I Think my duet washer has the black mildew problem

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>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*.
 
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!
 
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
 
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.
 
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!!!
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
If you are trying to get a hot wash and can't run a faucet next to the washer, try starting the washer, empty, on a hot wash cycle. Once the water runs hot (you can feel it in the drawer), stop the cycle and drain the water. Then you can start a hot wash cycle with hot water ready to enter the washer.

When running a warm wash, you can just set it to hot. The cold washer and cold water in the hot water line will hopefully end up giving you a warm wash. Since your washer doesn't have a heater, you won't have to worry about it turning on, heating the wash water to hot.
 
Longer Cycles

Whilst I am unaware of the intricacies of your Duet's cycle programming, I am aware on my Miele that cycle times dramatically increase as you decrease temperature from 60º on the Cottons and Heavy Duty Cycles. Of course, this is likely to change if you run smaller loads, and it adjusts cycle times to compensate for each load, but here is a rough idea.

Here is what I've noted at and below 60º:

<ul>
<li>@ 60º - 1hr 45mins before machine is started</li>
<li>@ 50/40º - 2hrs 15mins</li>
<li>30º - 2hrs 30mins</li>
<li>Cold - 2hrs 45mins</li>
</ul>
These are only a rough guide, as I don't remember each cycle like I do on the dishwasher. Although, I take Miele are aware of the 4 points of washing Launderess points out frequently: Time, Temperature, Chemical and Mechanical action. Cold temperature removes chemical and temperature action (Enzymes are for the most part working best from 35º - 45 or 50º), so the Miele adds time for more mechanical action. 

What I understand from your post is the washer is either taking too long without extra rinses, or takes 40 minutes by default. I am *thinking* that maybe the cold option does this? Do you know if the machine increases/decreases time as your get hotter (mine increases again after you from 60º, but only by 20mins for water heating).

 

I also wasn't aware of your machine being so far from the water heater. Like the others have said, running a hot wash on the machine will be equal to running a warmish wash, with the cold(ish) tub, clothes and standing water in the pipes. I agree with their suggestions on that front. If you have a recirculation system on the house you could run it before running a "Hot" wash so that you get a truly hot wash, instead of that luke-warm your house has made you put up with? (Probably one point where the Top-Loader wins: It uses so much water that running the taps hot first is not really needed!)
 
What actually makes you think you have mold in the washer? If I get this right, you say that there is no smell in the washer. I suppose you have inspected the rubber gasket for mold stains as well?
 
logixx

i have check my washer very closely 1 there is no bad smell i even check like a youtube video that was posted on the site if my drain pipe had black spots witch is not the case the rubber gascket has no black spt as well and do not smell bad even inside the rubber seal there is no black spot if there would of been sign of mold it would not be black spots.

But would of cause my washer to smell bad when leaving the door open the mildew problem like i stated in my first post is located in the fabric softner part of the dispenser if my duet washer would of develop a bad smell i would of notice it when removing the clothes.

I even do usaly before the month end run my washer on a full cycle set on hot water or warm 1:04 + extra rinse with no afresh or bleach just hot or warm water normal casual cycle to clean my washer or remaining excess detergent and to clen the dispensers that would flush out if there was remaining detergent, bleach or fabric softner from the dispenser and when needed if my washer smells like humidety use tide cleaner or afresh.
 

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