LG WM1812C Front Load Washer Logo
tbj Smith Posted on Jun 03, 2007
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LG WM1812CW washer smell

We have an LG WM1812CW front loader and have been fighting mildewing and smell with it. LG website gave us a canned answer about leaving the door open, wiping out the rubber gasket on the door, running bleach thru the machine etc. We continue to do that but it still stinks! Seems like a faulty design, old top loader didn't have these issues. Anyone else having these problems?

  • 29 more comments 
  • tbj Smith Jun 04, 2007

    thanks, we leave the door open all the time, wipe out the excess water and still get the smell!!! OH and we live in the desert with <8" of rainfall a year!

  • Anonymous Nov 28, 2007

    I have the same problem. I make sure I leave the door open to dry completely before closing but has not helped. Also major problems with the dispensing draw. It holds water and will not release bleach or softener. Finally had them replace it after several service calls for the same problem and they could not solve it.

  • CMac4 Jan 22, 2008

    I am sooooo angry about this washer!!! Both myself and one of my kids are allergic to mold! So it is not only inconvenient it is a serious issue for us! I have tried all the cleaning "solutions" recommended at the LG website, that was a joke! I scrubbed the entire gasket surface because I was thinking that was the main source of the mold/mildew. I did run 2 hot bleach washes in a row followed at the end by a detergent one and it seemed to make a bit of difference but then after I used it for a clothing wash once BAMM right back to the same thing. I NEVER shut mine BTW. I wipe it down thoroughly spray a bit of mold/mildew cleaner into it and let it air dry all week until I use it again. I wondered if anyone has actually tried the "magic" tablets that will solve this problem or the multi-step process that included the dishwasher detergent and found that either worked?? I agree about doing something further with the manufacturer to get this solved. I paid alot of money for a piece of junk that sits in my house and makes us literally sick!!! We wanted to try to keep using it instead of forking out even more $$$ for laundromat or a new washer all together.
    I am REALLY glad I saw the post about not trying to get involved in getting parts. That was my next thought which I see is not going to solve anything either. What can we do???

  • Anonymous Feb 28, 2008

    we have had the same problem since november of 06. our clothes, towels , linens and seems like my entire house smells terrible and we have tried everything to try to fix the problem . we have had around 8 service men out and they tell me too much soap, not enough soap, leave the door open, put in bleach, replace the boot, and on and on. i still have this stinky washer in my house . please help.

  • Anonymous Apr 03, 2008

    I've experienced the same problems - it would be faster for me to use a washboard to do a load of clothes. The constant cleaning of this machine makes it extremely difficult to consider it "high technology". Stick with a Kenmore...more reliable and user friendly.

  • un4givun2 Apr 10, 2008

    Diddo!! This thing has ruined more clothes in the 3 years we've owned it than all the years I have washed my own clothes combined (30 years). I have done all of the bleaching and leaving the door open tricks. Nothing works. Each time I wash my clothes they smell worse. After about 3 months I have to go buy all new clothes. I heard that 2009 is the last year you can get a top loader due to a new EPA law. Better go get one while they last. If the EPA knew how much mold and mildew these things create they would declare them a biological disaster!!

  • colleenmoss May 27, 2008

    We have the exact same unbelievably smelly laundry coming out of a LG front loading washer.  My towels stink so bad I can't stand it anymore!!  Our clothes come out worse than when they went in the washer.  Clearly there is something fundamentally wrong with these washers. Has anyone successfully gotten LG to give them a new washer?  

  • Anonymous Jun 01, 2008

    Why does LG just seem to get away with this? They should have to recall these machines and/or make a modification to them to fix the problem. I don't get it. Enough of us have tried contacting the company who else do we need to contact to get this dealt with?
    My son and I are allergic to mold and I can't even load the darn thing because when I bend down and get near it I start wheezing! It is just plain stupid.

  • CMac4 Jun 01, 2008

    Why does LG just seem to get away with this? They should have to recall
    these machines and/or make a modification to them to fix the problem. I
    don't get it. Enough of us have tried contacting the company who else
    do we need to contact to get this dealt with?

    My son and I are allergic to mold and I can't even load the darn thing
    because when I bend down and get near it I start wheezing! It is just
    plain stupid.

  • CMac4 Jun 01, 2008

    Why does LG just seem to get away with this? They should have to recall
    these machines and/or make a modification to them to fix the problem. I
    don't get it. Enough of us have tried contacting the company who else
    do we need to contact to get this dealt with?

    My son and I are allergic to mold and I can't even load the darn thing
    because when I bend down and get near it I start wheezing! It is just
    plain stupid.



  • CMac4 Jun 01, 2008

    All who are concerned please go to the Consumer Product Safety Commission website and report them!! The larger the voice the better chance we have of action. You can fill out the form right online.
    Go under the heading "report an unsafe product" That is what I did. I hope they will finally get this fixed for us. We have all gave it a tremendous "fixYa" try but this is something that needs much more fixing than us alone.

    http://www.cpsc.gov/

  • Bob398 Jun 14, 2008

    Yes same problem , I had to throw away some towels and t shirts. I try o wipe out the gasket, but the black "gunk" just keeps building up.

  • jangle2 Jun 16, 2008

    yep same problem, we do leave the door open and use bleach monthly to ease the problem Not at all pleased with our purchase

  • rkw5 Jun 27, 2008

    This washer stinks! The mold smell really makes you sick and the dispenser is always full of water. We need LG to provide a solution to this...

  • 2tallrn Jul 05, 2008

    I have a Frigidaire front loader and I too have experience the same smelly mold and odor issues. The sad thing is we had a perfectly good top loader from Maytag that was ten years old and since we needed to replace our old dryer, we said that we may as well replace the washer too. We thought that we would be saving energy as water costs us more in the township we moved to. I can't say that I've seen much change in the water bill! It takes nearly a whole hour to wash one load! A part broke on it three days after the warranty was up! Boy do I miss my faithful old top loading Maytag! I've combatted the mold and smells by running a bleach pen around the gasket and wiping it out real good with a damp cloth. I also try to remember to leave thdoor open. Soooo disappointed this expensive machine!

  • TX hoppy Jul 14, 2008

    We have experienced the same problem and are truly tired of our clothes stinking. We previously had a top load washer and dryer that lasted us 12 years without a problem. These may not make it 2!!!



    We did figure out a temporary solution. We asked to employees at Home Depot, where we bought the W & D, about how to fix it and they had never heard of such a problem. We found a product at HD called Whirl Out (the employees didn't know about this either!). If you run it through an empty washer, the smell stops for a couple of weeks.



    This is not a great solution, but we can at least dry off with a towel that doesn't make us nauseaus. Hope this helps and sorry you bought the same piece of junk we did.

  • Nastywasher Jul 14, 2008

    We have had the problem of the smell no matter what we do. I have ran the bleach through in the sanitize setting. Leave door open all the time. Emptied water out of bottom of machine - which smells very bad. It is ruining my clothes and towels.

    Need solution fast.

  • David Edison
    David Edison Aug 06, 2008

    we have the same problem.... it smells like vomit. The smell stays on our towels, and when we go to use one, it smells like the mold in the washer. We too have tried everything from keeping the door open to washing a cycle with bleach only. We have also taken a bleach towel to the inside of the rubber, and have even gone as far as taking liquid draino to the rubber, but we only get temporary results. What can we do?

  • graciem Sep 07, 2008

    I had the same problem. In the Owners's Manual under Maintenance there are a few steps you need to do that when I did then, beleive me it made a HUGE difference, no more funky smell next My washer smelled so bad, I swear I thought I had sitting water somewhere. Try these steps after you are done washingl hopefully it will work for you as it did for me: 1) Using Tilex (yes the shower cleaner) spray the whole inside of the Tub and the door seal, scrub clean the door seal and wipe clean the tub, then using a dry cloth dry the tub and the seal. Leave the door open for at least 24 hours. 2) Have you ever notice on the bottom left side of the washer what the little door was, well, that is drain pump and that needs to get clean also, I started doing this once a week after I was done washing, because water sits in there and will stink. Allow water to cool down before cleaning. Opn the lower cover cap and turn the drain plug to pull out the hose. Put a small container under the hose, the unplug the hose and let the water flow out until it stops then put the drain plug back on the hose and put the hose base. Next 2) Open to the left and pull out the pump filter, and remove objects and clean the filter pump with Tilex (I love this stuff it really works), when done return the pump filter and trun clockwise, make sure it's nice and tight, then close the cover. Move work than the top loader, but I love my washer and now she's not STINKY.....

  • gillyvw Oct 23, 2008

    my whole house smells thanks to my lg washer.  I have a service contract with best buy.  they came out and said to keep the door open, clear a little tube in the front, clean the gasket AND run vinager thru the washer every two weeks.  Now I am not going to spend my life tinkering with a washing machine.. HELP.  we are going to sale them and go back to the old style washer if LG won't step up to the plate.

  • sbarnes42 Oct 24, 2008

    We have tries everything and it keeps getting worse and worse. Somewhere in this $1000 pile of junk is a reservoir of dirty old water that has turned into a pool of nasty smelly filth and I can't find it.

  • Anonymous Oct 28, 2008

    It is model WM0642HW and it stnks, I plan to throw it out when I get enough money for another...

  • Anonymous Nov 06, 2008

    Yup...They call me stinky at work....all my clothes stink. and I need to rid myself of this junk washer.....



  • janellemc Nov 30, 2008

    same problem, tried all sollutions posted it still smells and they are still expensive machines!

  • Anonymous Jan 17, 2009

    I also have an LG washer that has a bad smell. I have tried all sorts of things like "whirlout"(usually for whirl pools and hot tubs), running bleach through the machine, the tablets you can buy at Best Buy(which did nothing),cleaning the gasket out and leaving the door open. I believe this is a faulty design and am so disgusted that I wanted a front loading washing machine for so long just to be stuck with an expensive mold and mildew grower. Anybody else **********?

  • Anonymous Mar 01, 2009

    I have the same problem, no matter what type front loader hE detergent I use, my clothes never have that fresh washed smell, even when I air dry. I even use Downy! Very dissapointed in LG. We researched extensively before purchasing, and all the rating were HIGH, not certain what to believe. It does save on water, but looking back would probably have purchased a Maytag or other brand. My Maytag toploaded, prior to building this new home was 13 years old and look and performance with 2 sons in sports, hunting and fishing never a problem.

  • Mostack Mar 23, 2009

    Same as above. Now it seems like my clothes are smelling too. They always seem to smell like they have been left in the washer overnight. Even after they have been moved directly to the dryer and dried! I have had it with this washer! LG is no help!!! When will they take responsibility for this expensive washer that has issues!!

  • Anonymous Apr 10, 2009

    my lg washer  smells really bad at the moment ,after reading about  the same problem other people had,i bielive we were using to much dedergent i am doing the hot water and javex   treatment , hope this  will do the trick ...FLOYD

  • Harriett Weymon Aug 23, 2013

    The LG Tromm model WM1812CW is the absolutely WORST washing machine I have ever bought! I can't wait for the confounded thing to break so I can replace it! We have to empty water from the detergent drawer after each wash or a white slime will collect UNDERNEATH the detergent drawer and start oozing out then running down the front of the machine. I discovered the reason for our stinky clothes by a web search and was furious. This is the most maintenance heavy washing machine I've ever used. Consumers should NOT have to do all of this washing, bleaching, sanitizing, cleaning, draining, and jumping through all kinds of hoops to get the da_m thing to do what it's supposed to do and CLEAN our clothes! We never had any of these kinds of problems with several top loading washing machines we've owned.

  • Alan Hawksworth Jul 02, 2016

    A simple and effective way to overcome this problem is to add a few tablespoons os WASHING SODA to the machine,with NO washing powder,or clothes, then put it on the longest hottest wash programme.The soda disolves limescale, and any residual grease that harbours bacteria, the hot wash kills the bacteria that causes the smell. It is a simple, most cost effective solution to this problem.
    Just one more thing, if your machine has a filter, make sure that it is cleaned regularly, as this can harbour the bacteria that causes the smell, and the hot water may not be hot enough to kill it in a build up of gunk in the filter.

  • Dave Fisher
    Dave Fisher Sep 10, 2020

    Maybe there is some food in drain pump filter? Look the page #16 of the owner's manual onhttp://www.washermanual.com/lg/wm1812cw/... - there is detailed maintenance information available.

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  • Posted on Dec 12, 2007
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What is the mater with us that we are accepting this outrageous product flaw?

Let's put the blame exactly where it belongs and keep it there until manufacturers clean up their act!

What in the world are we thinking when we allow ourselves to be forced to jump through these ridiculous hoops just do do laundry!?

I am furious and it is over something as stupid as a washing machine! A WASHING MACHINE!!!!

New government regulations for new water efficiency washing machines has my family’s clothing smelling like a stinking, rancid, moldy basement! This is absolutely absurd! I have been told to change laundry detergent, run hot bleach water through my washer and, get this; my washing machine is 1 year old and my clothes smell filthy!!! The mold and mildew from these nasty machines have wreaked havoc through skin rashes and allergies in my children!

I paid $1,000.000 for this da*ned washing machine and THIS is what is being sold to the public under the disguise of efficiency!!?? I have been on the phone about this problem. I have, over the past 3 months, with a technician on the phone, been instructed to do the following:

*Make sure I use high efficiency detergent THAT will fix my problem.
Wrong.
*Cleaned the lint trap (..that is stupidly behind a metal access plate that you have to use a screwdriver to remove screws to get to it EVERY TIME) and THAT will fix my problem.
Wrong!
*Cleaned the water hoses; THAT will fix my problem.
Wrong!
*Cleaned the gasket around the door. THAT will fix my problem
Wrong!
*Cleaned the tub with bleach water. THAT will fix my problem.
WRONG!
*REMOVED the hoses and cleaned the pump. THAT will fix my problem.
WRONG AGAIN!
*Take the pump out entirely and clean all inlet, outlets and hoses. THAT will fix my problem.
WRONG! WRONG!! WRONG!!!

NONE of this fixed my problem of filthy, wet, stinking, rancid clothing that has endangered my family's health! I even washed my children's clothing out by hand in the bathtub and put them in the washer just to rinse and spin and they STILL smelled horrific.

Finally, at the end of my rope, I returned to the appliance store from which I purchased this machine and they have told me that they cannot accept a return. They will not accept a return and I have to deal directly with GE. I HAVE dealt with GE up until the final straw when I they told me I needed a new pump, but so sorry, your warranty JUST expired 3 days ago!!!

Furthermore, my pump was fine. I did NOT need a new pump and have now been told that I cannot return the new, unused pump that cost me another $183.00. I have now been told that this is a problem with ALL front loading washing machines and I should do the following:

*First, run a full complete wash cycle on hottest setting containing Bleach – * Note: wash cycle takes 1 hour and 20 minutes
*Next, run a full wash cycle on hottest setting using high efficiency laundry detergent for another 1 hour and 20 minutes
*Next, run a full wash cycle on hottest setting using Cascade automatic dish washing detergent for an ADDITIONAL 1 hour and 20 minutes
*Next, using Bleach water, wipe down entire interior of washing machine
*Next, using clean white cloth, wipe entire interior of washing machine dry
*Next, leave door ajar to air out machine

*Finally, I have now been informed that I cannot use fabric softener in the machine even though there is a fabric softener dispenser right in the machine because the new front loading machines cannot handle fabric softener!!

Furthermore, I was told that this is new technology and since it is so new, no one really knew these kinds of problems were going to manifest themselves and I just need to try to work with these problems because it is not the manufacturers fault but the GOVERNMENT’S fault! Sorry.

Are you kidding me??

Now I have a $1000.00 piece of junk that the appliance companies are pawning off on unsuspecting consumers and hiding their horrible designs by blaming the government.

So, now this is what I want!

I want the legislature to force manufacturers to properly inform the public of these problems and those who did NOT inform consumers of these issues, COMPENSATE their customers for the $$$$$ it has cost us and the misery and frustration caused by THEIR neglect by NOT informing the consumers of these issues. I want this to be retroactive BACK to at least the year 2005. Furthermore, I want compensated for the cost of buying a top loading washing machine in an effort to keep our families away from the mold and mildew and filthy mess this has caused! Finally, I want manufacturers to own up to the fact that they disregarded the health and safety of consumers in their efforts to profit as much as possible while touting efficiency.

Now I have heard that they have a new 'product' they can sell to us to inhibit the stench of mold and mildew. This is absolutely unacceptable!

This is outrageous and we need to speak out about this and make sure our voices are heard!

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  • Posted on Dec 24, 2007
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We purchased our LG WM2277H Front Load Washer almost two years ago at Bestbuy. We were very pleased with the washer for the first few months and then the smell slowly started and we tried everything. However the smell persisted for the next year. This is NOT acceptable after spending over $2,000.00 for a washer and dryer.

We then heard about SMELLYWASHER.COM from Glenn Haege "the Handyman" on the radio and I ordered the PUREWASHER product (costs less than $20.00 including shipping and handling).

This is what we did to resolve the smell...

We started a "sanitary" cycle with about 2 tablespoons of PUREWASHER in the powder detergent compartment. We added about a gallon of VERY hot water through the liquid detergent compartment when the wash cycle began agitating. After about 4 or 5 minutes We "paused" the cycle and let it sit over night (+/- 8 hours). In the morning we "un-paused" the sanitary cycle and let it finish. We immediately ran another "sanitary" cycle, but this time with a half cup of bleach poured into the bleach compartment.

The smell is now GONE!!! We need to occasional repeat this cleaning process...once every two or three months.

This may not be the only way to get rid of the smell. However we once again like our LG Washer (and dryer).

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Don't waste your time trying to clean the rubber gasket, leaving the door open etc. If your gasket has scum on it, the ENTIRE outside of the drum and all of the hoses are covered with the same smelly scum. What scum you can remove from the gasket can't even be 1% of the scum. To clean the drum requires 100% disassembly of the washer. If there is a chemical solution to this, that seems to be the only way.

We are going to try this stuff: http://www.smellywasher.com/

  • Anonymous Sep 03, 2008

    A tested SOLUTION (a lot of people will appreciate a solution posted towards the top)

    We never cleaned ours for 2 years and it smelled horrible and especially the towels. After reading all the complaints on fixya, which, with no convincing solutions, put me in a state of despair.

    This procedure (or two) worked for us.

    Put 1 quart of bleach in the washer, and then choose 'NORMAL' cycle, then under 'OPTION' choose 'Rinse+Spin'. Press START. The display will show '30' minutes. Let it run for 3 minutes (to '27') then turn the machine OFF (before it pumps out). I let it soak for a few hours. You can then repeat the process using the same bleach/water. And I repeated again 4 times letting it soak an hour or up to 4 more hours. Basically I let it soak all day, and agitated it a little in between. In doing this, the water became quite scummy, so I knew the bleach was removing scum.

    Maybe this was enough, but I'll never really know because during this time, I was reading hundreds of complaints and no real solutions, so off I went to Home Depot to complain. They recommended a Whirlpool product called "AFFRESH" which was SPECIFICALLY created FOR THIS exact PROBLEM. Affresh recommends using 3 tablets ($7.99/3) if the washer already stinks. Then use one tablet per month after that. Well I put in all 3 and did the same 3-minutes wash as above, then long soak, then repeat, for a few cycles over the next couple hours. The AFFRESH washwater remained clear!! Which suggests to me that the 1 quart of bleach+soak had already done the job. I don't know if the Affresh is really necessary, but it smells much nicer than the bleach.

    AFFRESH recommends using their $2+ tablet once a month to keep it clean. I think I will do that except - using my 3-minutes wash-then-soak awhile then repeat method.

    Anyway, the point is that the front-loader washer mildew problem seems solvable without too much trouble. Our washer smells fresh and clean now. And we leave the door open when not in use. I really like the washer otherwise. I can tell by the dryer's lint screen that the LG doesn't beat up my clothes, and it's so quiet. And it probably does save a lot of water. It would have been nice if LG or Home Depot told us about this additional maintenance task ahead of time.

    I hope this helps someone!


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This is pure nonsense. When did we as consumers get duped into believing we are responsible for the smell issue? As I have read through multiple websites about the problem it is apparent the problem is not manufacture specific rather front-load design issues. The top-load units are capable of draining water from every area. The front load by its nature has areas where water can become trapped. Mixed with leftover detergent and the mixture results is the mildew odor everyone refers to. I would think an extra step in the design of these units would include how to rid the tank, door, gasket, whatever with excess water and chemicals. I can not and will not accept going to extreme measures to keep the odor down. I purchased these LG units from Home Depot. After they passed me around to everyone from the sales floor to consumer relations (an oxymoron for Home Depot) I was finally led to contacting LG directly. LG subsequently passed me to various areas with the last being the parts department who wanted to sell me a new gasket. The bottom line is the problem is not going away. We might mask it for a while but it will return. If you do not react to getting your clothes removed from the unit fairly quickly and run various chemicals and wasted cycles to temporarily erase the odor you are doomed to smelling like Aunt Gertrud’s basement after a rainy summer day. So will complaining to the manufacturer or vendor who sold us the units resolve the issue…..no. Do we have recourse? You can always contact the consumer affairs department of your local, state, and national offices and log a complaint along with the thousands of others…but the bottom line is you are hung with a sub-par product and are destined to becoming a front-load service department for your home. Oh and by the way, using the tablets, or bleach in high concentrations will shorten the life of the unit i.e. drying out gaskets and fittings but maybe that is a good thing. This is one sure fire way of escalating the end-of-life of your unit so you can go out and purchase a top load once again. I must now end this tirade now because the kids are home and something musty this way comes.

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It has nothing to do with the rubber seal you're using too much soap and softner and it's building up inside the tub. Run the hotest wash you have without any clothes in the unit and add a little bleach. If you see bubbles in the water when it's running that's excess soap you're washing out. Do it over and over until the water stays clear and then start using less soap. It only needs about a tablespoon for a full load.

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This is an easier solution for me because I have a drain at the bottom of my laundry room floor. I don't know how you would do this without one. Anyway, open the little door on the lower left of the machine. Open the pump filter by turning knob to left. LEAVE OFF. You will smell all of that stinky water draining out. Hit the rinse/spin button and start the machine. More water will drain out of the bottom. Flush the water until the water smells fresh. Turn the washer off and replace the pump filter. Now wash your clothes like you normally would. I do this at the beginning of the first load for the day. I don't do it before each load. The clothes will smell clean. And yes, leave the door open between loads.

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LG WM1812CW washer smell - moz-screenshot.jpgI have the same problem and here is what info I was given as a fix. There is a 2 x 2 panel on the bottom front of the washer. open it up. unscrew the filter but first put a bucket under it , don't be alarm if there is alot of water there might be two big buckets of dirty smelly water. empty it all out wash the filter. by the way the odor will be overwhelming. then run the vinegar thru the machine. clean once a month as a routine.

I haven't actually tried it as I just got the fix this morning. As soon as the next load is done, I'm giving it a shot!

Good luck with de-stinking!!!

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See how long this solution stays up.. i use it on my lg tromm. goto home depot or walmart and buy a bag of pool shock located in the pool area.. look on back and use the sulfate vesion. just use a cup full if it smells bad. use hottest water and run through a cycle empty.. smell.. Personally i add a spoonfull with my clothes when they go through.. smells gone..
check the filter and tubes to make sure they are drained of bad stuff.. i found some rusting screws in the filter which seem to feed the bacteria..
trying to hook up an ozone generator to the tube in lower half.. then smell will be gone with no chemicals.. I designed one for my hottub and never add chemicals to it and have crystal clear water..

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We have a LG Tromm under 1 year old that is exhibiting the same odor problems.

I come from the UK, where under-the-counter frontloaders have been the norm for many decades. I'd never come across such a problem as this mildew smell.

I carefully levelled the LG machine on installation, so it should not suffer from any pooling, but it does seam that a lot of water stays in this machine. If you clean the filter, you must drain a pint or more of standing water first.

Unfortunately, socks tend to stick to the drum and can be hidden up out of sight where they can fester and mildew. This happened a couple of times, and we thought that we had caused the odor problem.

However, it has gotten progressively worse. Eventually, I found that a thick black scum of material fibers (lint) had built up behind the door seal, under the rim of the drum and presumably in places where I cannot see.

The best way to clean it is to soak a small sponge in diluted bleach and run it around each contour of the drum edge and door seal, then behind the flap of the seal.

After that, run a "progam" 6-minute rinse cycle, adding a half cup of Humidifier bacteria treatment. Any residual water in the machie is then treated to resist mildewing, and it has a less offensive smell than bleach.

This does not cure the problem, however. it seems that frequent cleaning is a must.

This irks me a lot, because these machines are expensive, and the technology is nothing new. I'm fairly mechanical, and know how to insert a gremlin into a system so my solution is going to be to force the vendor to replace the machine, since I bought an extended warranty ;-)

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We need to begina petition and submitt it to LG... We are at the point we cannot even use the washer. It is barely 1 year old!

 

contact me if you are interested in joining forces

 

hgaff @ comcast . net

  • Anonymous Oct 20, 2007

    Check behind your detergent compartment... we had lost of mold there.

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Same washer, same problem -- attempting to clean rubber gasket with baking soda after each day's laundry and leaving small amount of baking soda in the washer. Cannot leave the door open as the door to the garage would hit it when opened

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I do not think design has anything to do with it, the same machines are built to work everywhere in the world. The Machines have nothing in them that can really habor the mildew problem more than any other machine. So given that not all machines have this problem, water source does not seem to matter (city or well). I have come up with the source of the Problem.........Liquid detergent!
not used exstensively in europe or other countries.
has a sticky residue that coats outer tub, that when it gets wet emits the order. It does happen on top loader washers also and I originally thought liqiud fabric softner was the culprit, but after some research, not everyone uses the product that had a problem. The only common practice I could find between smelly washers was liquid detergent. Maybe it could be refined to a particular brand I do not know.....But that is what I believe after looking into the problem.

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Whirlpool has recognized there is a problem with the Duet (front load) washing machines and in the great american marketing tradition have come up with, no, not a creative, free fix to solve whatever engineering and design flaw created the problem but, yep, a new product that you need to buy if you want to keep your clothes from smelling like they've been soaking in a mold bath (which, is, er, exactly what they've been doing). Supposedly, you drop one of these tablets (3 for $7) in the machine each month a voila -- no more smell. See www.affresh.com.

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Don't use liquid detergents, use pods. And if the machine is HE (high efficiency), use HE pods. And if you use bleach, use HE bleach. Once or twice a month, run a load with no clothes, using 1/2 cup of baking soda in the detergent cup.

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Must be a galvanic reaction by ? ph acidity salts used and other ingredients of the detergent compositions used and the materials inside heating element or screws for the heating element there must be a view metal parts inside the tube that must reacting on the hot water with ...... so much people who have this problem it cannot be normal , who knows is it used in another Country gone by having an other water softening company a high lime factor can also be the result.

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I tried everything, including purchasing the Smelly Washer product. Since this didn't really make the difference I was looking for (maybe my washer was too far gone), I also tried to buy a product called Technofresh. Since they couldn't ship across the border to Canada, I ended up trying their DIY Super Shock treatment; instructions at technofresh.net. It involves dishwasher soap, salt, and a lot of vinegar, along with a full load of rags and a pile of hot water. Two shocks finally removed the horrible smell. Now when I run loads I use one (only!) tablespoon of liquid clothes washing detergent and a quarter cup of borax, and a half a cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle. This, along with occasionally wiping out the gunk that collects in the gasket and emptying out the drain of stagnant water and foreign objects, has fixed the smell in my washer.

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Guys,

The problem is that these machines use no water!
As a result, even if you are running extra water and extra rince cycle, the detergent is not being properly rinced away. With top-loading machines it was not an issue - you just could add as much water as you wanted and rince properly. With these new high efficiency machines - just forget it. The exhaus is so soapy and concentrated, that all this gunk is building up all around. If you pull the exhaust pipe and slide you finger inside, you will see what I mean. It feels greasy and smell like hell.
Therefore, here comes a solution. You must dissolve this **** by running rince/spin short cycle over and over again, many many times. You can try to switch the hot water house so you rince is as hot as possible. Then you can run some light load through the baby wash cycle without a detergent, pouring extra hot water through the dertgent door (to rise water level as high as practical) You can also add A-Fresh (just dissolve it befor adding), Viniger, or watever... to the main wash stage (nor pre-wash, since it is too short)
After half of day of such struggle, you will see (and smell) a big difference.
Now, after I pull my loundry, I am running rince + spin cycle with empty drum. It dissolves washes away all soapy residues left from previous load.

Worked for me!!!!

Good Luck!
Yuri

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The smell developed about 3yrs after we got our 1812CW. I first used "Washer Magic ~$4 but you use the entire bottle. Seemed to work but still a faint smell. I started making my own laundry soap (Fels, Borax, Wash Soda) and use vinegar in the softener dispenser (super cheap). The vinegar gets rid of any left over soap, keeps mold an mildew at bay, and softens clothes. There will be NO smell after the clothes dry. I also have a whirlpool tub. I use "WhirlOut" (Home Depot ~$7) through both once a month. Mix one cap in a pitcher of hot water, throw into drum, close it up and run a quick cycle using Hot/Cold. Watch all the crud drain out. All the black flakes are mold from the lower drain and pump. Washer smells brand new. Clothing smells super clean. No wear on the houses/plastic like bleach gives. When you are all done make sure that washer door stays open. I also pull the detergent tray out just for the good measure. Run the WhirlOut every one to two months along with vinegar in dispenser - Problem Solved.

No need to dump these front loaders. I think everyone would agree that other than the smell issue they use way less water and do actually clean better than a top loader with less ware an tear on the clothing.

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Lucky for me my washer is located in the basement with a ceramic floor. I took a hose hooked up to hot water and spayed the seal and all the slimmy gunk disapeared. It seems to smell better right away. To be safe I cleaned out the dispensing trays and filled the soap trays with bleach and ran a sanitary cycle. Lets see how long this stays clean. Oh ya after cleaning the washer with the hose I opened the drain valve and let all the water out.

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I have read all 28 responses and I don't recall reading where anyone has used the 'tub clean' option mentioned in the usage books for the LG HE front loaders. I do this about once per month and the smell disipates, unfortunately, the smell does return. I have explored a little today and found the scum on the rubber inside and will be washing that with household cleaner. I do use liquid detergent and fabric softener, but will be switching to powder. My husband recommends trying vinegar in the 'tub clean' cycle, which I will be trying later today. If it works, I will come back and post. I have also found a washing machine cleaning cleaner by Tide online this morning that I may also try - probably simliary to the Smelly Washer stuff...I also use Speed Wash (except for towels) a lot, which may not be recommended and I am starting to wonder if that's an abbreviated cycle that shouldn't be used on a regular basis? Will figure it out because I love everything else about my new washer and dryer...

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Half a cup of bleach puored in the door not the compartments on top and run it on sanitize with extra rinse and viola! Dont forget to clean out the trap below and the drainage tube to the left of that...smells like new again!

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Hi I too have a front loader that smells if I don't , as per machine instuctions Use bleach in a wash on its own on the hottest cycle ,Then i use Tea tree oil water soluable one in a spray bottle to keep it fresh ,can even use it in the rinse cycle if you like the smell,
It is a fungaside ,I was shopping at coles and a customer advised me to use it ,I love it
Hope this helps

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Purchased LG washer/dryer pair at best buy last year. About 5 months after owning noticed bad smell coming from washer. Contacted Best Buy and spoke to asscociate who informed me that the smell was a result of left over water remaining below the drum and causing the smell. Best Buy carried these white tablets sold in a green package which was made to "clean" front loader washing machines. You place 1 tablet in the washer and wash on drum cleaning cycle every month, or if smell already exists, then place 3 tablets in and wash on drum clean cycle. I did this and it did clear the foul odor. In fact the washer smelled great! However, a month has gone by and i must do it again. We do use the washer alot. The associate said the smell is common in front loader machines.

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The smell is because of the water that is not pumped away, sitting in the reservoir below the washer's drum (lower left side). Because it is laden with detergent and dirt, and because it just sits, it will develop the musty smell of bad water. The main source of help in ridding my LG clothes washer of the smell is to drain the water after every load. True, it might seem odd to do it after every load, but when I'm doing 1/3 of the loads that I used to do with an upright, believe me, the small amount of time spent providing some TLC did the trick. The second source I use is to run a rinse and spin cycle of just water after every five or six loads. This will help get rid of the detergent left behind. Just drain the water before and after this cycle. Because of these steps, I have not had to use bleach as an odor control. Hope this helps!!!

  • Anonymous Oct 01, 2008

    Also, using the right amount of high efficiency detergent will help keep the odors down. Use too much and it will bring about the smell more dramatically (at or above the number 2 line on the measuring cup). I typically never fill the measuring cup above the number 1 mark.

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I have had this machine for several years, and never had any issues with the mildew smell at all. I do leave the door open a few inches when not in use. Someone mentioned using the right soap - be sure you are using an "HE" detergent, and don't use too much of it.

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We called Whirlpool about our front load washer that acquired a terrible smell and noise just out of warranty. They recommended a new pump ($162.00+tax). We replaced the pump with no improvement. After a repairman came to fix it he found that the hoses and pump were clogged with a slimey FUNGUS. We called Whirlpool again and they told us to buy a product that THEY MAKE called AFFRESH! We tried Affresh 3 times with no luck! We've tried bleach, baking soda, citric acid, vinegar, etc., etc. Does anyone know how to get rid of this smell?

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We have the LG washer and dryer. The mildew smell was an issue until we realized that leaving the door open slightly between washes and wiping out the water with a paper towel totally eliminated the smell. Try using a little bleach and water to wipe the seal out now to get rid of any bad stuff trapped in it. I think we'll probably have to replace the seal soon because the mildew had deteriorated it a little bit. Tech does have its issues.

A

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The door seal can look clean but the mildew is built up behind it. Run your finger behind the seal and it will come out all green.

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Sorry. No solution, just that I purchased one in 2005 and have had No problems except for condensation buildup IF you don't leave the door open for awhile. No noticable smells whatsoever. I live in San Mateo, California.

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Thanks for all the postings we finally solved the issue, with some persistence and some luck in that we bought a service agreement, Best Buy is replacing the washer. Now we're going with a top loader. In the end I don't think the door gasket was the cause of the smell. I left the door partially closed a few days and then wiped out the water in the door seal and it didn't stink but the inside of the washer did. Think they have a design flaw that the machine traps water/mildew inside. Good luck and be persistent! here's a website with LG horror stories, use it to your advantage. Don't take the store managers answer, make them go to the district manager, point out that not fixing the problem will cost them more in future sales, you, your family, friends etc... http://www.marco.org/79

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Good grief people, wiping down the gasket after you use the machine won't kill you, and it'll help stop the smell.

Most importantly, because water collects in the bottom of the machine, there's a drain tube (located right next to the filter) in that panel on the bottom left side on the front of the machine. Take off the panel, pull out the tube, pull the stopper, and let it drain into a bowl. You'll get a LOT of water! You should be doing this every other week. Do that, and leave the doors open after each use, and the smell will disappear.

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Try removing the soap tray and looking inside of the washer, there is an area where the water gets trapped, and can cause mildew. Deducted this from a person who poured baking soda into the powered soap tray to make the smell go away

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Go to the site at www.nufreshnow.com for an easy to understand explanation of what is going on, why it is smelling and some ways of cleaning the machine if you need to

i ws there a few days ago and found very informative

hope this helps

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 My LG front load washer has a drain pump filter accessible at the lower front left corner.  Mine is behind an easy open door, I remember other models have doors that pop open with maybe a coin or plastic knife.  Inside is a drain tube with a plug, and a screw out filter.  You are supposed to drain thepump via the tube first, then service the filter and replace.  This drains the drain pump.  Though my washer had no smell problem, this procedure drained about a quart of stinky water/junk, not to mention the stuff in the filter... Try draining, running cleaning stuff through a cycle and draining again...  Hope it helps..

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I don't have your model machine but my son does and got the same response you did from the company. Several years ago when front loaders came out another competitor had a similar problem which ended up as a class action suit. They no longer have the smelly odor. I have a front loader and don't have the problem either (Maytag). I think it is because there is a small amount of resudual water left in the drums of the machines. My son leaves the door open on his.

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After running my hand behind the door seal I thought it was my washer that was moldy, turned out it was my finger harboring all that stuff, the washer was clean as a wistle!

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Clothes smell mildewy after washing and drying

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I was searching the net looking for the same answer - have just bought an LG front loader but wasn't certain I should be using liquid detergent - my manual refers to powder without telling you specifically to use it only. Look at the answers to the question after yours on the Fixya website "LG washer has awful mildew odour" or something similar. Solution 3 by Tresilla convinced me I should use powder! Also, the salesman who sold me the machine recommended powder because, quote, " gentler on clothes and more efficient ..." - he didn't mention the possibility of a later mildew odour which is apparently generic to front loaders!
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