Kappen writes: "They attribute most of the issues to a fiberglass/plastic outer tub, cold water washes and use of liquid detergent. Okay, so far I can agree with everything except the plastic tub thing - almost all machines sold in the US have plastic/fiberglass outer tubs, but not everyone has mold, so that is not a cause in and of itself. They also blame liquid detergents because they are difficult to dose and do not contain chlorine bleach. Huh? I dose my detergents with a tablespoon - one tablespoon of liquid detergent is no more difficult to dose or measure than the same quantity of dry detergent." I agree with you that liquid detergents, in and of themselves, are not a cause of smell or mold. We have been using only liquid laundry detergents for the past 35 years or so, always in front-loading machines, and never have had a smell or mold problem. For much of that time, we used Tide liquid (not HE, with our previous machine), but for the past decade or so, we have used BioKleen All-Temperature (HE 3X). We did use about half the amount of Tide liquid suggested by P&G and we fill the measuring cap of the BioKleen All-Temperature liquid only halfway before decanting to the detergent drawer. We also regularly add a scoop (about 1/3 cup) of 20 Mule Team borax to every load; and we have never purchased and therefore never used any fabric softener. But other than that, we have not engaged in intentional mold-avoidance procedures like running sanitize cycles (most of our wash loads are run at warm/cold settings), wiping out the gasket, or leaving the detergent drawer open. (We have never thought to shut the main door all the way until it clicks after removing clothes, but we have never left it wide open either.) I think that there is little to be gained from speculating why some people have reported smell from or mold in their washing machines; but I am quite confident that the cause is nothing inherent in either the front loading configuration or the use of liquid detergent vs. powdered detergent.

Wow, I'm all for cleaner clothes. But I'm pretty clueless. I just use my Charlie's soap and have been very happy with it. I haven't had any odors or anything from my machine either (going on 9 months). My question may sound stupid to most but what is washing soda?

debsz5, It almost like you didn't read any of the posts above. Your comments about suing the manufacturers is ridiculous. It's a clear indication that comment of a few can influence you to believing that you will bang your leg every time you walk into your garage. There are MILLIONS of front load washers in use in North America. I think I remember seeing that Whirlpool produces over 400,000 front load washers a year for the North American market. Electrolux/Frigidaire, GE, Samsung, and LD produce FL's in the hundreds of thousands each. If all these products were defective don't you think the complaints would be in the millions? Here on Garden web, given your premise, shouldn't the complaints be in the thousands? In the few posts about mold, for every one person that makes a mold complaint there are 15-20 who post that there is no complaint with their machines. You state: I don't understand why people don't stick with TL machines. They all have load sizing to save water and we can do cold water washes to save more energy. The facts are: Load size to Load size a front load washer uses 60 to 75% less water than a top load washer. If every one in a state like California switched to a front load washer tomorrow the state would quite possibly be out of it's water shortage crises by the end of a month or maybe sooner. I realize you are stating your opinion based on your limited knowledge of a product category but you should realize that there are Millions of satisfied users of these washers. Sorry for my rant but it's just odd that you would reopen this post that died a month ago. What was the purpose?

monicakm, I understand what she is going through. I would have her wash her towels without soap until there are no suds. Whirlpool had replaced my first Duet after 9 months due to tangling braiding of my clothes and soap issue, than they replaced it with a new one in May, after 4 months of the same thing happening I replaced it for a Speed Queen frontloader that is 4 yrs old, and the Duet was only 4 months old. I washed towels for 3-4 months without soap to try to get the soap out, and I had only used 1/2 tbl of liquid Tide for 9 months, I had to go buy a different washer as you probably have read about my issues. The Duet wouldn't put enough water in to rinse with. Maybe she could take her towels to a laundramat, because it will drive her crazy trying to get the soap out with her Duet, I also would quit using liquid HE soap. As for the FS mold problem, take out the dispenser and try to get all the gunk off, maybe spray some bleach down the compartment. I had a Frigidair FL that I had that problem with and I didnt know where the smell was coming from till I took out the dispenser and looked back in with a flashlight and it was black mold all over where the FS dispenser goes, I tried scrubbing with an old toothbrush but the compartment was too small to reach back into. I had my Frigidair for 7-8 yrs and didnt have the problem until the last few months. I replaced it with the Duet, I wish I would have just kept trying to get the mold out because to find out it was a much better washer than the Duet. Also with the FS, have her add water or vinegar to make it thin so it wont stick to anything, also take out the dispenser after use to let it dry out and leave the door open. I know how rediculous it is to have issues with a Duet that doesn't need to happen, if they would just give more water to rinse with, and warn of these issues. I remember when I first got my Duet they gave me a packet of Tide liquid HE, and on the packet it said to use the whole packet, I knew better so I used about 1/3 of it and WOW it was way too much, that is when I started to use 1/2 tbl, but that apparently was still too much. Good Luck I hope this helps!