Black mold in the rubber gasket of front load washer! What should I do?

[moonsky]

I am debating whether I should have the rubber gasket replaced. The local technician will charge $300. Should I try to clean it? Will the bleach get rid of it? TIA!

[azzeps]

yes, scrub it out with some bleach. You may have to let the bleach sit a while.

[liz]

Yes, you need to clean it. Home Depot sells cleaning tablets for front loader washers. DH does this once a month. It works well. Afterwards, DH wipes down the gasket and gets the gunk off, but it still is discolored. Look up care instructions for more info.

I think it's ironic and annoying that we have to clean the washing machine, but there it is.

[Pinky]

Ours has the same problem. I've never cleaned it and is funky. Do you guys just pour bleach in and let it soak?

[3isEnough]

If you're at all handy you can replace it yourself for about $50 in parts. I've done it before and it's very easy, I just needed DH to help me hold the spring open while I removed the rubber gasket (the spring is super tight and holds the gasket in place). Well worth it to get rid of the mold and funky smells. I think I had to remove the washer door first but that was just a matter of removing screws.

[pastrygirl]

A couple of notes that might not be helpful now, but are good tips once you get it cleaned or replaced... Leave the washer door open ALL THE WAY when not in use. We can't leave ours open just a smidge, or else it gets funky. The washer cleaning tablets STINK to high heaven, so I can't use any of them -- I've tried several brands. They are horrible, and make my clothes smell bad for weeks. (I can't use any scented detergent.) Instead, I started using Borax with every single load. I started this a year or two ago, and the smell stopped.

[legaleagle]

I use a big scoop each of borax washing soda and oxyean instead of the commercial cleaners, works great. If it gets particularly funky I do a wash cycle with chlorine bleach then with that and it's sparkling clean. We've had our FL for almost 10 years now and no real issues

[moonsky]

Where did you get your part? I called the local store and the rubber gasket was $160!

[azzeps]

I would try on-line for a source for the part, if you really think it can't be cleaned, or you tried and it's still icky.

Our washer has a "clean cycle" where you add ONLY bleach to the washer and let it run. That helps some, and then you can get in there with a toothbrush and scrub with bleach, and let it sit there and then rinse it out. I think Pinterest is where I saw a tutorial for how to do this in detail.