blakey,
I don't think that the steam option really makes a difference in regards to mold/mildew. The bad odors are a potential problem with any FL model. The main cause is using the wrong kind and or wrong amount of detergent and fabric softener. Leaving the door and detergent dispenser open does help preventing odors. Don't worry though, the door doesn't have to be wide open. I use a tennis ball with a slit in it to prop the door open a few inches. Doing hot or sanitary washes frequently is also a good idea. I think that powdered detergents rinse a lot better than liquids, especially the new concentrated versions of HE liquids.
I have had my Bosch Nexxt 500 plus for just over a year now and haven't had any problems with bad odors. I don't wipe the gasket clean after every wash. I only do that once in a while. I also don't run empty cleaning cycles with Affresh or any of those products. Never use chlorine bleach either.

I think all three washers you consider would be decent choices. Look at all the different cycles, options and the cost of the machines and pick the one that best fits your needs.

Hope this helps. Hope you'll let us know which washer you end up purchasing and report your own experiences!

I have LG FL for over two years now, before I had european FL and in Europe I used FL for many years also and never ever had problem w/ mold or mildew. Honestly, I can't understant why I don't have problem and so many outhere suffer w/ it. I don't do tub clean and I don't wipe the rubber seal either. I can't use bleach b/c I'm allergic to it. I do inspect the seal and drum w/big flashlite every 6 months or so for signs of build up. Over the years I used powders and liquids w/ everything in between. Persil to Sun w/ no problems other than adjusting dosing on the detergents. I lived in areas of soft water, now I have hard water and switched to CS due to my BF dermatitis. For many years I used FS, again no build up or problem. I use hot water or sanitary cycle only. I never wash anything in cold water. I add baking soda to my wash and vinegar or splash of lemon juice in the rinse. I always leave the door open after the wash.
I also used TL for several years w/ no problems either.
Personally, I preffer FL.They are gentle on the clothes.I have my units stacked w/ controls on the dryer on the bottom and I could not be happier.
I think the mold and mildew is due to improper dosing of detergents and aditives,perhaps using too little detergents, poor rinsing and water not being hot enough in wash cycle. I think if you don't use enough detergents, the grime oils and dirt doesn't have place to bind or dissolve so it gets stuck to the insides of the washer when drained and cold rinse water sets it in. I did lots of handwashing in my life and I noticed the difference in amount of detergent in handwashing too.
I consider myself lucky I guess, not having all those problems.

I agree with loosers commetn that all of these should be 'good' machines, pick the one that fits your requirements best... and check on who services near you...

That said... I have the bosch 500 set, a bit over 2 years old now... we went away over the long weekend a couple weeks ago, and my teen daughter very nicely had tossed her sheets in the morning before we left and did not remember to switch them to the dryer before we departed... I of course had no clue about this and the following Saturday opened the wash to start the wash and found very smelly sheets and my machine smelled terrible... I quickly closed the door and set it to smnitary and tossed in a full scoop of charlies, some baking powder, and vinegar in the fs dispenser... pressed the heavy duty and extra rinse options and let it run... when the cycle was finished, the sheets looked and smelled fine but there was a lingering odor about the machine... I started the rest of my wash, following my normal routine of towels and sheets last to 'sanitize' at the end... by the time I finished all loads of wash, the odor was gone... thank god...

a lesson was learned by my daughter... and I have now shown her why I put the hand cloth in the door opening and open the detergent lid in a way that all the talking in the world would not have accomplished...

We have owned 3 FL washers:
Maytag Neptune: no odor problem but mechanical issues that were part of a class action lawsuit. Also, developed mildew on the seal even after replacing the seal and a field modification to increase the ventilation.

Bosch: nearly silent, great washer, odor. Odor could be eliminated by running hot cycles and bleach cycles. If you left anything in the washer for any amount of time after washing the odor returned. We decided to not buy another Bosch due to this as it got really annoying. Had some issues with the plastic panel cracking (known issue due to overtighening of bolts, but the Bosch service was AWESOME.)

LG: 8 months old and so far no problems (knock on wood). I drained the water from the drain plug a month or so ago and was pleased that it was very clean. Cleans well. Large capacity. Not as quiet as the Bosch but so far no problems.

Having said all this, my wife about every couple of weeks forgets and leaves a load in the washer over night and sometimes for up to 1-2 days. If you are dilligent about laundry then I think the Bosch is fine, otherwise I think the LG is the better option. They both make terrific washing machines, but it seems the LG is more forgiving. However, we only have 8 months in the LG.

Just wanted to say thanks for the responses so far. It's very helpful. I think we're leaning towards the LG, now have to decide whether to go with a steam washer and dryer. The steam option sounds cool for the dryer but I'm not sure it's worth it for the washer. Any thoughts?

didn't mention in my precious post, this was the first/only time I've had a smellin my machine and I would purchase bosch again if I had to redo the decision at the time I made it... haven't looked at any of the machines that have come out since..

I've had Kenmore version of Duet for about 4.5 years. I've never had mold/mildew/smell problems and I rarely do hot cycles. I do however leave the door open a crack and empty the water out of the dispenser and leave it open a crack.

Have to say after reading here at the time I bought it I was very reluctant to purchase but I took a chance and have been very happy with it so far.

I live in Georgia and I have a Bosch Nexxt. It has a terrible oder and smell problem. It is a shame to spend as much money as these cost and have this problem in two short years. I have seen some name calling "looser" on this site. I guess I am one. I feel I made a bad decision with the Bosch Nexxt