The most thrilling question for Mothers Day….how do you clean the rubber seal on a washing machine?

[Rockgardens]

I’ve just realised the rubber seal on my washing machine is absolutely minging with mould / sludge.

How do you clean it? I’ve googled and lots of expensive products come up, I don’t really want to go out and buy anything.

I have bleach but wouldn’t that bleach the clothes in the next wash?

I also have:

bog standard anti bac spray
bicarb
normal chip shop vinegar - don’t fancy the smell
dishwasher tablets
Pink stuff

would any of these do the job?

Yes get any of those and after you have scraped the gunge out, clean it with some of any of those on a damp cloth.

Once you’ve cleaned everything off then always always leave the door open to dry after you’ve finished for the day.

Mine is the same - only since started washing everything at 20 degrees to save money!

I’ve never really noticed it this badly before, I wonder if it is to do with cold washes.

Fun day ahead 🙄

When mine looks dirty I give it a goo clean out with antibacterial wipes.

Then I put a very hot wash on with a big cap of bleach directly into the drum not the draw.

Then I run another empty load on a quick cold wash.

My mum’s friend is a washing machine repairer. He advised her to do the above and that washing machine cleaners are a complete rip off and don’t really work

Clean the worst off with Ace laundry bleach and kitchen paper. Then run a maintenance wash with Dr Beckman's machine cleaner. The above has cleared the slimey mould, however there are a couple of little patches of dark staining where the mould once was. So 95% improved for minimal effort.

Dr Beckman's isn't too expensive and loads better than everything else. Scrubbed for ages before trying it.

Wrap a couple of J-cloth around a butter knife and scrape round to get the gunk out, then use antibac and another cloth to clean it. I do the fridge and freezer seal the same way.

Mould cleaner directly on the rubber brought mine up well

I noticed a build up of gunk everywhere in my machine after a few weeks of cold washes. The maker of my washer (LG) has a guide online to a seemingly bonkers way to clean the inaccessible bits of the machine. It involves using dishwasher tablets. I was a bit , but asked my cleaner, the fount of all knowledge, about it. She says she has done it when doing end of tenancy cleans, and it really works. So I had confidence to give it a go. Well worth the effort!
I'll see if I can find the link.
I can't find the LG article, but this one is much the same

scrubhub.org.uk/can-you-use-dishwasher-tablets-in-the-washing-machine/

I know this doesn't help OP with the door seal mess, but mine never builds up that much, usually a quick wipe round every week will keep it under control

PS my repair chap also says to always use big box powder and not capsules or liquid detergent. His view is that he sees a lot less build up in machines that use the old style powders.

Wipe a cloth round it. Often.
Agree with @sofagoingonfriday . I've gone back to powder. Much less slime (my washer man also told me what they put in pods to make them thick. Leave it to your imagination but it's not animal friendly)