Rubber seal on washing machine door smells

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

and there is some sort of black slime [boak] in the deep, "crack" bit.

Its a fairly new machine and I've never had it happen with my previous machine. I guess I need to leave the door open wider when its not in use which is going to be a pain as its in a very narrow utility room. But what do I clean it with to get rid of the slme, have tried hot water and its not worked, I don't want to use anything that may perish the rubber.

Thanks.

Bumping for you.

I had this a few weeks ago. I have an Electrolux washer which has a deep "crack" in it. It took about 30 mins to clean it all out properly. I didn't use a cleaning agent -just rubbed really, really hard with kitchen towel. Lots of it! I think I must have loosened the gunk when I did a 90 degree wash in the machine, which is a rare occurence here.

I'd never had this before either.

I saw a friend last Saturday who was moaning about her washing and the grey sludge on it. It turns out hers is an Electrolux too.

Our machines are about the same age - prob about 2.5 to 3.5 years old.

I've been meaning to email Lectrolux to see if there's something I should be doing to stop the slime, but haven't got round to it yet!

Wipe it down with kitchen towel after a wash (not every wash but a couple of times a week). Always leave the door ajar to allow it to dry after use.
You'll need to give it a good clean now to get it clean; just use a soft wet cloth and it should come off fairly easily.

Failing that, a new door seal can be obtained from a domestic appliance engineer for probably around a tenner and is very easy to fit yourself.

Oh, and cut down on the amount of detergent you use. If you are in a soft water area, you can reduce the recommended amount on the packet by 50%, hard water by 25% and it will still get clothes clean if your machine is as efficient as it should be.

More information on cleaning and maintaining here: www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=161

www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=161

grr

What make is it ? - have read lots of reports with this problem on hotpoints too.

I've had this problem with my Bosch machine. I got rid of most of it with bleach - lots just sitting in the seal for an hour or so, then a hot wash with some more bleach thrown in. Best then to do a white wash in case any bleach is still in there.

Prevention - I move the seal to drain the water out of it after a wash, as it tends to pool; and I don't use liquid any more, powder instead. It's building up again, very slowly, but doesn't need treating yet.

Thanks for the replies, I've been away last week.

Anyway its a Hotpoint and I have recently changed from using powder to liquid so think I will try going back to powder as well.

Will try giving it a good scrub tomorrow.