[kawfeeman]

Originally Posted by JaneWEllis

Hello --

I see mold inside the large rubber ring (the seal) at the opening of my washer and it's hard to scrub off, even with bleach. Will the product some of you have mentioned (Affresh?) reach that mold if I use it? Thank you for help on this; it's driving me crazy.

you should post a new thread with your brand / model #.... but most of the time the mold is from water sitting in the rubber door seal, usually still with some soap / detergent in it and the door always being closed. All of the perfect factors for mold/mildew. try running the AFFRESH and using only the necessare amount of detergent for the amount of soil in your particular wash load and your water hardness. As well as rinsing the tumbler out occasionally with a short wash and towels to increase water circulation. Also, wipe up water in the rubber door seal daily and try leaving the door ajar for proper air circulation. if the mold doesn't go away with some Clorox, call factory service for a replacement of the part as in some cases whites can become stained...

[GeorgeG]

My washer is a Bosch WFK2401. I have seen some nasty pictures of the outside of the inside drum as well as the inside of the outside tub showing a thick layer of scum impregnated with mold. Is this the exception or the rule? Also some posters have talked about the internal hoses being gunked up like blocked coronary arteries. It appears that hard water, too much soap and lots of fabric softener aggrevate this problem which is not situation but I always close the door and have never wiped the seal (until reading up on the subject).

I am trying to understand how bad the problem may be where I cannot see in the machine. I would just crack the case and take a look but the unit is installed in a boat and r/r is a bear. Also, I have to be very careful what chemicals that I use because I am sensitive.

Thanks,

George

[gearhead1218]

The source of mold is usually caused by using Too much detergent. You should only be using about 2 tablespoons of HE detergent per load. When you over soap your machine not all the detergent gets rinsed out, this leaves a film on the inside of the machine which breeds the mold. The quick test to determine over-soaping is to run a rinse cycle with no clothes in the machine. if you see suds, you're using too much soap.
This info was bestowed to me by one of the factory techs at LG.

[laundromat]

I have had front loading washers most of my life.the first one was a 1956 Westinghouse Laundromat.In the Laundrofile use and care book, it specificaly states you need to leave the door ajar(slightly open)to keep the interior fresh and eliminate any chances of mildew forming.I always leave mine open when not in use for at least 8 hours(overnight)and have yet to see or smell any fowel oders.If you had to go somewhere a few months and didn't need to keep anything in your refrigerator turning it off to save energy,would you not keep it open to keep mold and mildew from forming and smelling up its interior???Same principal.Like a refrigerator,front loader's interiors are air tight.If that humidity from the steam and water inside has nowhere to go and can't evaporate,it stagnates and causes mildew on all the plastic and rubber parts inside.

[libertyappl]

I agree with those that say leave the door ajar. My front load washer has never had a bad moldy smell and I do leave the door adjar. Also the manufacturers do recommend that once a month use about a cup of bleach in the washer (empty load).

I'd also like to note that most washer that smell are the ones that primarily use liquid detergents and fabric softeners. A lot of those have an animal base in them, thus it is more or less rotting inside the machine when not flushed out all the way. I only use powder detergents and use dryer sheets (which of course can clog the lint screen, but an old tooth brush and dish soap takes care of that.)

We have also ran into the problem once, of a customer having a foul smell and after thorough inspection we found that the drain tube where they placed the hose into was too low and their hose was down into the drain too far pulling the dirty water from the pee trap back into their machine.

Nat

[gearhead1218]

Leaving the door cracked is a good idea. But, with the door closed, a front loader is not air tight like a refrigerator. The tub is vented through the detergent injector, and most are also vented through the back of the case.

[v2k04]

Odors in Front loaders comes from whatever the consumer is putting in the machine. Liquid Detergents, Fabric softners are all the odor causing culprits. The outer tubs on most washers today is plastic, Liquid detergent and fabric softner is sticky gooey smelly stuff ,loaded with tons of perfume and sticks to the outer tub then pretty soon dirt starts sticking to it then you get mold and algae growing in it. I have an LG Front loader and have never used anything but powdered detergent and I have No oder what so ever. If you have to use Downey dilute it 50% watch the HE Liquids that are 2x and 3x these are really sticky And remember a front loader with a water softner only needs 2 tablespoons of detergent for a full load That is for unconcentrated detergent.....One other thing I failed to mention which some are not aware of ,Liquid detergent is made from animal fat now as an anology have you ever drained your grease from a frying pan into a metal coffee can so it doesn't go down the drain and eventually cause problems there? well, have you ever smelled it sitting under your kitchen sink after it has been there awhile? Animal FAT STINKS to high heaven,think about it do you expect your front load washer to smell any different than the smelly coffe can, from using animal fat base liquid detergent?

[cpatterson]

Most newer washers require you to drain out water from a hose near the bottom.