How to get rid of mold in a front-load washer

Preventing mold

You can prevent washer mold from forming by doing the following:

• Leave the door slightly open when you're not doing laundry.

• Frequently check for small items, such as socks, that can get caught in the door seal. Pull back the seal and carefully inspect all areas. If a small item goes undetected, it becomes moldy.

• Always use high-efficiency (HE) laundry detergent. Regular detergents encourage mold buildup. They also generate more suds than the machine can handle.

Removing existing mold

To remove washer mold already present on the door seal of a front load washer, follow these steps:

1. Empty all garments from the washer.

2. Mix 3/4 cup of liquid chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of warm tap water. 

3. Wipe the seal area with the solution and let stand for 5 minutes (see the tips below about safely using bleach in your washer).

4. Rinse the area thoroughly with plain water. Open the door wide and let the seal air dry.

Repeat this procedure monthly, if necessary.

Safely using bleach in your front-load washer

To prevent damaging your washer with chlorine bleach, follow these guidelines:

• Use no more than 1 cup of bleach per load.

• Immediately start the cycle after adding bleach.

• If you must interrupt a wash cycle to which you've added bleach, run an empty rinse and spin cycle to thoroughly rinse the remaining bleach from the machine.