front loader... issues

[AKMOMOF3]

Hey so i found that after using our LG front loader for about two years.. cleaning both cloth diapers and accidents in trainers.. (i think this was the cause) the rubber gasket right inside the opening of the washer, under the flap of rubber was slimy and super nasty! it was so bad that even with lots of scrubbing and use of mella tea tree supper concentrate it still was nasty with black mold. so i ordered the repair man and a new one. they replaced it and set me up with some sort of (lots of warnings on bottle) cleaner to be used once a month or so.. for whirlpools and in my case front loaders.. LG recommends it to be used with their machines.. I love my xl front loader other then that slimy part.

does anyone know.. is the slim build up from washing poopy's and such? or is it something else?
or have you had this problem?

a friend of mine also has a front loader her's is a whirlpool she has no kids yet and she also has not had this problem, nor the musty smell of the washer.

Granted once the repair guy replaced the gasket, and ran a wash threw with the new nasty chem cleaner.. it doesn't smell anymore.. they also recommended that i use powder laundry soap over liquid..
to help clean out the insides of the machine..

wow i've been up since four am and now its seven my munkins are still sleeping WOW

cool beans.

[vm9799]

wow.....i'm not sure. we have front loaders too (Bosch Nexxt 500) and have NEVER encountered any of the "smelly" or gasket issues that others have complained about......and in the almost 2 years we've owned/used them i've NEVER propped the washer door open either.

i have no advice, other than maybe "rinsing" the poppy stuff before laundering??? sorry....i'm no help! my kids are almost 9 and 11 and we haven't had to encounter this problem!

[lovemyfamily6]

We had that happen with our LG too, and it happened before we were washing diapers. We had a repair person come out and he replaced the gasket. He recommended leaving the door open a crack after a load of washing is done. Since we've been doing that, it has been fine.

[annekevdbroek]

We leave our door cracked open between loads. There is a little gunk, but nothing significant to speak of.

Do you have hard water? Maybe using vinegar regaularly (if you don't already) in the wash will help?

[tightwaderin]

We have the same LG problem here and have never washed dipes in it (way past that time). Of course, there's no mention of anything like this in the manual - they just don't want to own up to any problem, I'm sure. We used to occasionally clean it with bleach but since we don't use that anymore (thanks to this board) we clean that area of the gasket with vinegar and scrub with a toothbrush. We also try to leave the door open after using to prevent the mustiness.

Erin

[Snow~Pea]

We have a maytag and have the same problem. no dipeys here yet either. I think it is pretty common with certain front loaders because that front rubber gasket gets wet and stays wet. Ours had a lot of black moldy spots, I have to admit that I gave in and scrubbed it with some very strong mold/mildew cleaner(which probably contained bleach and a toothbrush. It worked, I just had keep spraying and then let it sit and then scrub, repeat until its pretty again. A sales guy I talked to recently suggested either leaving the door cracked so it can dry, or keeping a towel handy to dry it after each load.

[jenerationx]

We have the same problem with our Frigidaire (no diapers). The water builds up in the gasket/rubber seal and gets moldy and nasty. I have to wipe ours out after each load. I like our front loader aside from that.

[gibas23]

same problem with our maytag. We get the gasket replaced once a year ago and now the mold is starting to come back again. Everyone above is right, the best way to prevent it is just by drying the gasket after each use or open the door a bit to dry out.

[Down2Earth]

No dipes or mold, but I have a front loader. I find that after a wash there is a bit of water in the rubbery part. I always dry it out after my last load and then leave the door open. It is such a pain but I can't buy a new washer now!

[alysmommy2004]

We have the LG and it does smell musty when I open the door after doing dipes. I haven't seen any slimy buildup, but I do wipe the gasket down regularly b/c it tends to get dog hair on it (not from dipes, but from regular clothes). I vaguely remember reading that powdered detergents are better for the washer than liquid. Liquids are more likely to cause build up in the washer.

[Malva]

I haven't had any problem with my Kenmore front loader. I leave the door open in between loads so the inside dries.

I also use homemade laundry soap (1 cup borax, 1 cup washing soda, 1 grated bar of soap) and use vinegar with lavender EO in the rinse cycle. So I think my machine stays really clean and the soap and vinegar prevents any built up.

[VijayOwens]

I just put vinegar in the prewash on heavily soiled/stinky loads and leave the door open between loads. It hasn't gotten slimy or smelly since I started doing that and I never scrubbed it when it did. Just ran a few loads in a row with vinegar and it was fine.

My husband does his own laundry : and uses way too much detergent and fabric softener. He never uses vinegar and always closes the door when he's done so I have to keep an eye on him, lol.

HTH,

-V.

[Ruthla]

I suspect that your childless friend has simply not used her washer nearly as much as you have- I doubt it's the diapers in particular causing a problem.

We've lived in this house (with the front loader washer) for 2.5 years. The rubber gasket does get kind of slimy but there isn't any mold and the washer smells clean. I do leave the door open a crack when the washer is empty to air it out and let it dry properly.

[Bensmommy]

Samsung and no problems- but I leave the door completely open between loads. My MIL fancy maytag was like that and I had to tell her about it (she didn't seem to notice the spots of mold!) She's started leaving it open and it's much better.

[Mosaic]

Agreed... this is an issue regardless of what you wash in front-loaders. Several have said to run through and empty wash with a little bleach, but I just leave the door open all the time, and that does the trick.

[junestars]

agree agree all around.

I have had an LG for over a year now and the door is always left all the way open - not just a crack, and all the time (unless it's washing something of course, haha). No problem here at all.

I also occasionally wipe down the rubber gasket - very very rarely though.

[treefolk]

I have the same problem w/ my LG....but we have never washed dipes in this. I leave the door wide open and never get a smell, but the slimy stuff is gross. I usually wipe it down with an old rag when I am washing towels/rags.

I'm not a huge fan of front loaders, maybe it's just LG, but I don't think it gets my clothes that clean and my Sun and Earth detergent hardly works at all.: