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Preventing Mold in Your Washing Machine

Cleaning, DIY, Mold Prevention, Washing Machine

Preventing Mold in Your Washing Machine

Mold thrives in dark and damp conditions, making your washing machine an ideal environment for its growth. Mold also loves hiding in hard to reach spots such as seals, gaskets and the detergent dispenser – providing itself an opportunity for growth!

Removing laundry quickly from the washer and allowing it to air dry is an effective way of avoiding mold growth, as is regularly cleaning your washing machine.

1. Keep the Door Open

Opening up the washer door after each wash helps prevent mildew and mold growth, as this allows airflow into areas such as gasket, tub and drawer where detergent is added – which tend to accumulate organic residue – helping dry these out before being exposed to another hot wash that provides little airflow. Doing this also reduces the likelihood of the machine overheating during operation, creating the ideal conditions for mold growth after long hot cycles with no airflow available for circulation.

To give your front-loading washer its best chance at a long and healthy life, regular maintenance must take place. Mold and mildew not only look unpleasant but can irritate skin conditions as well as cause coughs and sneezes; symptoms that can worsen for children, elderly persons and people with preexisting respiratory ailments.

To protect your laundry from mold and bacteria, it’s essential that your washing machine remains clean by regularly cleaning its interior drum, door and drawers. For optimal results, use a washing machine cleaner product with chemicals specifically formulated to kill mold and fungi, such as vinegar, Borax or hydrogen peroxide; these can be found both at hardware stores as well as online. When running this cycle with maximum water temperature and length – killing as many spores as possible before wiping down both interior of machine as well as door with cloth soaked in your mold-killing solution solution soaked cloth for quick wipedown!

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2. Use the Right Detergent

Mold thrives in warm and damp conditions, such as your washing machine. Over time, moisture accumulation can produce unpleasant odors and damage the machine itself; to keep this from happening again, make sure the door remains open regularly while also cleaning out your detergent dispenser tray regularly.

Leave the door and detergent tray open after each wash cycle to increase air circulation, helping reduce odors and moisture buildup in the machine. Make sure that wet clothes are removed promptly from the washer to avoid pooling of water in it, or use an additive like EC3 Laundry Additive which can remove both odors and dirt from clothing as well as from its own inner workings.

If you use fabric softeners, be sure to choose non-biological options or forgo them altogether as these chemicals can leave behind sticky residue and trap moisture within your washer. Consider wool dryer balls or vinegar as natural solutions as alternatives.

Once every month, run a cleaning cycle to eliminate mold growth and disinfect your washer. According to The Laundry Evangelist, vinegar and Borax (which naturally occur as antifungals) work best as cleaners – pour one cup into each cycle, run them at their longest settings until completed, then wipe down gaskets dispensers seals to kill remaining spores before they return!

3. Maintain Indoor Humidity

One of the best ways to stop mold in your washing machine is keeping humidity levels within your house at low levels – ideally below 60 percent, particularly where laundry and bathing take place. This is especially crucial in areas where these activities take place.

Utilizing a humidifier in the laundry room or other areas prone to high levels of moisture can be helpful. Furthermore, make sure that you regularly inspect and clean your washing machine, especially its seals and dispensers.

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These areas provide ideal breeding grounds for mold growth, as they often do not dry properly after each wash cycle. Opening up the door after each cycle allows air circulation and can help prevent moisture build-up.

Another effective solution for mold in the washer is using a laundry additive designed to kill mold spores. It’s an affordable, fast way of protecting both clothing and lungs from exposure to harmful spores.

Mold can form in days under ideal conditions, so it’s wise to take proactive steps in order to safeguard clothing and lungs against this nuisance. A professional mold inspection may help, with our inspection experts offering their expert insight to assist with decision making in regards to mold.

4. Clean the Detergent Dispenser

Mold spores thrive under any condition; once they find an ideal environment, such as your dark and damp washing machine interior, they can quickly establish themselves and release spores again. When exposed to fresh air they may become airborne, potentially triggering allergic reactions in those breathing them in.

Just a few easy steps can prevent mold growth in your washer. First, always leave the door open after each use to allow air circulation. Also, always remove wet laundry as soon as it becomes damp – as long as that means within an acceptable timeframe – to allow proper drying time. In addition, regularly cleaning your detergent dispenser can prevent an accumulation of detergent residue that supports mold growth; to do this simply take it out from its place within your washing machine and wash with warm soapy water, rinsing thoroughly afterwards and reinserting back in once cleaned!

To keep your washing machine looking and smelling its best, run a cup of bleach through a longer and hotter cycle every month to kill any mold in its drum and hoses. Alternatively, white vinegar and borax may help clean it regularly without creating an odor-causing build-up while prolonging its lifecycle.

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