart (in air filter aisle) to make sure relative humidity is less than 50%. If it gets to 50% or above, I turn up the dehumidifier (I reccommend Whirlpool - I gave up on LG!). If I can keep my FL mold free in a house that was a mold hell-hole 18 months ago - I find it hard to believe ALL FLs have to suffer from mold/mildew. *This is not meant to detract from the OP, who seems to have a genuine complaint* BTW - I do think that perhaps some American FLs have excessively large door gaskets compared to European FLs. Since there seemed to be a particularly American assumption that FLs always leaked (and diesel cars are all smelly and underpowered), I wonder if the new wave of US FLs (2000-present) were deliberately designed to have bigger gaskets. This could contribute to water being trapped, but for most people a few extra steps can prevent this becoming a mold issue. And believe me - I KNOW about mold (in the kitchen, bathrooms, closets, AC ducts, garage, walls, crawlspace.......) Thank goodness for dehumidifiers and may the previous owner of my house be cursed with black mold evermore for hiding ours with paint and trim!

honeysuckle_a2 You probably read my earlier post..but this is what I have experienced... I have a whirlpool duet washer and dryer, yes. .costly Machines. No one needs to have these mold and mildew problems along with health issues that go with it. They should take responsibility for their products. I have experienced the same problem, I had my machines about 3 ½- 4 years now. A few months back, everything smelled.. I was going crazy, washing, re washing I did the bleach and vinegar rinses .. I found it was a temporary fix. I was going crazy as I am a very meticulous person also, especially when it comes to the health of my family which includes two young children who happens to be allergic to mold and mildew. I wasnÂt smart enough to call and complain.. Then I started reading about residues left behind from detergents.. thatÂs actually when I started bleach and vinegar rinses trying to remove it. Long storyÂI decided to go natural in my laundry as I do with cleaning. .I bought a product called Laundry Pure. (It is a machine that hooks up to your washer, eliminates detergent, softener and bleach, puts sanitized water in you machine to wash the clothes chemical free) The rep told me to run the machine (Duet) empty about 3xÂs before I put a load inÂSo the first time I ran it, a dark blue liquid was going through the Laundry Pure machine. .I had no idea what it was or if it was normal. .so I called to ask.. I talked to tech support and the first thing he asked was if I used Tide.. and I did (HE) ..he then told me that was all the detergent residue coming out of the machine, to now run it empty about 5xÂs to get it all out.. I was sick! The Laundry Pure didnÂt work out after 6 weeks of use (long story) so I sent it back.. ever since , I have been using a true all natural laundry soap and never had the sour smell again. I think the Duet holds detergents and doesnÂt get out of the machine.. thatÂs why they build up and I guess I am on the right tract since they are recommending AFFRESH to clean it all out. ItÂs been months since I used regular detergent and I have to say what a huge difference it has made, not only in the machine, but in the clothes we wear.. Just as the chemicals build up in the machine. .it also does that to our clothes. .not healthy! For your own piece of mind, switch to a all natural detergent, once all the chemicals are out of your clothes and machine, I am sure you will not experience any more moldy smelling clothes I hope this was some help, I wanted to share this with you because it really worked for me. Ree

My Maytag Bravos washer has a Wrinkle Control cycle which I use for the great majority of our nicer office and church clothes. I use the Delicates cycle for more delicate fabrics and the Hand Wash cycle for the most delicate fabrics and sweaters. I use the Medium spin with the Wrinkle Control cycle and the Slow spin with the Delicates and Hand Wash cycle. When I wash towels and jeans/T-shirts, I use the normal wash cycles and fast spin. I haven't yet had ANY problem with wrinkling OR tangling. I have found the main way to prevent wrinkles in jeans is not to overload the machine (which is emphasized in the manual). My washer does not have an agitator; it has an impeller. The clothes come out much cleaner than they did in my former conventional TL's.