We have had the same front loader for twenty years and my girlfriend wants that door closed. We have it always closed and never had a problem with mildew. Don't

We have had the same front loader for twenty years and my girlfriend wants that door closed. We have it always closed and never had a problem with mildew. Don't use bleach very often either. Maybe mildew comes into the washer from the air and once you get it you never are without it. If you always keep it shut, the mildew never contaminates the washer. I'm also in the East Bay where humidity is not stupid high and we don't have mildewy things to wash often. That might be part of our luck. Here is an experiment whose results I'd pay for. Who to fund it; NIH or NSF? They are always asking for the societal impact of the research to be performed.