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Hi, Here is a tip that I wrote about that problem...it tells you how to clean your washer and also how to prevent it from coming back... I will also include a tip I wrote on washer maintenance...
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If you have mold on the rubber gasket of your Duet front loader, I can almost assure you that you have lots of mold in other places in the machine. Front loading washing machine are almost hermetically sealed and if the door is left closed, the inside just never dries out. This is just a perfect environment for the growth of mold and other fungi. Once mold gets established in materials such as rubber gaskets, it can be very difficult if not impossible to eradicate because mold grows "roots" deep into the pores of the material, making it very difficult to remove. Eradicating the mold may result in damage to the gasket since my "cure" is to paint on full strength bleach on the moldy surfaces with a brush or sponge (wear gloves). Repeat if necessary. You may wind up having to replace the front door gasket to get all of it. It will probably take more than one application to fully eradicate the mold from the VISIBLE surfaces of the rubber gasket. If you remove the detergent dispenser and peer inside the opening, you may see a lot more mold inside the cavity. If you see mold inside the detergent dispenser cavity, imagine what the rest of the inside of your machine must look like. Do you run a periodic cleaning cycle as advised in the operating manual? Have you read the operating manual? Do you use the absolute minimum amount of HE (non foaming) detergent? Factory instructions for cleaning the door gasket call for mixing 3/4 cup of bleach into 1 gallon of warm water and applying this mixture to the affected gasket area, let stand 5 minutes and wipe the area down with a dry cloth. My experience has shown that this is a grossly inadequate concentration to deal with a deeply seated mold problem in the door gasket. To run the cleaning cycle, the factory calls for 2/3 cup of bleach to be added to the bleach dispenser. "Use of more than 2/3 cup of bleach will cause product damage OVER TIME". Initially, I would definitely consider using a whole lot more bleach than recommended and run two or more consecutive cleaning cycles. Then EVERY USE OF THE MACHINE: wipe the door gasket and all the creases and folds dry with a sponge, remove the detergent dispenser and wipe the cavity dry, leave the drawer out to dry on a clean towel, leave the door open, buy a cheapy plastic box fan and place it inside the machine and let it blow air around the inside of the machine for an hour or so to dry it off quickly, run a cleaning cycle at least once a month. If this sounds too involved or difficult, I would suggest switching to a top loading washer that is much less prone to develop mold growth as air can circulate in these types of machines to a much greater extent than the front loaders.
1 Put on rubber gloves and safety glasses before commencing the cleaning process.
2 Lay an old towel or drop cloth on the floor under the front of the washer to prevent floor damage as you clean.
3 Fill a plastic cup with bleach and dip a tooth brush into the bleach.
4 Remove the toothbrush and scrub the washing machine gasket with it to remove the black mold from it. Hold the gasket open with the fingers of your other hand so that you can clean the center grooves of the gasket where the most mold is likely to grow.
5 Rinse the toothbrush in the cup of bleach and continue cleaning until you have removed the mold from the entire gasket.
6 Wipe the gasket with a paper towel to remove excess bleach residue and any remaining mold.
If you can put on a pair of gloves and get a new sponge and mix 1:1 of water and clorox. Go outside in a well ventilated area with the wind behind you. Take the sponge and wet without it dripping and wipe the gasket all over. In areas you can not reach pour a little solution and swirl it all through the channel. Let it stay outside in the sun and rinse generously before installing.
Best prevention is to remove the gasket every time you finish with your wash and make sure it gets air dry. The next best thing is to leave the front door open to dry the gasket. Hopefully you don't have a status light that comes on when the door is open. Good Luck
The first thing to do is to CHECK IN AND AROUND THE RUBBER DOOR BOOT (called a bellow) for small articles of clothing (like socks and underwear) that may have gotten lodged in behind the rubber. Pull the rubber back where it meets the wash tub and look behind it. It is common for small items to get stuck here, become forgotten and start to mildew. You should check this area after each wash and clean it periodically to get rid of the formation of soap scum, mold, and mildew. HINT: When you get ready to wash a load of towels, take a dirty towel and clean the door boot thoroughly (including the areas behind the rubber). Immediately place the towel in the wash and run it on a sanitary cycle. This way you eliminate the need for cleaning rags.
PERIODICALLY RUN THE WASHER ON A CLEANING CYCLE. Place the washer on the hottest setting you have (usually a Sanitary cycle) with nothing but bleach in the wash tub. Some newer models actually have a "Clean Cycle" available now just for this purpose. This helps keep the wash tub, drain lines and pump sanitized.
CHECK AND CLEAN THE DRAIN PUMP FILTER. Accumulations of debris in the drain pump filter can also cause odors. HINT: If you own a shop vac, pull the drain hose from the standpipe at the wall and pull a vacuum on the line. This will drain any residual water left in the tub, pump and drain lines BEFORE you remove the drain pump cover. This will prevent a messy clean up later.
LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN IF POSSIBLE. When not in use, leave the door open to allow the tub to air out and to keep mold and mildew from forming on the door bellow. I know this may not be desirable in some households with small children. If too much mildew forms on the rubber and it cannot be removed, replacement of the bellow may be required.
NOTE: This problem is common with front loader style washing machines. The doors on these machines have an air tight/water tight seal that is great for sealing the washer during the wash cycle, but can be terrible for collecting small garments and for not allowing the tub to properly air out when not in use. Following these simple preventive measures can go a long way towards preventing harmful mold and mildew, and towards extending the life of the door bellow and pump.
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A nicely moist area, ...could try to kill all the mold with dilute chlorox (put some in a spray bottle--can also use on feet after the gym to prevent contamination from athlete's foot/feet)(or the shower mold killers which usually just have chlorox [sodium hypochlorite or similar]); then in future leave the door ajar when not in use so the area can dry (assume front loading), and if it is the large gasket style that still leaves a moist area behind itself--could put a wedge like a popcicle stick or few to allow air behind the gasket. ...any mold that is visible and therefor in contact with the clothes going in and out, should be easily removed...there should not be any mold in the washing compartment as the bleach and hot water used for whites would always kill the mold; so the only contact point is at the exterior (cleanable) when removing finished clothes. ..likely there is plenty of mold exposure in his environment beyond this----this is nothing like the problem with flood contaminated walls/floors and unseen mold that could spew forth significant amounts of spore load.
If this is the same leak I just fixed, it is worth fixing ($12 dollar part from repairclinic.com), but takes some skill at taking it apart and putting it back together.
My leak was from a black rubber hose that connect the drum to the filter area and recirculating and drain pumps. The repair can be done from the front of the machine.
1. Drain the machine - pry the panel at the front left lower corner to get access to a stoppered tube. drain as much water from here as possible.
2. Remove screw visible inside this area and remove the white molded plastic - also remove the screw behind that plastic.
3. Open the washer door and remove the spring loaded wire around the door gasket. Carefully pull the door gasket away from the panel push inside and then reclose the door.
4. Remove the detergent drawer and the two screws visible behind it.
5. Pull the top of the electronics panel away from the machine and lift up - place on top of machine or hook it out of the way
6 Remove the 4 screws that are visible holding the front panel to the machine. Left the entire front panel up about 2 inches and swing to the right (there is a wire connecting the door to the machine on the right)
7. You can now see inside the machine and hopefully see where your leak is comming from. The black rubber hose connecting the drum to the drain area is where my leak developed because this is designed to flex as the machine tumbles and spins but ultimately wears out. It is connected with two clams that can be removed with pliers and a third hose clamp that diconnects with a phillips head screw driver.
The switch is behind the front panel - to remove it, unplug the machine and:
1. Open the panel where the drain filter is (lower left side of the front panel)
2. Remove screw visible inside this area and remove the white molded plastic - also remove the screw behind that plastic. 3. Open the washer door and remove the spring loaded wire around the door gasket. Carefully pull the door gasket away from the panel push inside and then reclose the door. 4. Remove the detergent drawer and the two screws visible behind it. 5. Pull the top of the electronics panel away from the machine and lift up - place on top of machine or hook it out of the way 6 Remove the 4 screws that are visible holding the front panel to the machine. Left the entire front panel up about 2 inches and swing to the right
The wire connecting the panel to the machine on the right leads to the switch and door lock mechanism
If you are using a high efficiency front loader than you suffer from the same symptoms that these front loaders typically have. The infamous bad smell and mold.. This is quite common because the front loaders actually seal the wash tub area with a water proof gasket around the door and left closed, the leftover water that gasket will get musty and if left untreated, may develop mold. Home Depot sells AFFRESH tablets that you cycle thru the qwasher about once a month and that usually does the trick.. The less desirable method is to wipe the gasket area with a towel or equivalent and leave the washer door open or partially open to air dry. That's been my experience.. Hope that helps !
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