WHAT IS THAT BROWN STUFF ON MY WASHER DOOR?!?!

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Forum -> Household Management -> Cleaning & Laundry

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amother

Sun, Jun 08 2014, 1:58 pm

I have noticed quite a bit of brown gunk on the rubber lining of my washer door lately; any ideas what it might be? I occasionally wash my kids' soiled clothes in the machine (I have small kids), but not terribly soiled. Could the brown stuff be... THAT shock

?
Please tell me it's mould, or s/t. My laundry room has some mould on the wall.
The laundry has been smelling mustier than usual of late, and I'm wondering if the mysterious brown stuff is to blame...

Amother, because this is a bit embarrassing... Rolling Eyes

wfm

Sun, Jun 08 2014, 2:05 pm

Yes, it's mold. It will keep on getting worse and it's pricey to change the rubber if you're no longer under warranty. Keep the door open when not in use. If that's not practical with little ones then at least make sure it's completely dry before you close it.

pizza4

Sun, Jun 08 2014, 2:10 pm

I've gotten it off with bleach- not all of it but most, just make sure to wipe it off completely/ run empty cycle before washing anything!
Clean it regularly and leave the door open whenever possible.

amother

Sun, Jun 08 2014, 2:14 pm

is there a way to clean it besides bleach?

amother

Sun, Jun 08 2014, 2:46 pm

ive been using citric acid, works like a charm.

Sarah f

Mon, Jun 09 2014, 4:54 am

Try once a month to do an empty load on the hottest longest cycle with dishwasher powder, it removes the buildup of scum from the softener which dosnt wash out the machine properly on a warm or cold wash!

Scrabble123

Mon, Jun 09 2014, 10:53 am

This is one of the many reasons why I would currently not buy a front loader.

You need to do a good cycle with Lysol mold/mildew remover with bleach. Frist spray it on the door and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then run the hottest cycle with just bleach. Afterwards spray the Lysol mold/mildew remover again and let it sit it. Then scrub very hard. Afterwards after every single cycle you much spray a mixture of vinegar and water around. Lightly! You can wipe it off also, but the vinegar will not let mold grow. Leave the door open.

Sarah f

Mon, Jun 09 2014, 11:01 am

hate to break it to u my mom had it with her top loader the gunk was coming out in the wash Confused

black/brown bits with the clothes!

Scrabble123

Mon, Jun 09 2014, 11:09 am

Sarah f wrote:

hate to break it to u my mom had it with her top loader the gunk was coming out in the wash Confused

black/brown bits with the clothes!

Wow! Which machine? How old was it?

Was it one of the new ones?

1workingmom

Mon, Jun 09 2014, 1:19 pm

It can happen with any machine. Normally the rubber needs to be changed but its pricey. For us it wasn't worth it. We were past the warranty and a new rubber would have costed a lot. My technician instructed us to run the machine with a hot cycle and a gallon of vinegar. It did help somewhat. I also manually tried to clean that area the best I can. I still continue to wash my machine every once a year with a vinegar load. Just keep your windows open to have the smell escape.
Good luck to you!

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