30 July, 2012

A Breeding Ground

Think of this as a PSA, and not one for the squeamish. I love my front loading washer, but it's been a love-hate relationship through the years, one that's required an enormous amount of attention. The latest wrinkle in our otherwise happy life together has been my battle against the disgusting black mold that accumulates inside the gray rubber gasket seal lining the front opening, it's a breeding ground in there! My daughter pointed out to me the places where this mold can hide, she has a similar model to mine, yet (lucky for her) her model is newer and she isn't plagued by the same dilemma. In a crazed an enthusiastic cleaning frenzy last week I found myself peeling back the gasket after each and every load and wiping down all the hidden surfaces with a cloth dampened in a mild bleach solution. On Saturday my husband frantically informed me that water was leaking everywhere while I was washing a load of bed sheets! We cut off the water flow and a quick inspection revealed that my overzealous gasket-peeling had resulted in the water supply hose becoming dislodged from the fill valve. Ooops. All is well again, and all is uber-clean... inside and out! I am now tempering my cleaning fervor somewhat and simply leaving the door and detergent fill drawer open between loads; a GENTLE wipe down from time to time won't hurt either!

Here's an updated photo (after my last blog post!) from a quick trip
(and birthday visit with our daughter) to the Capital City last Friday.
Life is Good!

7 comments:

45th Parallel Quilter said...

I think we have the same "fetish" ... is that an Electrolux washing machine? I do the same thing ... leave it open to "air" dry so the "stuff" won't grow back! You and your daughter look a lot alike ... two beauties!! Hope she had a wonderous birthday.

Nane said...

My model may be a little older but I have noticed it worse since moving to the cabin. I don't think our air flow is as good as where they were in my old house. I have only cleaned the top' not sure if I can get to the under side but I think I will try. Then station Go Postal to watch the first load to run.

Deb said...

Tide has a product out that you use once a week for three weeks to clean out the excess yuck. I've used it in my machine and it cleans it out pretty well, along with not having the mildewy or laundry left in the washer smell.

StitchinByTheLake said...

My top loading high efficiency washer does the same thing. I clean it periodically but one thing that seems to help, which might not work for you, is that I leave the top up when it's not in use. That allows it to dry out between uses and doesn't trap the moisture in there. If I don't do that then it also begins to smell. And not in a good way. :( blessings, marlene

Ancestor Collector said...

I get on frenzies like that too, so you're not alone. I have a front loading LG, and I love it, but yes, that moldy, linty gunk collects around the rubber gasket and I periodically have to have a jolly good scrub out in there. I always leave the door and detergent dispenser open after every use and it still builds up. I also have a little trap door at the bottom of the washer that has to be drained every once in a while....that's a rather icky job too. Seems like they should figure out how to prevent this problem so we don't have to spend time dealing with it. So many more fun things to be doing!

Angie said...

This picture of you two is wonderful!! Are you SURE you're not sisters???? ;)

Eileen said...

We do our washer once a month with Clorox Washer cleaner. It's basically the same as the Tide, but costs less.