My washing machine seal is gross. But I can't get it clean!

[ImFree2doasiwant]

Any magic tips? The machine is about 10 yrs old. The last couple of years the door seal has gradually got worse and worse. It looks like mould, but doesn't wash or scrub off. I can't scrape it off with my nail.

Is there anyway of cleaning it? It looks disgusting.

Do you do the occasional empty boil wash with white vinegar? If the discolouration doesn't wash or scrape off and it doesn't smell then I wouldn't be all that worried about it, but my machine is 8 yrs old and the seal looks ok and I think doing a boil wash every now and then helps, and the white vinegar helps to remove any limescale.

I don't. I will try it though. I do run a washing machine cleaner through it every now and then but that's all.

I use about a third of a bottle of white vinegar, the type that you buy in the supermarket for your chips and my machine does a 95 degree wash which will pretty much sterilise and kill any nasties around the drum.

You can replace the seal. They aren't very expensive.

Vinegar can damage your machine so I wouldn't use it.

Soak toilet paper in bleach and stick it on it for a good 12h over night. The mould should have come off in the morning x

I got some black spots on my seal and I cleaned it with bleach spray. It's totally clean now, and my washing machine is 12+ years old. I do regular maintenance wash and occasional deep clean with bleach spray too.

Spray mould/mildew remover on the seal. Pack that with toilet paper. Spray the paper with mould/mildew remover again until sodden. Leave as long as you can, then use the same paper to wipe away. It may not get everything off but it will get a lot off.

Treat your sheets or towels to a hot wash (60) and put three tablespoons of washing soda (£1 a bag in most supermarkets) into the detergent tray with the washing powder.

If you do that once a week, it gets rid of the slime, any smell and gradually removes the black staining.

@pastandpresent

I got some black spots on my seal and I cleaned it with bleach spray. It's totally clean now, and my washing machine is 12+ years old. I do regular maintenance wash and occasional deep clean with bleach spray too.

I second this, if the situation is dire!

A word of caution, however. Make sure you wipe the seal down after using bleach spray and then put the machine on to rinse. I'd probably do a whites wash before anything else, just in case there's any residual bleach.

For a maintenance clean, I like to use a damp washing up sponge dipped in laundry powder, the abrasive action works well against build up.

I put the oven shelves in the dishwasher to clean them. Take the shelves out of the dishwasher as soon as the wash is finished and before the drying cycle begins. The shelves still have gunk on them, but if you wipe them down, all the gunk just slides off and there's no need to scrub.

@ExclamationPerfume

You can replace the seal. They aren't very expensive.

Please god don't do that! Not without some great determination and manual dexterity/strength!

DF was a washing machine engineer for 40+ years and made good money putting right the pig's ear many people made of replacing the door boot! They are tricky buggers if you don't know how to do them!

And I've no idea how vinegar could damage your machine, unelss you use a bucketful and leave it sat there for months!

If the door boot is already mould stained then you can clean off the worst of it however you like, vinegar, waterd down bleach anything - as ling as you rinse it fully afterwards. Putting the cleaner in cleans the drum, it won't necessarily get to the door boot.

Once you have cleaned it, it will still be stained, leave the door open a crack when not in use. That should help stop it regrowing.

Sorry! Posted on the wrong thread!

@CuriousaboutSamphire I replaced ours in 20 minutes after it got a hole in it. I am not a massive DIY'er. I am on the Mrs Hinch Facebook group and the advice was always to use white vinegar. Many washing machine engineers said it can damage the internal parts.

[quote ExclamationPerfume]@CuriousaboutSamphire I replaced ours in 20 minutes after it got a hole in it. I am not a massive DIY'er. I am on the Mrs Hinch Facebook group and the advice was always to use white vinegar. Many washing machine engineers said it can damage the internal parts.[/quote]
Ah ! I see, it wouldn't have occcurred to me to use malt vinegar

20 minutes is good going. You deserve recognition for that, seriously! DFs tales of woe about them are extraordinary, my favourite was the bloke who spent all day trying then gave up and blu tac'd it on. It held for months... until one day it dodn't

I did read (possibly on here) that replacing the for seal can be very easy or very difficult, depending on the machine you have.

I think I'm just going to have to keep at it. I've given it a good scrub today, it looks a bit better. Ill do the bleach/loo roll thing overnight.