Have you been trying to track down that moldy smell that keeps showing up on your clothes? It’s not in your closet, not in the laundry basket, not in the bathroom. Where is it coming from? It might be your washing machine – especially if it’s a newer front loading model.
Why? It’s that fancy gasket that holds the door closed. The lip under that gasket creates a perfect little place for water to get caught. When the door gets shut, there’s nowhere for that moisture to go. It simply cools off in the dark area beneath the gasket. Boom! You have the perfect environment for mold and mildew growth. Next time you wash your clothes, that mold and mildew gets mixed right in with the rinse cycle and all over your clean clothes. Now your clothes smell moldy even before they hit the dryer. This manufacturer defect is precisely why salesmen will tell you to leave your washer door open when it’s not in use.
What can your plumber do about it? Well, we can run a peroxide and baking soda mix through the machine and then open it up and spray it down with bleach. We can also clean the drain line with a bleach solution. A full washing machine clean-out is the only way to get the mold where it lives – in the nooks and crannies of your machines. The problem is, even if we clear out the mold and mildew, you need to stop it from happening again.
The best way to keep mold and mildew from building up is a combination of the following:
- Measure out your detergent for every load
- Use fabric softener sheets instead of liquid softener
- Clean out beneath your gasket every month
- Leave the washer door open for several hours after use
- Run an empty load with a cup of vinegar once a month
If your clothes smell moldy – there are plenty of ways to get rid of it. Here is a nice guide that will help you.
