aquacycle
Well-known member
Hey folks,
I've seen a few post recently regarding mold in front loaders and thought I'd offer some advice.
As most of our US friends will know, whilst top loaders were the norm for many years in the US, they never really took off in the UK for a number of reasons. When washing machines were becoming popular, our houses at that time were all older houses - much older than many houses in the US and also a lot smaller. They were never built to accomodate such appliances. The washing machine had to go where ever it would fit and wherever the plumbing was, which was usually next to the kitchen sink. So frontloaders beccame popular as they could go under the kitchen counter and save valuable workspace.
Mold in our washers was never an issue until maybe the last 20 years or so. Colour protect detergents and, more noticeably, liquid detergents weren't available here until the late 80's and became popular in the early 90's. Prior to that, powder detergents ("soap powder" as it was known) was the norm and all of them contained some concentration of oxygen-based bleaching agents.
Oxy bleach is unstable in liquid form, so liquid detergents never contained this.
Also, coming off the back of the popularity of twin tub washing machines, "boil washing" was still common practice for white items with slightly lower temperatures like 75 or 60 degrees C was used for coloureds. Later, 40 and 30 degrees became more popular.
The rise in popularity of liquid detergents and cool water washing is directly resonsible for the increase of mold build up in washing machines. Using a liquid on a low temp is not enough to kill bacteria on clothes from sweat and from fecal bacteria in underwear. Whilst this isn't in itself a huge health concern, constant use of liquids at low temps will create a lovely warm, damp environment - a perfect breading ground for bacteria to grow and build up over time, hence the mold appearing around the door seal.
Whilst liquid detergents and cool washes do have their place, especially with delicate fabrics being more popular today than they were 20/30 years ago. However, in my experience, the best way to combat mold in front loaders is to leave the door open slightly between washing and also to use a powder detergent and hot washes. This doesn't have to be exclusively - even one washing load a week like this should be enough.
At home on laundry day, I tend to do my low temp washes first and do my hotter washes last. My last wash is always my white towels, dishcloths, cleaning cloths etc that should always have a hot wash anyway. For these, I use a bleach containing powder detergent and a high temperature - anything from 60 degrees C upwards should be fine, depending on what you're washing. Not only does this hygienically clean the load, it also cleans the drum and door seal at the same time
.
My mother in laws washer had gone black with mold around the door seal and absolutely stank. Since she has stopped using liquids and gone back to powder, it's disappeared completely.
Anyway, sorry for the essay, but I hope this is helpful to anyone out there having issues with mold or bad smells in front loaders.
I've seen a few post recently regarding mold in front loaders and thought I'd offer some advice.
As most of our US friends will know, whilst top loaders were the norm for many years in the US, they never really took off in the UK for a number of reasons. When washing machines were becoming popular, our houses at that time were all older houses - much older than many houses in the US and also a lot smaller. They were never built to accomodate such appliances. The washing machine had to go where ever it would fit and wherever the plumbing was, which was usually next to the kitchen sink. So frontloaders beccame popular as they could go under the kitchen counter and save valuable workspace.
Mold in our washers was never an issue until maybe the last 20 years or so. Colour protect detergents and, more noticeably, liquid detergents weren't available here until the late 80's and became popular in the early 90's. Prior to that, powder detergents ("soap powder" as it was known) was the norm and all of them contained some concentration of oxygen-based bleaching agents.
Oxy bleach is unstable in liquid form, so liquid detergents never contained this.
Also, coming off the back of the popularity of twin tub washing machines, "boil washing" was still common practice for white items with slightly lower temperatures like 75 or 60 degrees C was used for coloureds. Later, 40 and 30 degrees became more popular.
The rise in popularity of liquid detergents and cool water washing is directly resonsible for the increase of mold build up in washing machines. Using a liquid on a low temp is not enough to kill bacteria on clothes from sweat and from fecal bacteria in underwear. Whilst this isn't in itself a huge health concern, constant use of liquids at low temps will create a lovely warm, damp environment - a perfect breading ground for bacteria to grow and build up over time, hence the mold appearing around the door seal.
Whilst liquid detergents and cool washes do have their place, especially with delicate fabrics being more popular today than they were 20/30 years ago. However, in my experience, the best way to combat mold in front loaders is to leave the door open slightly between washing and also to use a powder detergent and hot washes. This doesn't have to be exclusively - even one washing load a week like this should be enough.
At home on laundry day, I tend to do my low temp washes first and do my hotter washes last. My last wash is always my white towels, dishcloths, cleaning cloths etc that should always have a hot wash anyway. For these, I use a bleach containing powder detergent and a high temperature - anything from 60 degrees C upwards should be fine, depending on what you're washing. Not only does this hygienically clean the load, it also cleans the drum and door seal at the same time
. My mother in laws washer had gone black with mold around the door seal and absolutely stank. Since she has stopped using liquids and gone back to powder, it's disappeared completely.
Anyway, sorry for the essay, but I hope this is helpful to anyone out there having issues with mold or bad smells in front loaders.
