Never used powder detergent, but have a suggestion for the smell.
boltfam- We started to use affresh tablets to clean it. If it smells already, the directions says to run three cycles in a row with one tablet per cycle. After I ran it, the mildew wiped off. Not sure that it will help mold. My machine was started to smell and this helped.
I agree it is a pain to clean it out the door gasket. I do wish my machine had a cleaning cycle on it but it is 8 yrs old. Next time, I know.
http://www.repairclinic.com/SSPartDe...PartID=1373065