my Kenmore Elite front load washer

I wanted to take some time to write to you regarding my front load washer. I

have noticed a horrible odor coming from the unit especially while it is in

use, but also while it is sitting with the door open after use. I called

SEARS and had someone come months ago....he said that I needed to leave the

door open and to run a cleaner through it once a month. He never addressed

my concern for mold and mildew. I have been using the rinse that he sold to

me, I leave the door open and I run oxyclean through the rubber "seal" part

of the washer and wash the door with it.

This odor has increasingly gotten worse, the clothes smell horrible. I have

rerun load after load, waiting for it to be done so that I can immediately

take it out and get it into the dryer so that it doesn't sit in the wash for

any amount of time. Can't take the smell any more, called someone else local

to come in and take a look at it. Got the news that I was suspicious of. He

noted the mold and mildew in and around the door and the rubber seal thing

(which by the way is a trap for socks, sponges, underwear....) He ran the

wash and was appalled by the smell. He told me that between the interior

drum and the "exterior drum" there is most likely a large build up of mold,

mildew and just gunk. He can replace the rubber piece, it runs about $90

with labor bringing the total to somewhere around $200. Feels this will

really not help as most of the mold is inside. He said he could take apart

the unit and clean it out but said it will be more expensive to do that than

to buy an new unit. WHAT?! My washer is not even three years old!

I am hugely bothered by my situation and I want you to know why I am so

bugged. It is that it is less than three years old, a really big buy for us

that was going to last "at least 10 years" per your SEARS Sales Guy. It is

also that I have been fighting this smell, rewashing clothes, washing out

the drum and really fretting about it. But the worst part is that I have 4

young children. Two of my children, my youngest girls, have sever allergies.

We are constantly washing them and their clothes to rid them of all of the

allergens that cause them so much discomfort. They are both highly allergic

to mold! In the past two months their skin has been horrible, I would love

to send a picture so that you could just imagine how it must feel. I really,

truely am so sick thinking about the fact that I put on clothes and pj's

washed in moldy gunk every day onto their skin. I gave it alot of thought

last week and was suspicious that the wahser was moldy and that was why

their skin had gotten so horrible, I think that I was right. I have had them

both to the allergist asking why the meds and shots aren't working, they put

the girls on higher dose steroid creams and upped their meds. They are 2 and

4, they take shots, 2 doses of allergy meds, a pill at night, nose spray,

steroid creams and lotions, eye drops....it is getting worse.....becuase

they are wearing clothes washed in moldy water! It is so sad.

I don't know what to do, I don't want to wash their clothes and yet

everything that is in their drawers has already been washed! I have to go

out and buy a new washer as soon as possible and in the meantime I am sick

about this. I don't expect you to do anything for me, I am just really

so sad about it and am upset that this clearly has been a problem for these

washers and no warning was given. I am angry that SEARS sent someone to us

that wasn't upfront with me. I am angry for not following my gut and getting

someone out here a month ago when it was getting worse than before. I am

angry that I have to go spend a huge amount of money to replace a major

appliance in my home that i should not have had to do for at least 7

more years.

I really hope that i hear back from you, just so i know that you have read

this. I am sure that I am not the first with this issue....I wish that it

was different for my girls right now. I do look forward to washing all of

their clothes in clean water.

Thank you for your time,

Merideth G

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Comment On This

We had the same problem with a unit in a house that we just started renting. We ended up having the front rubber gasket/boot replaced as "most" of the mold accumulated there before we'd moved in (it cost us about $250 for parts and labor). We ran the cleaning tablets through 3x and cleaned out the soap dispenser cavity where mold had also formed.

Now we're being diligent about drying off the new gasket/boot after we're done w/ laundry for the day. Even after thoroughly drying and leaving the door open, water still drips into the boot probably from the spot where the water comes in, so it's an on-going battle. It's a REALLY bad design flaw as there's no way to effectively dry out the washer.

The stench isn't nearly as bad as it was, but it's still there (likely something inaccessible has mold on it). At least it's tolerable.

You can get those cleaning tablets in bulk at www.appliancezone.com.