First, we tested the Whirlpool WFW5720RR for performance and found the washer to be excellent at cleaning clothes. After we removed the load, we monitored the humidity inside the drum. We then ran the Dry Drum cycle (which runs a fan and periodically tumbles the drum for four hours) and recorded the humidity again.
After the clothes were removed, the humidity in the drum measured 80 percent. After using the Dry Drum cycle for four hours, the humidity steadily dropped to 40 percent, and then rose slightly to about 50 percent after the Dry Drum cycle had finished. The gasket, door, and drum appeared dry at the end of the Dry Drum cycle.
We took the same measurements without using the Dry Drum cycle. In this case, the humidity inside the drum registered 85 percent when clothes were first removed and rose slightly to 87 percent before leveling off at 86 percent over the next four hours. The gasket, door, and drum remained visibly wet, though it’s likely all would have eventually dried out if the door were left open.
“We found Whirlpool’s FreshFlow feature reduces excess moisture from the drum, rubber gasket, and door, where mold and mildew tend to collect,” said Rich Handel, CR’s laundry expert and lab supervisor. “Reducing the moisture in the drum will likely reduce the chance for mold and mildew to build up.”
