My Kenmore front loader has drainage inside the gasket and an outlet at the bottom of the machine to empty it, which needs to be done about once a month depending on how much you use it. It’s a bit of a pain to have to do this but it does eliminate the mildew smells.

In addition to wiping the gasket, I've been leaving the door open. I'll add wiping and leaving the dispenser drawer open to dry out too.

I noticed my gasket has holes too, didn't realize they are for drainage but that makes sense. Thanks for the tips.

Dispenser drawers typically are removable for cleaning, both the drawer and the housing. Easy to dump any residual water left in the drawer compartments to a sink. Some parts of the compartments typically disassemble for further cleaning of the drawer, if/when needed.

I find it very odd that a new front loader is louder than an old top loader.

When it's washing, you should just hear slapping of the close on the drum and maybe a recirculating pump sound and water running sounds.

The noisiest part would be the spin because of the speed and slight vibration.

What is louder on your washer?

Drain pumps can be noisy at times.

To be honest, I don't wipe the gasket. I just always leave the door open after running a load of laundry. I live in a dry climate and my previous washer (owned for 10 years) never had a single issue with a stinky or deterioriating gasket.

There's less need to wipe the boot area if proper laundry habits are followed and the household water supply is 100% softened. Otherwise there will be mineral residue (a white film, or worse) accumulate over time from the dried moisture. Some lint may collect there regardless, and possibly other bits of debris.

Cleaning the dispenser tray is a different matter that should be done on a regular basis to avoid residue from laundry products that may not flush completely away.

While wiping out the gasket is a good habit, if your goal is prevention of fungal and bacterial growth it is only a minor form of prevention. The most important things to prevent microbial growth along with leaving the door open are:

1) Wash in true hot water on at least a semi-regular basis. Once a month is the absolute minimum, once a week is preferable. The water must reach 60C / 140F for significant antimicrobial effect and if your machine does not feature a heater it will not reach this temperature. A machine cleaning cycle is a good option if you don’t otherwise need very hot washes.

2) Wash regularly with a detergent and/or machine cleaner that contains activated oxygen bleach (AOB). The label must contain either sodium carbonate peroxide (also called sodium percarbonate) AND either TAED or NOBS activator. The activators form a chemical complex with the oxygen bleach that makes it far more effective at cleaning, whitening, and disinfecting regardless of temperature. Only powder detergents contain AOB and few are still available in the US market but include Tide with Bleach powder and Miele Ultra White powder. Both are superb detergents for whites.

Doing both 1 and 2 is optimal but even one or the other should largely prevent microbial growth and any smell issues.

I have had 2 Miele front loaders during an 18-year period. I have never wiped the gasket other than to remove some debris in there on rare occasions. I do leave the door ajar. I have never had any problems with any kind of ”growth”, nor mineral deposits even though my water is slightly hard.

Earlier I was out doing some watering. Our neighbor's on the side I was watering have their cleaning lady in, who also does laundry for them. The neighbors have a FL set-either LG or Samsung. It is obvious to me they do not adhere to proper FL usage as the unmistakable odor of mildew was coming from the dryer vent. That special smell that you only get routinely washing in cool water, using liquid detergent, FS, and not regularly cleaning the dispenser drawer. Topped off by not leaving the door ajar.

I never wipe out the gasket, as there is never anything there. I keep the washer door open always, and have never had any problem. This has been true for the 24 years I have lived in this house.