Top loading machines are pretty rare in the UK. Not so much because they are better, but because most of us have them in the kitchen under a worktop. Can’t do that with a top loader. They use very little water, which is seen as a Good Thing. Saving water and heating costs.
Got a stinky front-loader?
If you’re doing a load with bleach, make it the last load of the day.
If at all possible, leave the door open after doing the wash.
Run a “tub clean” cycle periodically. If your machine doesn’t have a dedicated cleaning function, get the Tide washing machine cleaner.
What we normally do is a multi-step process every month or so:
Do regular laundry.
Wipe out front and back sides of door seals with “bar mop” or terry cloth towels.
Wash those towels with the other towels, optionally with bleach.
Do a tub clean cycle.
Leave the door open.
The first time you pull back on the seals to clean them, you may be startled at the gunge and muck behind them. :eek: Trust me, that stuf doesn’t smell good.
After I got the front loader and dryer, I realized that a top loader would actually have been problematic because there are storage cupboards in the laundry room right above the machines. On most machines the top would likely not have been able to be fully opened, though I never actually did any measurements.
Having heard about this, I’ve always left the door open when not in use. After three or four years, never had a problem with mildew or odor, and the seals look clean.
There are now high-efficiency top-loader washing machines available. I have one myself. They don’t have an agitator and, like a front-loader, they only put in a small amount of water at the bottom of the tub.