How to get mould out of a washing machine
Unplug if you need to get into the filter, wipe the seal folds, clean the drawer, run a hot clean cycle if the maker allows it, then leave the door and drawer open to dry. First Light is the treatment for the mould you can see in the rubber seal. Lab tested: 99.2% on direct contact.
Where the mould actually sits
In an Australian front-loader it is usually the folds of the grey door gasket, the detergent drawer, and the lint filter. Top-loaders still get a sour drum, but the seal folds are the front-loader scene most people are looking at.
Clean the rubber seal and the drawer
Get a cloth into every fold. Treat the rubber you can wipe. Spot-test the seal. Do not pour a bowl of oil into the drum. The clothes themselves are a fabric job, on how to get rid of mould on fabric.
Treat the seal you can see
First Light on the rubber folds and the drawer. Lab tested: 99.2% on direct contact. Leave the door ajar when you are done. The Protection Kit is only for a laundry that itself stays shut and damp, not as a washing-machine accessory.
Shop First Light, from A$39.99 Shop the Protection Kit, from A$79.98
The hot clean cycle, and what not to mix
Follow the appliance maker. Do not mix bleach and vinegar. Vinegar as a method has its own page, vinegar for mould. We do not sell a washing-machine tablet.
Stop it coming back
Leave the door and the drawer ajar, empty the machine, and do not leave wet washing overnight. If the laundry room is the wet problem, treat the room. Dishwashers and fridge seals are separate guides.
The machine is only half of it. Read how to prevent mould in laundry areas for the rest of the room.
Questions people ask
What is the best washing machine mould remover?
The one you will use on the rubber seal folds, not only a tablet in an empty drum. First Light is the treatment we use on the mould you can wipe. Lab tested: 99.2% on direct contact. Then leave the door ajar.
Is the smell coming from the machine or the laundry?
Often both. Clean the seal first. If the room itself stays wet and still, treat the room as well.
Can I use bleach in a front loader?
Only as the appliance maker allows, and never mixed with vinegar or other cleaners. Bleach is also hard on some rubber seals. Read the manual first.
Aurala is a Gold Coast business. Shop First Light.
