How To Clean A Washing Machine Door Seal
Hi, I have a Zanussi front loader and have tracked a damp smell in the kitchen down to the washing machine . I have done a 90 degrees wash with an empty load, cleaned the filter and soap dispenser. However I noticed the door seal is thick with "grunge". Can any one help on how to clean the seal and also any areas of the machine I can't see,
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Zanussi washing machine damp smell and mouldy door seal
- The problem
- A Zanussi front-loading washing machine had a damp smell in the kitchen. The owner had already run a 90 degree empty wash and cleaned the filter and soap dispenser, then found the door seal heavily coated with mould/grime.
- Likely cause
- Build-up of mould and detergent-related grime around the door seal and possibly internal areas of the machine. The accepted reply suggested that if the seal is badly contaminated it may need replacing, though the exact need for replacement was not confirmed.
- What fixed it
- The owner manually cleaned the door seal with a cloth and substantial effort, removing the mould but leaving some staining. A commercial washing machine deep cleaner was then used and this improved the smell significantly. Forum advice said the dispenser-to-drum hose would only be cleaned properly by removing it and physically cleaning it, but also noted that this hose is not usually the main area that gunge builds up. Repeated maintenance boil washes with no laundry inside were also recommended.
- Checks to try
- Ran a 90 degree empty wash
- Cleaned the filter
- Cleaned the soap dispenser
- Inspected the door seal and found heavy grime/mould
- Used a commercial deep cleaner
- Asked about cleaning the hose from soap dispenser to drum
- Parts or tools mentioned
- Cloth
- Commercial washing machine deep cleaner
- Scourer
- Possible new door seal
3 Answers
Unfortunately if the washing machine gets badly gunged up it is often too late to do much about it. You probably need a new door seal unless you can or are prepared to just literally manually clean it with a scourer. There are products available in supermarkets that claim to clean inside washing machines. It might be worth trying but I'm not sure how effective they are on badly gunged up washing machines. My impression is that they can help to keep them clean, but once the damage is done they are less effective.
The only thing you can really try is to follow the advice on my article here about the http://www.whitegoodshelp.co.uk/washing-machine-smells/.
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
Thanks for your reply, I was able to remove mould from the door seal using a cloth and a lot of "elbow grease, now only left with a stain. Bought a commercial Deep clean for the machine which has
improved matters immensely. However I'm left with one query, how do you clean the pipe that goes from soap dispenser to the drum. The commercial cleaner I bought is emptied in the drum
The only way to clean that hose would be to remove it and physically clean it. Having said that, because that hose usually only gets clean water running through it it wouldn't normally get gunged up. The sump hose at the bottom of the machine is more likely to get gunged up as is the inside of the outer drum. The only thing you can do is try the cleaning products and do several maintenance boil washes with no laundry inside to try and clean it as best as possible.
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
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