I have a Miele Novotronic that has served me well for many years. Never, ever did I have a mould or stinky laundry problem. What I think is happening is that the newer washers have plastic drums. That the hottest temperature cycle is not very hot (mine is 90Cel). People use liquid detergent which gums things up. People use liquid fabric softener. I am sure there are more reasons for why your washer may smell but having to clean your washing machine is ridiculous. But having looked into other front loaders for a rental unit some years ago I discovered all the current models have odor issues. Why doesn't my Miele have these issues? For one, it's not a large capacity machine -- Miele has since stopped producing large machines for the American market; I can see why. Building the large one in the same manner mine was built would basically make the unit unaffordable. Also, I would imagine that certain parts, such as the drum, to accommodate a larger load, need to be lighter. My point, to do such a machine right, it would have to cost a whole lot more than for what it sold. No current front loader marked for the home market in this country appears to be free from the odor issues. Try to use powdered detergent. You can order "Persil" through Miele, both for white clothing and for "colors". The Persil for white clothing can be bought in a larger economy size. I usually buy a package once a year. Of course, I use different products for different materials. Miele's silk/fine fabric liquid, etc. Whenever possible, buy powder instead of liquid. Don't use fabric softener. Unless you plan to airdry your laundry, there really is no need for fabric softener. It only helps to gum things up. Also, use the minimum amount of detergent; measure, don't just add. The environment will thank you as well. Don't just wash cold, wash cycles that require very hot temperatures (I am afraid in the large Miele's you may not be able to wash hotter than 70F, but it's better than nothing). When you are done, wipe the interior and especially where the water collects in the rubber part. Then leave the door slightly open. See whether this works. Perhaps you can let me know?

I'm going to repeat my post from two years ago, because nothing has changed, and my solution is still working. If you find spots only on the front of your solid-color t-shirts after washing them, this will take care of them. It's a pain, but pre-treating them faithfully with Stain Stick--I now have to order it from Amazon, as WalMart and Kroger stores have quit carrying it--but it relieves the frustration of finding spots on freshly washed clothes. Spots only occur on the fronts of our t-shirts, never the backs or sides, so I think it has to do with getting grease on the front either from cooking or eating. Have you ever seen the spot a tiny crumb of potato or corn chip leaves on a brown paper sack overnight? My solution: pre-treat all visible spots with Stain Stick. Works most of the time, and seems to always work the second time around if there is a spot or two after the first wash. It's a pain, but compared to the trouble of making my own detergent, I'll continue doing it. I tried using spray pre-treatments, but once you spray you can't tell what spots are from the spray and which need to be treated. I have a top-loader and use Costco Free and Clear, but have tried Tide and other detergents, as well. Makes no difference. I use a dryer and fabric softener sheets. I tried no sheets and different brands--no difference. I typically pour the detergent down into the bottom of the tub so it goes into the area below the tub with the holes it, but don't wait to put clothes in until the bottom is covered with water, so it's possible some of the unmixed detergent is getting on the clothes. But as I started off with, if the spots were being caused by the detergent, they wouldn't be just on the fronts of the shirts.

I smelled them a few weeks ago at our local Pavilions (Vons/Safeway). They are strong in the bottle, but of course that scent in the bottle is very concentrated. I could see this working easier for a top loader. Snuggle is not one of my fav products. But...... does anyone remember when Snuggle fabric softener came out (early, or mid 1980's) and it smelled amazing? My grandma used to switch this with beloved April Fresh Downy. Original Snuggle (cute, white fluffy bear :) used to smell much more in line with Original AF Downy. Snuggle was soft and powdery and I loved it. Such a shame Snuggle now all smells so dang strong and offensive!

"I disagree. I have said this before too. That issue is a reflection of poor parenting skills. Europeans have had front loaders since at least the 1950s. Millions of children haven't died because mommy left the front load washer door open. Children were taught boundaries and a washer isn't something to be viewed as a play toy." This is nonsense. It's just mommy shaming and totally unnecessary. If you've never had challenging kids then you should just be thankful and keep quiet. There's definitely some people who are neglectful and not responsible but to act like you are a poor parent if your kids are harmed is ridiculous.