Does
the rubber ring in your front loader look like this? Does the
washing machine smell like mold when you open the door? Yup...we
see this all the time.
Front loaders are all the rage these days. They are great for
the environment (less water and soap) and they are supposed to be
better for your clothes. But...they are a bit prone to mold growth
around the rubber door ring and inside the detergent container.
Here are some thoughts on prevention:
1) Be sure you are ONLY using high efficiency detergents that
are meant for front loaders. DO NOT use regular detergents.
2) Leave the door open after running a load of laundry or dry
out the rubber ring and detergent area. It is much better to leave
the doors open if possible.
What do you do if it's too late:
Well, the rubber ring can be replaced by a manufacturer's
representative. The cost is high - about $300.
Try running an empty load of laundry with CLR or Clear Green. We
recommend avoiding bleach - it can actually make the problem worse
(more blogging to come relating to bleach and mold growth).
But, as always, prevention is your best bet.
If you have a Maytag front loader there was a class action
lawsuit relating to this issue in machines made before 2005. Here
is the website. http://maytagfrontloadsettlement.com/ I'm
told it's too late for any settlement, but it is still probably
worth contacting Maytag to see what they will do for you. The
website gives the manufacture dates and model numbers involved.