I Think my duet washer has the black mildew problem

[pierreandreply4]

hello to all aw members,

i think my duet washer has the black mildew problem but it is not related to the the fact that i wash in cold water as there is no bad smell when i take the dispenser out i think it is related to the fact that i sometime use liquid fabric softner just before doing the next load i did a clean cycle using hot water with bleach, a few minute ago i soak in the kitchen sink the fabric softner bleach part of the dispenser in hot water and bleach now i am washing it in the dishwasher i have also activated the steam sanitize to see if the extra hot water from the dishwasher sanitize steam rinse will help and also since my duet washer is a 2004 it is the model with no water heater to heat the wash water luckly i have no bad smell as after every load i leave the washer door half open or fully open when i can.

 

[ronhic]

Pierre

I find it interesting that you immediately jump to the defense of cold water washing when identifying there is a mould problem with your own machine....

There are reasons why so many machines now have a 'clean washer' programs:

- people are washing in cooler/cold water
- washing machines thermostatic controls on US machines have 'dumbed down' temperatures - 'Hot' isn't 'Hot' anymore etc....
- there is a swing to liquids
- people overdose with fabric conditioner
- people shut their machines, preventing them from drying and creating the perfect mould environment

Now I'm not suggesting that you do all of these things, but you certainly DO wash in cold water and now have an issue.

Once mould is in a machine it can be devilishly difficult to get rid of. A single hit with the 'clean washer' program and bleach will not do it.

If you will listen long enough, and take heed of a couple of pieces of advice from people who have used front load machines for longer than you have:

- use a quality detergent - powder is better IMHO
- moderate fabric conditioner use
- wash AT LEAST one load a week in hot water

If you had listened to folk on here rather than being pig-headed about 'everything is fabulous in cold', it is highly likely that you wouldn't have this problem.

 

[pierreandreply4]

i will not change the way that i wash in cold water thats how i learn to do laundry so that will not change and also again i say its not related to cold water and also please note that its an older washer thats on its last leg so i never know when it will break and have you ever tough that for those that have bad smell might be related to the fact that hot water may be a breeder for such mold or bad smell compared to cold water witch prevents such mold again i repeat the olny time i will use hot water is for bedding and i also will never use bleach. and also if for budget reason my mom and me have to buy a top load i am considering the huebesch top load washer model zwn432 with matching electric dryer.

 

[ronhic]

Pierre

Do whatever floats your boat.

I ultimately do not care one iota given you will not listen to, or heed, any advice that has been given to you generously and with significant knowledge by numerous people on this forum.

A small dose of humility wouldn't go astray, though I suspect obtaining that would be akin to banging my head against a brick wall in your case!

Quite simply, you are wrong and you are now harvesting your crop in line with the old adage 'You reap what you sow'

 

[combo52]

Cold Water Washing In A FL Washer

Equals Black Mold, dirty germ filled clothing and bad smells, maybe you should have your sinuses checked.

 

[arbilab]

Must be something seriously the matter with me. I've run frontloaders in a climate with dewpoints in the high 60s (F) 9 months out of the year for ~30 years and never experienced skankwasher syndrome.

But I do wash at temperatures above where body soil becomes an impenetrable wax, roughly 95F. Speaking of impenetrable wax, fabric softener which I don't use.

Like I said, must be something seriously the matter with me. Not having experienced skankwasher, can't say what to do about it. See your dealer?

 

[dustin92]

This is a rather pointless thread, isn't it? It seems to be an announcement to the world that your laundry habits are a bit disgusting, and even so, you won't change because that's how you learned. I too learned to do laundry in cold water, but I very much prefer to wash in hot or warm, and have clean, odor free clothes and washing machines. Cold water is not getting anthing clean that comes into contact with your body, because your body temperature is about 98.6 degrees, and body oils won't dissolve in cooler water.

 

[washer111]

Mildew

Before I jump into "I told you so" mode, I will tell you a few things:

 

If you were looking for a good "excuse" to replace the machine, then this is obviously it. Go and buy another machine now if you don't want to do anything. 

 

If you are prepared to spend some time working on the machine, you might get lucky and be able to prelong the service life of the machine significantly:

<ul>
<li>You may have to disassemble the machine, but this lets you completely clear out any muck, and let you see the results of your washing habits (Interesting on any machine really, as it shows whether Hot/Warm washing might actually work)</li>
<li>Retrieve lost socks</li>
<li>Replace worn Spiders/Bearings/Pulleys and so on</li>
</ul>
Or you can try really hard, run your water tap HOT at the laundry (or nearest point) then absolutely PILE UP with washing machine cleaner (I know I'll be flamed for this) + Epsom Salts/Citric Acid or Bleach into the machine, WITH a decent sized load of rags, on the hottest cycle. Turn off the machine overnight, then let it complete that cycle when it is powered on (even if it drains) and run another cycle without turning it off.
Run this a few times and your machine should be clean(er) than it was. 

 

But as everyone else is saying, you are better off following the old adage "Prevention is better than the cure." Look how much you'll spend on a new washer now, or on washing machine cleaner or your own time trying to repair the machine, when its service life could've been prolonged with some simple additional care, which would be running fairly frequent Warm or Hot washes and avoiding liquid detergents and fabric softener overdosage, not "just" leaving the door ajar after usage. 

 

I can't judge how clean your laundry is from this cold-water stuff, but I do know that your mildew/mould issue is related to cold water washing and the buildup of fabric softener within the machine. Remember, as there is no hot water being used to suspend the oils and greases from the softener in the water, the oily stuff from your clothes (which is body oils AND softener) is being swished around in the machine, building up and resisting flushes with hot water every so often, and your clothes will have built up lots of this fabric softener "gloop" in them from your washing habits. 

I don't say that from scepticism, but from actual experience. I tried washing my dark items at 30ºC few quite a while with some softener, and quickly noticed that the detergent was largely ineffective in the wash cycle. So next time, I ran those items on 50ºC and there was no softener "residue" evident in the wash, water was a little bubbly and murky, not clear and barely bubbly like before.

 

If you don't believe that, get some cooking oil, put it into a large (clear) bowl of cold water and a little detergent. Try that again with Hot water (as in VERY hot water) and see if you can notice a difference. If I remember correctly, the oil droplets will shrink and be held in the water, not just float on the top or remain solid. The very same thing happens in your washing machine, on a slightly different scale. 

 

So really, I stand with the others in saying that your washing habits are likely the cause of this, but I really don't want to enter into another Cold vs. Hot water wash debate. Like they say, the person that can't use their tools properly will blame them when something goes wrong. The machine is only as good as it's user! 

Please, for goodness sake, consider the advice we are giving you and try to be open minded about this. You cannot deny what we are saying, as you have not yet tried it. Remember just weeks ago you were telling us how your machine was "mould/mildew free," and "had no issues" despite the fact you washed/rinsed in cold water. Perhaps you have hidden this issue from us all this time to make cold water look "better?" I don't know. I just beg of you to consider what we are trying to tell you. Don't ask for advice, then discount everyone because you don't like the idea. That is "pig-headed," as member "ronhic" put it. 

 

 

 

[tolivac]

And--the plastic parts of a machine-will attract and hold oils and greases-wether from your body or fabric softners.Switch to warm and hot water loads.I don't use cold water cycles either.-and I use TL machines.And I would lose the fabric softners.
If you get new machines-please do what the washer maker recommends in the owners manuals.Bet they will suggest warm and hot loads.The warm and hot loads keeps the gunky stuff flushed out of your machines.

 

[electron1100]

puzzled

What has always puzzled me about your washing habits is, that you wash your bedding in hot water, this I presume is because your skin comes into contact with the sheets etc, do I therefore assume that you wear some sort of paper disposable undersuit so your clothes do not come in contact with your skin?

If you do not wear a protective undersuit then it makes no sense at all to wash your clothes in cold water if they also come in contact with your skin.

On another point raised I have long had thoughts about plastic tubs and mould built up...........but that's another story

Gary

 

[qualin]

I guess what I don't understand is why so many people are adverse to the idea of warm or hot water washing. Yes, I understand it costs more to heat the water, but most Canadians use natural gas water heaters. To keep the water hot costs me $20 a month in natural gas. Big deal.

My parents frowned on me using hot water washes with our top loader because it would completely empty the water heater and cost a lot of money to reheat the water, but there's no way it would have cost more than $5 a wash, no more than what I'd pay at the laundromat.

Here's the way I see it.. Two points here. The first point is that my old 2004 GE used 90 litres of water just to fill the tub. My Huebsch FL uses about 27 litres to fill the tub. To put that in perspective, that would fill one of my kitchen sinks about roughly halfway, so it can't be that expensive to heat that water up.

Second, how much money would have been saved by using cold water washes versus having to buy a new machine because of mold problems? I can most likely guarantee that there is no amount of cold water washing which will EVER save enough money to justify the cost of replacing or repairing a machine. (Unless repairing a machine is something you like doing.)

I wash in the hottest water that my clothes will stand, according to the wash instructions. My clothes don't get clean otherwise. My jeans just feel "Fresher" if I wash them in hot water instead of warm water.

I once had to wash my coat in cold water once, according to the instructions. When it came out of the washer, it was still dirty. Considering it is a white coat, I decided that I had nothing to lose by putting it on a hot water cycle. Sure enough the coat came out clean the second time.

Pierre, Ever since you've come here, you complained about your washers and how they suck. You've been looking for reasons to replace them for the longest time and the people on this board have given you lots of suggestions.

Seriously Dude, what the heck is stopping you from just going out and buying the washer and dryer you think you want instead of complaining about the ones you have? Better yet, what is stopping you from going on Craiglist and picking up a used Whirlpool DD Toploader?

 

[retromania]

I run the bot tap at my kitchen sink to bring the hot water to the kitchen so that when I start up my machine which is in the kitchen, it fills with warm or hot water. The thing is with my machine, it uses such a little bit of water that if I didn't run the hot tap first, it would fill with cold water and reach the desired level before it turned warm. I don't use cold for some of the reasons stated above, but also because I don't think my beloved Sears Ultra powdwer laundry detergent would disolve properly. Plus here in the humid sultry south, where you perspire just taking the trash out, I have to use warm or hot to make sure my clothes get clean. The rain we've had here this summer, even with the central a/c running, the bath towels take a long time to dry after a shower. They definitely have to be wahsed in warm or sometimes hot.

 

[laundromat]

I own and use the same Duet set as shown and have had them over a year now. I wash in hot or warm water, use Gain liquid(not the HE /low dissing) and Gain fabric softener.once my wash is through,I checkthe boot for possible lost socks or small garments, wipe the residue water out and leave the door wide open. There is no sign of mold or mildew and the only issue is the edge or outer rim of it's boot has dry rotted and has cracks. That's caused a slight leak but as old as this model is,it could have easily become junk had the door not been left open after use.I will go to Sears service center this weekend to pick up the boot I ordered last Wednesday. I got this matched set from Smith's free with the drawers abscesses out the pump where lava sand was evidently the cause of pump failure. After that was done,it's become one of the best sets I've ever had. They seam love bigger loads. Very quiet too.

 

[laundromat]

Sudsing not dissing.

 

[tolivac]

I have to run the hot water as well if I use either the washer or the dishwasher.My water heater is in a utility room in my garage with the HVAC unit.And of course have to run the hot for a while to get a warm or hot shower-my bathroom is on the other end of my house.

 

[yogitunes]

not sure which part to start first....lets keep it simple for the general population of common sense......

we all know the time proven facts of COLD water washing, physics ain't getting past that one, no matter who you are!....

washing machine cleaners, although a waste in my book, but to each his own, only clean the inside of the machine, not the dispenser drawer and surrounding areas leading into the drum....

so it never hurts to remove it, clean it really well with hot water and a toothbrush, and take a mild/mildew bathroom spray, and treat the dispenser slot, and scrub as well, and a final rinse....

but never to change habits or learn something new is ludacris......

I learned to drive with a stick shift, but now drive an automatic

I can ice skate, and also learned to rollerskate....

I learned to operate a washer, and now know how to work on one.....

but idiotic to think that once you learn one way of doing things, and that another way, or everyone else is wrong, or a new way of doing things can't be learned....or that someone else's idea may not be better....unreal!

obsurd to think that one grows up with a 12 number dial on a TV with an antennae on the roof.....and yet we now have digital cable with over a thousand channels to choose...

or a dial telephone...and the new wave is touchpad!

best off.....dont' talk about your habits, and I won't talk about mine!.....but I will always share thoughts and ideas of things I have discovered and learned, and ask opinions of what everyone thinks?

someone is always gonna try to build a better mousetrap!

 

[frontloaderfan]

While it is now most likely completely redundant, I would also like to say that I have been doing ONLY hot- or warm-water washing since I have had my Frigidaire FL and I have no mold or smell problems. The washer smells like it did the day it arrived here. I use bleach and oxyclean with whites as well as fabric softener, though I use only a minimal amount.
I'm also one of these fanatics who runs the hot water in the bathroom (which is directly on the other side of the wall from the washer) before I turn on the machine and I usually add two or so extra gallons to the wash water (always hot!) manually given the pitifully small amount of water modern FL'ers use.

 

[retromania]

Nor I

In the five years that I have had my Bosch, I have had no mold or mildew problems and no offensive odors of any kind. I do leave the doors open a little when it is not in use. I don't know if that is really beneficial, but it makes me feel good. So anyway.

 

[super32]

going on 7

years with my Bosch. No problems here.

 

[launderess]

>10 Years With The Miele & No Probs

Use mainly 100F, 120F and 140F with most loads at the first two. Never routinely use liquid detergents, but do use oxygen bleaches often. Also after each use the boot/inside door are wiped dry with a paper towel. Ditto for the soap drawer and inside the dispenser comment. Finally door of washer is always left *OPEN*.

 

[yogitunes]

granted my 5500series Neptunes have an intense flush for the last rinse, but thru normal practices, I have never experienced mold or mildew...

I wash mainly HOT or WARM, bleach as needed, and softener one in a while....theres never been a build up, or a clean out needed.....I don't leave the door or dispenser open....and the only COLD wash is dog blankets and black jeans...

in the beginning I could not understand how others machines were having an issue that I never have....but thru this site, have learned how it can happen for some!

 

[ozzie908]

Now I have the exact opposite problem...

as in I do a lot of hot/boil washing and have noticed the door boot on my Miele is starting to whiten and loose its grey colour I have touched it and its dead smooth no raised bumps or anything Oh and NO odour other than a hint of Ariel there also is NO sludge or scale on the metal of the tub I can see it is just shiny stainless steel. One other thing I have to mention is I have never ever washed in cold water it would not even dissolve the powder here in winter.

Austin

 

[mich2013]

I HAD THAT SAME SET.

It's a really nice washer too, and IRRC it was actually made in GERMANY, the land of AMAZING washers.

When I first bought it, inside the tub, was a Coupon for a Free Tide Liquid Bottle, plus a Sample Packet of Tide (Liquid) detergent. Anyhow, I went along, I used Liquid tide for about 3 months or so, and even though I was leaving the Door open, washing in WARM (for most clothing), Hot (for Whites & Linens), I still had the nasty smell.

Anyhow, I followed the suggestions of everyone else online. Bought Vinger, and it helped null the smell (but it would come right back, a week or so later).. Finally after doing a clean wash cycle and switching Tide Powder did my Duets drum not only look CLEANER, more Sparkly but, it was Odor Free..

From what I've gathered, Liquid Detergents are okay, for some cycles, but repeated uses of them, seem to leave water mineral build up on Drums, along with residual amounts of surfactants that never dissolve.

(I think the biggest problem is, the design of the Washers, pouring detergent into the Drawer, the detergent running down (before water get's to activate), and the fact that LG & Whirlpool, use a Cold Fill for a Gallon or so, during the sensing stage of load, before it even starts filling with the Water you specified for your Laundry. The Detergent, can collect on the otter parts of the Drum, and most detergents (nowadays) seem to be more stickyish (thicker, more concentrated), less watered down, allowing the reside to gather easily.

Anyhow, to the OP. Go to your Local Wal*Mart, and Purchase Two, One Gallon Bottles of White Distilled Vinger, 5%. Then, Run Two Cups, on the Whitest Whites Cycle, with HOT WATER, AND the "Soil Level" button, pressed to the Max, along with Extra Rinse and Spin Speed High.

One Wash should clear out a good bit of the smell, but if not, repeat over & over, until gone. Repeat at least once a month, if not every two weeks.

 

[retromania]

Don't mean to.....

Don't mean to change the subject, but not enough of a topic to start a new thread, but I hate drying sheets in my Bosch dryer. It rolls them into a ball and they don't dry. It's very annoying. I have to stop the cycle, take the sheets out, shake and put them back in to dry. This is repeated over and over again until they are finally dry. I am seriously thinking about sending my sheets to the cleaners each no matter how much it costs!!!

 

[zipdang]

It's not quite fair to lambast all cold water washing. It does have its uses. Light-to-moderate soils can wash perfectly clean in cold water, provided the "cold" water is a reasonable degree of cold and not the temperature of barely melted snow. Additionally, cold washing should be factored into the trifecta of the chemical-mechanical-thermal set of variables. When using cold water, a correspondingly adequate quantity of detergent should be used in conjunction with a cycle that is of more aggressive action or longer in duration, to offset the cleaning ability lost to the lower thermal energy variable.

There is a misconception that clothing and linens that come into contact with human skin need to be washed in water at least 98.6F to remove the body oils. 98.6F refers to the body's core temperature, not the skin surface temperature where oils and sweat are excreted, accumulate, and form sebum. If skin temperature was 98.6F human beings wouldn't feel warm unless they were in an environment 98.7F or warmer. Point being, the sweats and oils that accumulate on the skin surface where the temperature is lower than 98.6F can be effectively cleaned away in water that's in the 80-90F range (or 30C). However, the bacteria that feed on those oils can survive those temps, so while regular cold water washing might be effective for certain person's needs, the washing machine itself may require certain maintenance, such as a regular hot water or sanitize wash, possibly with the addition of bleach or some other disinfectant.

 

[aquacycle]

4 years and counting with a Miele FL and never once had to do a "maintenance wash". I regularly use hot washes - both 60 and 90 degrees - and clean the seal of my machine just by wiping it down with some anti-bac cleaner sprayed on a cloth. Takes all of about 15 seconds to do.

I think the correlation between mouldy machines and cold water washing is quite obvious. It's also one that's been scientifically proven. I'm not getting into a debate about Pierre's washing habbits - trust me, you won't like what I have to say on the subject - but with regards to the mouldy machine, have you tried running it empty on a boil wash to clean it out? Maybe with a tiny drop of bleach or something? Should clean it up no problem.

 

[mrb627]

Anit-bac what?

Wiping your door seal with anti bacterial wash is your maintenance wash. It shouldn't be necessary at all if hot washes are the solution to the mold problem.

Malcolm

 

[aquacycle]

Malcolm

It's just become a part of my kitchen cleaning routine. As I'm wiping down the worktops with anti bac kitchen spray, I give the fridge doors, dishwasher and front of the washer a wipe, then give the seal a the inside of the washer door a quick wipe.

 

[pierreandreply4]

aqua cycle

thank you and for your info my washer do not have the extra hot water temp as my washer has no internal water heater yesterday i did a cleanup of my washer with some scrubbing bubble mildew remover on the door seal and soak the detergent dispenser with srubbing bubble mildew removal help alot then ran my washer on the hotwater temp 1:04 hour four minutes with extra rinse seems to have clean my washer, and i think when i have to use liquid fabric sofner i will had with the fabric softner some warm water. even if i would select for a normal wash the warm water temp i think the washer i have the warm water temp is more like cool water because even if my washer is a 2004 generation 1 duet i think the water temp are dumb down because what ever temp i use it requires both water valves to be open what ever the selected temp is. and also i need to be watchful on the cycle i use normal/casual cycle with is by default 40 minutes can sometime be to long when i do not need to use the extra rinse unless the detergent i use has a strong perfume sent then i use extra rinse witch raise the wash time to 49 minutes well even do i admit that i do not like the washer i have i am living with it until i can replace it as it do the job of washing my clothes. but sometime even if its to shorten the drying time i wish i had a warm rinse option and higher spin speed on my actual model it do not has its a 3 wash rinse temp model.

 

[pierreandreply4]

and for members that are thinking of bashing me beccause of

Before some members on here decide to bash me here is a story the 2004 duet washer in my first pic was the first time i bought a front load washer since i was passing from a top load to a front load at the time of purchuse (in 2004) i did not know much yet about the actual model that i have and also i have seen on the site some post about those that where not satified with there washer sometime and had them exchange or replace them because of the fact there where not satisfied even do i have not been satisfied with my actual daily driver the reason for this is because of the fact that 1 i have to light up the control panel first compared to some newer models that as soon as the washer door is open lights up by it self 2 if i use the warm water temp on normal casual if i have 2 loads to do because of the last load for the second wash load even if i set the washer to warm because of the last rinse water enters cool and also my washer is not in the basement or first floor level of my home so hot water have to come true the basement pipes to the second floor where my washer is located. and also has some members ever been disatisfied of a washer they bough because of a poor choice they made at the time like in my case passing from a top load washer to a front load. well thats why when i buy my next washer ether it be a topload or front load i will be basing my choice depending of the cycle i need and options and also i would like to add that the choice of a washer depends on how many loads that is done per day.