Never close the door completely, dry the rubber seal and wipe the window. I also turn my detergent drawer upside down and empty any water left in it and sometimes I'll leave it on top of the washer to dry completely but usually just dump the water and put it back in the drawer and leave it cracked a little bit. The idea is to let air into the machine. They are air tight and that is the reason for the smell if left closed all the time. I passed on LG because there were just too many unhappy stories of people who had a problem and had lousy experiences with their customer service. I have very much enjoyed my GE pair and have on order now a Whirlpool duet pair. The reason is because I got a small set in the GE when I first moved into front loader machines and it is too small to get large loads done and I can't even think about doing a king size mattress pad or comforter. It's been an excellent set but there were other reasons I wanted to go with the Whirlpool this time. One of the neatest things with the Whirlpool is that it has a "fan fresh" feature that blows air into the machine to dry it and circulate air. If you forget your laundry for two days no problem with the fan feature. You can also completely wash and dry small items just in the washer. The fan feature in the washer allows you to wash and dry your favorite nighty and undies all in one fell swoop. I run almost every day and I have a bit of laundry regularly of just certain delicate items such as running stretch leggings or shorts and shirts that I could do with this feature and not have to wait until I have a full load. The Duet also has a "Load and Go" feature which allows you to load 12 loads worth of detergent at a time in a cartridge and it dispenses it for you so you don't even have to mess with measuring detergent except every two weeks or so. But one of the biggies for me is that it spins at 1400 rpm which should get the clothes spun pretty dry before going into the dryer. I have used a couple of new top loading washers of late in vacation condos and at my mom's in her brand new set and what I notice with the top loaders is that they don't wring out the clothes very well. They are also so cheap feeling and they are not the machines our moms enjoyed for 20 years before going on the fritz. Be sure to get a water heating feature on whatever machine you chose. You won't have to depend on tap hot water to do all the work because the washer has it's own heating element. Of course many of them have the same features but I have not seen all of the features I want on one machine like the Duet. I don't have it yet it's on order and I will get it in November. I got the Chrome Shadow color and am wondering if I did the right thing there. It cost more than plain white and maybe I will change that before they arrive. Can anyone give me some feedback on that? I'd really like to have the Black Diamond but I don't want to spring for the extra money to get it. It seems dumb to pay big bucks for the exact same machine mechanically and have to pay $200 or $300 each for a special color. Right now I noticed that Costco has the Duet for a great buy, you might want to check it out. They sell the washer dryer pair with the pedestals and a two year extended warranty, free delivery, install, needed parts and haul away for as much as you would pay for just the washer and dryer at other places. I would love to take advantage of that great deal but I wanted to take advantage of Home Depot's 24 month free financing that I received for having my credit card with them for one year. Not to mention Home Depot is right down the street from me and I didn't want to hassle with some third party delivery service at Costco even though it was included in the price. I didn't need the pedestals either so I went with Home Depot.

Like I've posted a few times before, clothes washers are saving far more energy and water than necessary to earn the Energy Star rating. They're doing it to earn a $250/unit tax credit, paid directly to the manufacturer. In theory, this gives the industry an incentive to build efficient washers that consumers are willing to buy. But just about everyone thinks that today's overly-efficient washers are required by law, so they think they're powerless to reject them. Therefore, the industry gets their tax credit ($250/unit is a lot of money) while letting us think we have no choice. Even the Home Editor of Consumer Reports didn't believe it at first, when I told him how the system works. Now CR knows about it, but won't educate the public by including the facts in their reports.

>>>I guess there is concern that if the floor flexes during the spin cycle, the stackable unit could topple over. From what I was told, sandiego_steve, the old ATE50s banged around something awful and would not maintain SQ's super-fast spin in many upstairs installs. My dealer said they'd had several returned because they couldn't be stabilized. (Oddly, when he sold me the ATE50, knowing it was for 2nd floor installation, he didn't mention this.) I went ballistic when I was told I was getting the new model because I'd planned the timing of my reno project specifically to avoid the new electronic controls. I ordered -- and paid in full -- for the ATE50 in late Nov. or early Dec. Because I was so pissed, my dealer then offered to sell me one of the returned units if I "insisted" but maintained he was doing me a favor by switching out the washers because the new one he was bringing me had dynamic stability. I tried to download the manuals right then, but no one had them uploaded yet, not even SQ. Then you guys here talked me down, and I felt better. THEN they hauled it up the stairs -- 800 pounds! -- installed it, ran a test load, handed me the manuals, and left. After I read the manuals and exploded, my dealer said he had been unaware it was for a second floor install, but those words all over our email chain, and I had specifically asked more than once about the ATE50's stability upstairs. He was my contractor's vendor of choice, and they worked hand in glove on the whole project, so while he may have "forgotten," he certainly knew. And if he had "forgotten" then why the hoo-ha about switching out the units to avoid stability issues? But like I said, the thing does not so much as twitch. It is more stable than the 20-year old convention kenmore TLs it replaced. They may have needed those weasel words for the ATE50, but IMHO, they don't need them for this new version. I hope I never come to regret keeping it, but I do love it. It is an amazing machine. But now I have hijacked the OP's post, and told her more than she need to know about SQ. And I do thank you, sandiego_steve, for the help you have given all of us in making our SQ choices -- you possess a wealth of knowledge on the topic. I think the OP could not choose a better machine in any version.

I'll speak with bias as I'm coming from a previous set that would be $600 total new. I love my 617 pair. I did a lot of reading (though it was before coming here) and 8 out of 10 signs pointed towards the Elux 617. I personally think (though not my solely owned thoughts) that it's honestly the best value for performance in it's class. Miele's are rated amazing, but uhhhh, not in my budget. Currently my 617s are stacked to the right in my laundyroom. I advise against stacking if you can get away with it, you can never get the balancing just right. I also advise against the pedestals. The pedestals take forever to come in, I waited 4 weeks before canceling my order, and it gives you time to realize that you don't need them. Go side-by-side and use the tops as a folding table. Make a countertop above them if you want.