What does one need a fan for in a top load washer with its big opening? I don't see the logic behind that. Can you not leave the lid open after the cycle is done?

How do you wash towels? Water temp? Cycle? Detergent? Hard water?

Alex

your post is total BS. I have a 2 year (actually more than 2 year) old HE Samsung 520 and it has ZERO odor. It's really not that hard to keep an HE FL from stinking. AAMOF, I only had ONE time when it smelled a little bit "sour" and I resolved that quickly, never to return. So don't say that "all HE washers". You are simply clueless, is all.

My bad. it will be 2 years old this November.

A small table fan pointed at the washing machine drum would have the same effect. I would try that before investing $60 in this gadget.

Natural convection should dry out the tub well enough. It's really only problematic if one can't leave the lid open because a cat can jump into the tub or whatever. The washer and laundry will need to be cleaned thoroughly. SmellyWasher gets good reviews from what can remember.

agree with graywings re using a cheap small fan. I have a roughly 8" fan that I use to dry out my FL washer while the last load of laundry is in the dryer. the fan sits on top of the dryer and across from the washer sits a wooden stool. In less than 15 seconds I move the stool up close to the washer, and place the fan on top and turn it ON.

My 5.5 year old GE Harmony TL used to stink (it is now in pieces on the basement floor so smells just fine, too bad its ball bearings are coming out all over the place!)

It did not start stinking until a couple of years ago but when it did nothing would help! Even using the tide and carbonara (? I think that was who made it) cleaning stuff only helped temporarily . And the carbonara or whatever it was called worked better

Absolutely TLs can stink if they are HE. My old TL machine with an agitator did not stink

I think this is more likely to happen if you do not do hot bleach loads (I do not because I consider them unhealthy for my family as bleach is an estrogen mimicker). Trying to decide between an Electrolux and a Speed Queen. Forgot about the smell, was leaning to the Electrolux, now rethinking!

I too had a problem with a horrific odor coming from my Samsung clothes Washer. I tried off-the-shelf products and commercial products and nothing worked. A friend told me about the Washer Fan website - http://www.washerfan.com and I spent quite a bit of time reading their website. According to Washer Fan, and I verified this with an appliance repairman, the cause of the smell is mold caused by standing water that remains in the washer's drum between loads of wash. This is a design flaw that exists in ALL front and top load washers and there's nothing you can do to get rid of the standing water. I ordered the Washer Fan and in 4 days the smell was GONE. The Washer Fan attached to the rear vent of my washer with magnets and installation was less than a minute! It works by circulating air through the drum which reduces the humidity and as a result dries up and purges the mold. THIS IS A GREAT PRODUCT!!! Highly recommended!

Here is a link that might be useful: Washer Fan Website

That looks cool! I'm going to get one for my new 24" LG combo washer/dryer. I like the product's "permanent" prophylactic effect, and its easy-on, magnetic attachment. The only thing I don't like is that it extends the rear clearance of your washer by a bit (critical if doing an under-counter install like we're planning), and the inventor never mentions what this added dimension is.

Our current, full-sized LG just started smelling funny after six years, and now we know why. If this can prevent that from ever occurring in our new machine, I think it'll be worth every penny.

This post was edited by studio460 on Sun, Jun 2, 13 at 13:56

Recently when shopping for a washer the salesperson said that I think Maytag is now putting the fan in their washers at top o the line FL models. I thought that was pretty cool.

Looks like a computer fan in its own mounting box with a USB adaptor. You could make one of those for a lot less than 60 bucks. I think you could work around needing that by just adjusting washing habits but maybe some machine designs just dont leave you any options. My Maytag Neptune has been odor free for 8 years now.

graywings you may or may not be unnecessarily cynical, but don't you think that people can search the net for corroboration that the washer fan might be a useful product? (I didn't research it as what I have already, works fine for me)

I have the Electrolux IQ Touch and I just be sure to empty any remaining water out of the dispenser tray and leave it open just to the point where the spring starts the tension. The door is spring loaded so it likes to stay fully open. It's not exactly out of my way BUT I've never had any issues with odors. I do use the "Tub Clean" cycle when it shows up on the display but I don't know if it makes any difference or not.

Dave1812, what you said about Bridget Helm may be true, but then the same could be said about men who come on so strong on the web that they label anybody's complaint as "total BS". Do you talk to your mother that way? How do we know you're not just a troll paid to defend the manufacturer?

I happen to know that Bridget is right. Some of these HE washers do retain a puddle that one can't reach. I have a Samsung HE front loader with the same problem. Wiping out the tub and the puddle in the seal with an old towel won't cut it. It stinks of mold even when we leave the front door propped open. SO, I can totally believe that Helm had a problem. Our Samsung has a small drain hose in the lower left corner that's intended for use when clearing out the adjacent lint filter. The label says to clear the filter once a month. Haha! Better slide a cookie pan or some other flat tray under there when you unplug that hose because more than two cups of water will pour out onto the floor when you pull the plug––and water will continue to dribble from both the drain hose and the pan for quite a while after. A well-designed appliance would suck this water out into the pump and down the drain. Failing that, it should provide its own fan. But no washer should require the customer to drain it every every single wash day. That's bogus engineering, creating a new problem, where old tubs had none. And that's just the water that I can drain. There may be other nooks and crannies I can't reach––and I don't know where you're at––but this ain't Arizona. Two cups of standing water is plenty to get mildew going here, and once present, even bleach loads or vinegar loads won't take it away. Bridget may have overstated the case a bit wondering if all HE washers are this way. I don't know. But after paying hundreds of dollars for a turkey? I'd say she was entitled to vent & seek advice.

Also, this WF210 Samsung front loader boasts a super-fast spin so that clothes dry quickly. Our experience is that you can't use it on any flat square cloth, be it a napkin, hankie or queen-sized sheet. The high spin (and possibly the angled tub?) results in hard pleating or rumpling along all edges. These pleats are spun in so hard that even tumble-drying and ironing won't eliminate them. Clearly, Samsung rushed to market with a bad beta.

Would daily hand-draining & a fan & occasional bleach loads help? I suppose. Should an "automatic" appliance require so much care & feeding. No.

I have a front load LG washer/dryer combo. One time I had a repair man come by to fix something and he advised that to keep odors from coming back, you should always leave the door open after each wash to air dry the drum. Plus, you should also wipe around rim, glass, inside the drum and around rubber seal (gasket) by the door opening. I would go the extra step of opening the drain (which is in the front of my LG) and let the water drain out. Lastly, according to one website, you can also disinfect by dissolving 1/3 cup of baking with water and pouring it into the dispenser for liquid soap, then pour 2 cups of vinegar directly into the drum. Close the door, select extra hot, and start the wash cycle. Once the wash is complete, remember to leave door open and wipe away extra moisture as mentioned above.

I don't know why I didn't see this discussion before. No way I would spend 60 bucks on that contraption. When I want to defrost my chest freezer, I empty it and put a box fan over the top. It defrosts within 30 minutes. If you really want to dry your washer, I would do the same with it. Box fans cost about 20 bucks. Someone is making a lot of money off this gadget.

I bought a Washerfan eleven years ago for $60 for my than new LG Front Loader.

Both have worked fine for this eleven years. Until last week.

The fan died.

I went to the website and see the item is "Out Of Stock". And lists now for $179.00.

Rediculous. The fan looks like it should cost $5 -

I opened a ticket with the web site but don't know if I have much hope for a reasonable priced repair/replacement.

Leaving the door open between uses totally solves the problem. If the door can’t be all the way open, roll up a towel to keep it ajar. You can close it once it is totally dry but I don’t know how to determine that so mine stays ajar most of the time.

Leaving the door ajar did not prevent the problem on my now eleven year old LG Front Loader - the Washerfan did.

I have ordered a $12 fan from amazon that I intend to jury rig mount to my old Washerfan magnetic mount. Will let you know how that works. No way am I paying $179.00 for a replacement.

Others have reported that simply leaving the front loader door ajar solves the odor problem. Makes me wonder why many manufacturers apparently now include a small fan that is continually left running - I see replacement parts for those washers.

I see that at least a few Front Loader manufacturers have now included features to prevent mildew and smelly clothes... some of these features are quite elaborate, some as simple as a small fan running continually (Like the WasherFan) and some that run for a timed duration following completing a load of wash.

I did go to Amazon and spent $13.71 for a 3.15 inch, 2 Watt muffin fan. Adapted it to the magnetic mount that was part of my old WasherFan.

Took five minutes to complete the mod, and install on Washer - and drink a cup of Coffee to boot.

If you have a front-loader and you have no odor issue, congrats. If you have an odor problem, this is one more tool.