apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

America is, I think, the only country in the world (that I know of, at least) that uses top-loading washing machines. I hate them--they really do ruin your clothes!

I was also wondering about the phrase " As the front-loaders make their way into homes,..." : here in Europe this is the most common, since years ( my mom bought a Miele front-loader when i was born and had to change it only 30 years later....);
And, i mean, who would put a top-loader in the home ? You waste space because you cannot put anything on top or hide it in a cabinet, they are not ergonomic. The tendancy is more to "towers", that is a front-loading washer with a front-loading dryer on top, actually very common here ( Switzerland).

i love switzerland!

Front load washers are notorious for developing mold on the rubber lining... Just Google and read the zillion bad consumer experiences. I switched mine for a stackable unit (top load washer/front load dryer) after a month of usage...

You only get mold if you keep the door closed between use. Leave the door open and there's no problem, the lining dries out.

Yes, the solution to washer mold is as simple as josie says: leave the door open 1 or 2 cm. I also leave the detergent tray open about 1 cm in between washings.

That is good to know . . . I just got my first front loader and was a little concerned about the water that always remains on the rubber and in the tray . . . thanks!

Can the rubber handle a bit of peroxide? That'll also keep the mold away.

I have an LG front loader and I am positively in love with it. My clothes are so much cleaner now. Stains that would never have come out in my old top loader are no problem at all for my front loader. I have a few other friends with the same machine & they are just as enamored by it as I am.

As josie said, the key to keeping it fresh is to leave the door ajar after each wash. I also keep the detergent drawer open after each wash. After many months, I am still thrilled with my machine & have had no mildew problems whatsoever. Even if we did, our owners manual has some helpful tips on how to deal with that (for instance, there is a drum cleaning cycle on my machine).

My husband and I just looked at the front loader sets this weekend and Miele and Bosch looked amazing. The dryer had fantastic features. My husband wants the Miele, (we are eurotrash and diehards of German engineering) but I think at $3000 for the set it is way tooooo much money. I think the Bosch came only at $2000 in total. The other thing that I can't get used to is that the washers are so very large. For a family of two with a small child, do you think that is too much. I never do large loads anyway, since I have always 5-6 loads with different temperature and different colors... so do you think the large ones are worth it?

You can get stackable front loaders for less than 1000. Frididaire has one. Not too large (might even be too small for you), but was very reliable. Front loaders also take less detergent, about 1/2 the amount of top loaders.