I had the displeasure of using THIS disgusting front loader.

[Marky_Mark]

Absolutely vile.  And yes I will name and shame: Travelodge on Sepulveda Blvd, Torrence, Los Angeles, CA.

 

If you're thinking of buying your first front loader, should you be worried that this dire situation is inevitable?  No, absolutely not!

 

The last two photos are of my own set.  They are 3 years old and are as clean as the day I bought them.  They'll be just as clean no matter how long I own them.

 

[revvinkevin]

Yes disgusting, but.....

 

 

These are at a motel.  They are constantly being used by a "revolving door" of users that do NOT care one bit about taking care of the machines, because they don't own them (that and much of the general population don't care regardless).  PLUS, I would dare to guess the motel does NOT have a sign posted asking the washer door be left open when not in use, as that's the real issue here.   

 

Kevin

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Yuck!

But as Kevin said there was probably no signage to leave the machine open/ people using it that don't give a damn. I hope you reported this to maintenance so they could replace the boot.
WK78

 

[askolover]

oooh, gross!  I think I'd rather have washed my clothes in the toilet than that disgusting machine. 

 

[jkbff]

That generation of lg commercial should have a maintenance mode that uses an on board heater during a self clean cycle.

 

[arbilab]

Little late, but..... you stuck your fingers in it?

 

My 98 Elux looks and smells like new too.  Kept a rag-towel on top to dry boot and glass.  Takes what, 20 seconds?

 

Our slant Westies got no special treatment; that never happened to them either.  Hot wash.

 

[mrboilwash]

I wouldn`t want to wash my grimiest cleaning rags in this washer let alone clothes and it wouldn`t surprise me at all if some sensitive individuals had to consult a dermatologist after using it.
Laundromats are plentiful and easy to spot in every Commercial Avenue in the USA. Some of them are digusting as well but I`ve never seen anything that bad in a Laundromat.
Didn`t you have a rental car ?[this post was last edited: 4/19/2017-05:07]

 

[mrb627]

Eww

I shudder to think of the ice machine at that hotel.

Malcolm

 

[mark_wpduet]

I haven't stayed at a hotel

in ages. I think the last time I stayed was at a Hampton Inn in 2005 in my home town.

That's NASTY but I don't blame the washer itself. It's the way it's used and maintained.

I'm trying to understand why there is a washer/dryer people use personally at a motel/hotel? Maybe motels have always had washers/dryers to wash your clothes and I just didn't realize it? LOL

 

[Marky_Mark]

I do leave the door ajar on my own machine, but these LG machines are installed on a floor that slopes forwards and they haven't been leveled.  So the door currently can't be left ajar as it will swing fully open and block the heavily-used walkway.

 

Before I knew better (thanks to you guys on this site!) I always used to keep the washer door closed but actually never had a problem.  When I lived with my parents, the door was always closed but the machine was as clean as a whistle because I used to wash the towels and bedding at 60 <span class="_Tgc">°C (140 </span><span class="_Tgc">°F) and also the occasional 90 </span><span class="_Tgc">°C wash (194 </span><span class="_Tgc">°F).  As soon as I moved out of home, my parents' 10-year-old machine suddenly developed a moldy door boot due to less frequent use combined with a closed door and cooler washes.  My parents have bought into the whole "If it ain't dirty, wash at 30" advertising.  Their current machine has a moldy boot and every time I visit them I always run a 90 </span><span class="_Tgc">°C wash with bleach or washing machine cleaner and although it does kill everything and freshen the machine, it can't remove the embedded mould stains from the boot.  Replacement would be the only option.</span>

 

<span class="_Tgc">Mrboilwash: yes I did have a rental car, but I figured that very little of the gunk would be displaced and even less would be left on the clothes.  That was rather foolish and gross of me, right?!  I can't believe I actually used it.  What was I thinking??</span>

 

[mrboilwash]

Mark, I wouldn`t say foolish and gross. Everyone is entiteled to have their own limits of what is still acceptable and what is not.
I`m just saying for me personally this washer clearly would have crossed several red lines.
On the other hand guests have absolutely no influence on how their towels and bed linens are washed in hotels or how well the ice maker is maintained. Once I`ve witnessed a maid dropping water from a toilet brush all over the carpet in my cheap motel room, then she put it back onto her trolley next to the clean towels. Yuck but somehow I managed to be still alive.

 

[warmsecondrinse]

"What was I thinking?" You were away form home, possibly tired, had other priorities, needed clean clothes, and maybe really didn't have the chance to sort through all the various pieces of information to reach the same conclusion you might have, had you been home and left in peace to think it all through. I daresay you can be forgiven.

The mold in the washer in parental units* own: If yours are anything like mine they insist that the appearance of mold after 60 & 90C washes stop is complete coincidence. Further, they maintain that you are confused because you believe there IS a connection between 30C only washes and mold persistence. Maybe you should buy them a new boot for Christmas? They might regard it as more evidence of your confusion, but at least you'll all be mold free

*See the attached link for information on The parental Units

http://https//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coneheads

 

[Marky_Mark]

Mark: guest laundry (coin op) is common is basic motels such as Super 8, Travelodge etc.  They are less common in upscale hotels as there is a laundry bag in your room which they will collect and provide a full laundry and dry cleaning service.  I sometimes stay at the Crowne Plaza near London Heathrow airport and they have a free guest laundry room consisting of two stainless steel Miele washers and two matching vented electric dryers.  If you call housekeeping they will bring a cup of detergent to your room free of charge!  In fact, anyone could just walk in off the street and use them free of charge and no one would know.

 

Malcolm: the ice maker was right next to the washer -- I didn't use it!  They were located outside under a covered walkway.

 

I didn't bother to mention any of this to the staff as I suspected it would fall on deaf ears, although they saw me taking photos.  I guess it would be more effective to put something in writing to them.

 

[mayken4now]

Have only seen

Another machine this gross before.  It was two years ago at a customers home.  Took a look, went outside and puked!  Not really, but the stench coming from the machine was enough to make anyone tend to think there is an issue.  

 

Changing the boot????  OH no honey, that outer tub and in those baffles or worse than what you see.  Complete tear down and hours of cleaning would be the only fix for this machine.  The Clorox company doesn't make enough chemical to suffice! 

 

[helicaldrive]

As Gyrafoam says

Sewers for laundry. Unbelievable. Imagine how moldy the plastic outer tub is!

BTW, wouldn't dishwashers be perfect proof that a hot wash and bleach (that's what dishwasher detergent is, basically) prevent mold growth? I've never seen or heard of a moldy dishwasher...

And I'll never understand why people don't realize that clothes get dirty partly due to body oil, and it's not going to dissolve and come out of fabrics in cold water. I don't understand how people don't notice their cold-washed clothes don't feel clean (because they aren't). JMO. Whatever. I'd venture the overwhelming majority of people do wash their clothes in cold water now.

 

[vacerator]

Are Travelodge's

franchise owned? If so, this owner needs counseling on cleanliness. If not, the manager does.
You've got to be careful where you lodge for the night. Hubby has ben asked in the past to be budget conscious by his company when booking hotels when traveling.
He's had to bail out more than once because of unwashed bedding, and once even bed bugs.

 

[mark_wpduet]

I haven't really given hotel laundry

much thought. I can understand the hotel/motel perhaps offering to do your laundry for a charge or something, but I would have never imagined coin op machines for people to do it themselves in a hotel setting. I guess I learned something today.

 

[askolover]

The hotel we usually stay at in New Orleans has old fashioned Maytag orbitals with matching gas dryers.  I used them last year.  Our largest local laundromat has moldy smelling Speed Queens...I'm sure it's because the guy who empties the change boxes and lint filters closes the machines at night (I've watched him do it).

 

[Marky_Mark]

mayken4now: I was thinking that it's possible to clean the outer tub, drum and baffles etc., whereas the rubber door boot can be cleaned and the mold killed, but you'll never remove the embedded dead mold stains.  So the boot would have to be replaced.  Is that correct?

 

Helicaldrive: I agree with what you said about dishwashers.  The door is often closed but absolutely no trace of mould or any funkiness.  However, we rented out our apartment in Brighton, UK to a guy who was there for about a year.  The Electrolux dishwasher was connected to cold water, as is recommended and the heaters in European dishwashers are much more powerful than those in American dishwashers due to US 120V, 15A circuits being limiting.  When I returned after he moved out, I noticed the dishwasher did have mold in it -- I had never seen a dirty dishwasher before and couldn't understand it.  I ran a cycle and then discovered the problem.  The heater wasn't working but the cycle was continuing as normal without any error and without adding any extra time etc.  So this was the problem but the guy obviously either didn't notice or didn't tell us.  We decided to replace it with a Siemens/Bosch unit which is fantastic. 

 

Warmsecondrinse: the thing with the parental units' unit is that they do claim to understand and run occasional hot washes, but clearly not regularly enough!  And the door is generally closed :-(