Heads Up about washers and mold

[SickOfSickness]

Clothes washers often have hidden mold, especially front loading washers.

Be wary if you bought a used washer or one came with your home.

With a front loader, mold usually grows around the gasket, and in the bottom tray. It can also grow in other crevices.

I read even an almost-new washer could be growing mold, especially a front loader. After one or two uses, it could be starting.

There are some chemical products you can run in the washer to help get rid of or prevent. One is called Smelly Washer. Some work better than others. I would be afraid of the chemicals themselves, but I am afraid of black mold

I would check for any fabric getting wedged or caught in the washer too. Then the fabric can be a great damp area for mold to grow.

 

[L'engle]

Top loaders can get a moldy smell as well. Prop the lid open with a stick or something if you have a top loader, it will help prevent mold.

 

[xrayspex]

throw vinegar in with yr clothes too

 

[anne_likes_red]

I use white vinegar in the wash almost every time (washing happens daily here aarrghh!) but if condensation sits on the inside of the lid or above the usual water level mold can probably start there. So I think that's really good advice about letting the washer dry out by propping the lid up too.
The only place I've found mold is a few weeks ago on a rubber ring/band down near the pump. We pull our machine apart every year to check it out thoroughly and to let the parts sit in the sun. The idea of mold running through clothes and bedding is horrible :X
I have some "garden probiotics" that I use around the house too because they're supposed to minimise the growth of destructive or entropic microbes. So I just started using some of that in the final rinse. It'll be almost a year before I know if they're working on the rubber.

 

[Undisclosed]

We have a front loader and I run vinegar through it quite often. It's also important to leave the door open when not in use as any mold will grow much faster in a closed environment.

I noticed my moms machine was quite smelly during the summer after they had been away for a month. She used the chemicals as directed and the smell went away.

I guess if you have a dishwasher there is a chance mold can develop there too. We use vinegar in the rinse and we don't seem to have a problem.

Kina.

 

[LilacGardenia]

My parents bought a brand new front load washer like a year ago. We use the Tide washing machine cleaner, and when a load is done the instructions say to leave the door open so it can dry.

 

[Adster]

My frontloader grew a potent batch of mold recently. I had to clean the filter really thoroughly and let the drain/filter section of the machine dry right out for a few days to get rid of it.

 

[Grampus]

I use Tide washing machine cleaner in my front-loader and always leave the door open when not in use.

 

[Patrick*]

I noticed our front loader started smelling musty almost immediately after we got it. I have always ignored it though, as I never considered it as a health issue. But, whenever I reached into the gasket to retrieve a coin or the like, I could feel a thick layer of moldy slime.

Thanks for all the tips. I'm going to doing something about it, finally.

By the way, where do you add the vinegar? In the detergent reservoir, or into the wash cylinder itself?

 

[illsince1977]

Dishwashers are great environments for breeding mold as well. I recently heard a piece on the radio about an intractable mold that grows in almost every dishwasher, but can't locate it for the life of me - oh dear. Hate to tantalize and not deliver a link!!!

We rigged up our front loading washer with kind of a hinge made out of masking tape. It holds the door ajar when not in use without letting it stick out into the path we must traverse constantly. Not having a dishwasher we don't have to worry about a nasty fungus on our dishes and silverware all the time. Phew! One less thing to worry about!

 

[illsince1977]

Dishwashers are great environments for breeding mold as well. I recently heard a piece on the radio about an intractable mold that grows in almost every dishwasher, but can't locate it for the life of me - oh dear. Hate to tantalize and not deliver a link!!!

We rigged up our front loading washer with kind of a hinge made out of masking tape. It holds the door ajar when not in use without letting it stick out into the path we must traverse constantly. Not having a dishwasher we don't have to worry about a nasty fungus on our dishes and silverware all the time. Phew! One less thing to worry about!