6 year old Indesit WIB111 mould

[aeg03]

Been staying at my friends place this week and had to use her Indesit WIB111 which she has had for 6 and half years trouble free performance and it's still going strong.

The only issue here is the machine has quite a lot of mould inside of it which looks disgusting! I've tried everything to clean it but it won't budge. Is there a magic formula? My friend does an awful lot of washes on 30 degrees and the highest she really does is 40 degrees. She says the mould came from when she rented out the flat and the tenants left wet washing in the machine for days at a time. Not sure if this is the case. Pics & video below. I noticed it doesn't fill that high on rinses when using Fast Colourds Programme.

 

[aeg03]

Mould on seal that I've scrubbed with bleach to try and shift stain

 

[henene4]

Imidiatley...

Buy a bottle of chlorine bleach and a pack of powdered citric acid. Both can usally be found in any medium sized store or drugstore.
First, select a 90° without clothing and without prewash. Add about 500ml or 1000 ml of the chlorine bleach in the mainwash compartment as soon as water starts flowing. Do not add anything else. Let the cycle finish. This kills all of the mold, but won't remove its stains probably. Keep in mind, this mold not only sits there where you can see it.
Than, start the same cycle again. This time, add the acid. Do not add anything else. This will remove limescale.
Now, you can be sure the mold is dead. So, it shouldn't continue growing as fast.
The removal is hard. The stains will probably stay, no matter how much you scrub. You can try it, but it won't help a lot. You can also remove the doorseal and scrub it outside the washer and let it soak for some time. But the most effective way should be buying a new door seal.
But another questin: How much does she wash that that beast runs that long? Usually, these end dead after 4 years or so...

 

[aeg03]

I think she uses it around twice a week for main washes and inbetween she may use the Mini 30 minute wash to wash items she worn once.

Vid of the rinse cycle

 

[dj-gabriele]

Usually, these end dead after 4 years or so...

Not really, Indesit machines, while being in the lower market segment have a much longer lifespan than many other competitors, it's not unusual for them to last 10 years or more before failures (usually electronics).

Said that what henene4 said is correct, cleaning cycles and a new door boot! And teach your friend to keep the door open so the machine can dry.

 

[ozzie908]

Oh dear does is she not aware that ....

every load in this machine will carry mould spores?

The easiest way to remove these stains on the door seal and everywhere else you cannot see is to run 60-90c cycle every week even if the towels and bedding get washed at higher temps will remove these ugly stains with out any need of a product other than a good biological powder in the correct dose.

Good luck Austin..

 

[glenfieldmathk1]

This is what happens if you combine Liquid/Gel's with a 30C cycle, and mini 30 cycle.
I would once a week select 60C or above, with Towels and powder detergent.
In the meantime, run as listed above by henene!

 

[nmassman44]

If you can see the mold there , imagine what the outer tub looks like...what worked for me when I got a stinky front loader from a friend of ours ...that washed in cold for years and used liquid only...was Tide Washer Cleaner. Hot water and two wash cycles later mold was gone. The first full cycle wash the water was black. I ran it thru the complete wash cycle, then I did it again. The washer was clean, but the clothes he had reeked still. That was a challenge to get rid of the sewer smell out of them. I do realize that this post is from the UK so perhaps Ariel has the equivalent of the Tide Washer Cleaner.

 

[henene4]

Actually,...

... at least here in Germany, there are few washer cleaners and all of them are a composit of several acids and some of them don't even contain any other cleaning agents. So chlorine bleach is the best to use and citric acid is way cheaper than the special cleaners. You get 500g for 2€ or less, and this is enough for 2-3 descaling cycles. And as long as one does the procedure with the acid at 90°C regularly, you don't need anything else to keep it clean (except an open door between washes, some hotter washes etc.).

 

[glenfieldmathk1]

Hot washes certainly do work!
My machine has (and 1 year old next month) needed only special cleaning cycle with Citric acid [It probably didn't actually need it]. Its because I very often run the Whites 60C programme (which is a programme that holds at 60C for over an hour) and never under/overdose.
I currently still have no mould or odours building up inside, and the washer still working as brand new.
Leaving the door open is important though, and once a week at least wipe the door seal with a dry cloth for extra protection against mould.

Anyway's have you managed to treat the mould by now??

 

[dj-gabriele]

Totally second what Henene4 said,
commercial cleaners are less effective than pure citric acid and bleach and cost way more

 

[launderess]

Not all chlorine bleach sold for laundry/cleaning purposes will kill mold. Many aren't even effective disinfectants any longer either. This is because they have been weakened and thus no longer contain as much "chlorine" as they once did. In the USA it is important to look for the EPA register number on the container. That and read the label to see if the product is designed for killing mold.

Thing about mold is it is a living organism and actually grows roots into surfaces. This why it is often so difficult to remove it totally. Substances may take off and or kill the top layer, but the roots will send up replacements.

Quite honestly the best and safest thing to do when a washing machine's boot is in such a state is to chuck it and replace with new. As another poster stated if what you can see looks that bad then God only knows what is growing underneath.

When my vintage Miele arrived was glad to have ordered a new boot to be on hand for the installation. Not only was the current one mouldy on the inside (where one can see), but when the repairman got it off you should have seen what was growing underneath. It was one gross slime fest of mould and rot.

Thing is once you've got mould growing in a washing machine it will eventually colonise a good part of the machine as the spores spread. This plus not to mention whatever is being laundered may become contaminated as well. Oh and leaving the door open and or using the machine can cause spores to spread around the area near the machine and probably the room/house as well.

If you do not wish to change the boot then shop around for a certified mildewcide or try white vinegar, peroxide or some of the others mentioned here: http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Mold-and-Mildew

Of course the best method is to start the way you mean to finish. Door of the washing machine must be kept ajar to promote air circulation. Next a check of laundering habits is in order. If the household is using mainly cold or cool water washes with liquid detergents it is imperative that on a regular basis a hot to boil wash is done using a powder detergent containing (oxygen) bleach.

Many liquid and gel detergents contain good amounts of "soap". This residue plus bodily oils and other fats found on laundry can and often do leave a nasty mess that germs and mold/mildew love to feed upon.

Powder detergents contain a good amount of alkaline builders (washing soda) that will break down grease and oils helping to keep the washer clean.

If powder laundry detergents are not on then a routine maintenance wash should be done using boil wash temps and soda crystals. That or various washing machine "cleaner" products. The latter should not just be designed to descale, but remove build-up as well.

 

[hotpointwma64]

Low temperature washes are really bad and unhygienic- especially 30c.
Also you should never use gel because it created a film of goo on the outer tub and poo particles from underwear and general bacteria stick to it.

Everything but delicates are safe to be washed at 60c despite saying 40c. Modt labels are energy labels and a way of the covernment getting you to wash at low temperatures when in reality it has little impact on the environment.

Aslong as you seperate darks from whites a good powder and a 60c wash is all you need to keep your clothes and your machine clean and mould/bacteria free.

The picture attatched is an inner drum used with gel. This is gel mixed with bacteria from clothes and underwear particles, your clothes can never be clean with this in the drum.

Regards, george

 

[launderess]

Never use one type or even brand exclusively

But then again with a laundry product as vast and deep as one's do have that option.

That being said do not routinely use gel or liquid detergents so hopefully that "gunk" won't happen to our machines. As for the "poo" bit don't have that problem either but then again coming from a nursing background probably am a bit more intense on post BM care for the household than most. *LOL*

For the record any laundry contaminated with visible fecal soil (diapers, bedding, etc...) is always flushed well before going to the wash. Hence the use of sluice washing machines in laundries that deal with such items routinely.

 

[hotpoint9534]

That drum is disgusting and I feel sorry for the engineer who had to take that apart. There's a very good reason why I use biological powders and wash at higher temperatures. More people might care if they could see what was growing inside their machines.

Tom

 

[aquacycle]

I've had my washing machine for 5 years this August. I've run a maintenance wash on it ONCE in the whole time I've owned it. There is not a spec of mould in the machine and no bad smells.

I leave the door open between loads, clean the detergent drawer and behind it regularly and wipe the seal down occaisionally with anti-bac spray. This may seem like a lot of upkeep, but in actual fact, these jobs on there own are very quick and take a matter of seconds to do.

Most importantly, I use a good biological washing POWDER. Liquids and gels do not contain oxygen-based bleaching agents and can cause mould build up inside the machine, especially when washing at lower temperatures. Your friend is creating a damp, warm environment within the machine with no bacteria killer - what does she expect will happen?

 

[launderess]

Liquid & Gel Detergents With No Bleach

Well that is what all those products by Tide, Vanish etc.... are for then aren't they. *LOL*

Pods, powders, etc.. all are "boosters" containing usually an alkali (washing soda) oxygen bleach, bleach activator and enzymes among other chemicals. In short they are doses what in essence gives TOL powder detergents their "ummph". Since such chemicals cannot be mixed with liquid detergents effectively...., there you are then.

Long story short if doing whites and or colourfast items that can deal with bleach and insist on using liquid or gel detergents then you might want to look into those products. It is one of the reasons why P&G, Henkel, et al came up with the stuff for a start. I mean you notice more and more of these "booster" products as liquid and gel detergents replace powders.

 

[robliverpool]

Firstly well done for getting six years out of the machine. Most don't make two. I've found the best way to get rid of the mould is to get a brillo pad and fairy liquid and gently rub till it's gone. My brother has the same machine now for five years but only has light use but always does a 60 degree wash every week.

 

[mark_wpduet]

Interesting

I always wondered why it's near impossible to get rid of mold stains. I haven't had to deal with them in my current home, but have in the past. I didn't realize why (if the mold was killed with bleach) the stains remained. Now I know why. It "ROOTS" into whatever it grows on. G R O S S !!

I'm a powdered detergent/ Liquid bleach and hot water user, so I have never had the mold problem. I can imagine what it must be like once it starts developing.

I remember back when I first got my Duet washer, one thing I never did was pull the detergent drawer completely out to let it dry. I always just pulled it out a couple of inches thinking it would get some air to dry, but even that wasn't good enough and it's even in an air conditioned area. I noticed in the holes that the water comes out into the dispenser had pink mold in them. I cleaned that area and since then I always take the detergent drawer completely out after doing laundry. Luckily, the inside of the machine has always stayed clean and fresh smelling.