Mold in Elite HE3 washer

I know you said you've done everything the manual says to do. I just want to ask a couple troubleshooting questions, if you don't mind, so we can know exactly what has and hasn't happened.

Has the washer door been left open after finishing doing laundry for the day?

Has Affresh or Washer Magic or SmellyWasher been used with any frequency?

Do you use OxyClean or similar products?

Do you use HE detergents (with the little blue oval "he" logo)?

Do you use liquid fabric softeners or detergents with fabric softener in them?

Do you use hot wash cycles fairly regularly (once a week or so)?

Is the room the washer lives in very humid (higher than 55% humidity on a regular basis)?

The answers to these questions can help us prevent further incidents like this for you. In the meantime, I'd suggest getting a few bottles of Washer Magic, or a couple pouches of Affresh tablets, or a container of SmellyWasher and follow the product's instructions for washers with odor.

Hi BlueCrewGuy, thanks for the response.  Yes, we leave the washer open after finishing laundry for the day.  No, we haven't used any special cleaning products, because the manual doesn't recommend using any cleaning products.  No, we do not use OxyClean or similar products, just Tide HE Free detergent.  We have always used only HE detergent in the washer.  No, we do not use any liquid fabric softeners or detergents with fabric softener.  No, we do not use hot cycles regularly, because the manual does not state that this is necessary, it fades our clothes, and it uses less energy (more environmentally responsible) to wash on cold cycle.  No, the room the washer lives in is not humid and is well ventilated. 

So, I'm not sure what we could have done to prevent this.

I am reluctant to use chemicals inside the washer because of my son's and my allergies (that is why we use Tide HE Free), and, given the location of the mold, I am not sure that those chemicals will clean the exterior of the metal basket.  I can only see an inch or two of the affected area through the opening, but from what I can see, the brown stuff is caked on there, and when I sprayed with a strong stream of bleach, it did very little to loosen the stuff. 

Ok, the odds are that it's the lack of use of cleansing products like Affresh or Washer Magic. Even OxyClean helps, because Affresh uses the same active ingredients. Also, never using hot water means the detergent residues stay thicker, and thus cling better to surfaces.

Get yourself a couple packets of Affresh tablets, a couple bottles of Washer Magic, or a container of SmellyWasher and follow the instructions for a washer with odor (use the washer's self-cleaning cycle). Then, use these products as regular maintenance as recommended by the cleansing product manufacturer for at least a year, to maintain a clean washer. After that, you should be able to cut back use to about half as frequent as the cleansing product maker says.

Don't worry about these products for allergies - SmellyWasher and Washer Magic are citric acid products, and Affresh is sodium percarbonate and sodium carbonate. They strip out gunk and leave the washer smelling nice. Good luck!

Hi BlueCrewGuy, will these products get all of the gunk on the exterior of the metal basket?  It looks like it's a place where water isn't really supposed to go (the space is angled so that it doesn't get sprayed or dripped on during a cycle), but depending on the size of the load and the water level, water sometimes gets in there.  Will I need to use a large/sudsy cycle of something in order to ensure that the products will get all the way in that space and around the basket?  Also, the black stuff in the rubber seal and the brown gunk around the washer definitely have mold in them, it's not just buildup of detergent residue.  Will the products kill the mold as well as strip out the gunk?

Also, isn't this something that Sears should have mentioned in the "Washer Care" or "Troubleshooting" sections of the manual?  I'm angry that so many of our clothes already have mildew in them, and upset that we have to bleach and fade the colors in order to get the smell out.  This shouldn't have happened, and we should have been warned about the need for this type of maintenance when we purchased the (very expensive) washing machine.

Thanks for your help, I'm just very upset at Sears and feel that this shouldn't have happened.  The design of the washer seems to be such that water does get in that space, and there isn't enough ventilation for it to get out fast enough to keep stuff from growing in there, even if the door is left open. 

Clean up as much as you can reach on your own with a rag and a 1:10 solution of bleach and warm water. The cleaning products combined with the washer's self-cleaning cycle will take care of everything else. Just follow the instructions on the package and it should be fine with some vigilance. It will strip away the mold and kill it. Affresh and similar products came out after your machine, so it couldn't foresee such products. However, it should say to do a periodic bleach self-clean cycle. Follow my advice and it should - SHOULD - take care of everything.

Oh, I also have more detailed instructions at my blog: randywanat.blogspot.com under "Getting rid of mildew" on the right side.

Hi BlueCrewGuy, the Kenmore Elite HE3 doesn't seem to have a self-cleaning cycle... 

I can't get a rag inside the space, the only thing that will fit is the edge of a paper towel, and even that barely touches the gunk.  If the gunk is the same as the account I read online, as seems likely, then it stretches way back and covers the whole basket, where I can't get to it with anything.

I'm willing to try the cleaners, I'm just hesitant to spend significant time and money (just ordered one and looked at the cost of the other cleaners...) when it seems like what REALLY needs to be done is for Sears to come out and take apart the washer and clean that basket.  Again, it's not a fault of mine, it's the design.  I'm concerned that the way the washer is designed, it doesn't seem like the cleaners will have the opportunity to really get in there and get at the place where the mold is growing.  I'll give it a try.

Hi TexasMom09-

BlueCrew has some great advice on getting your washer clean.  I know how hard that must be to have a mildew smell on your clothes and the concern about how this will affect your allergies.  Let us know how things work out.   I wonder if it isn't worth the price to have a Sears Tech come on out to get it fully cleaned?  Perhaps they can give you a time estimate for that sort of a service call at 1-800-4-MY-HOME?  At least then, you will know the total price to have that taken care of.

some people will not use disposable diapers they want to save the environment.  They use cloth diapers and fail to rinse them really, really well before throwing them in the washer. I had a customer call about the entire family having skin rashes that they couldn't get rid of. Their doctor told them to have the washer taken apart and inspected. She had an infant and was not rinsing the diapers good enough and all that stuff ended up in the washer, contaminating the clothes every time she washed.

 Dear Texasmom09,

My name is Brian and I am part of the Sears Cares escalations team and I have been reading this thread and what BlueCrewGuy says is accurate. It sounds like your concern is that there might be mold or "gunk" where water typically won't go. The buildup should only be where water gets into though. That being said, you listed some other complaints about the cost of the cleaners and the cost of a service call to have a tech come out and clean the unit. We have some options here that we can offer that may be of assistance to you in this. At your convenience, please contact our office at searscares@searshc.com so that we can talk more about what we can do to help. When you have a moment, please send an email. Please provide a contact phone number and the phone number the washer was purchased under (if different than the contact phone number) and we will call you directly. In addition, please provide the screen name (Texasmom09) for reference to this issue and we do look forward to talking to you soon.

 Thank you,

 Brian J.

Senior Case Manager

Sears Cares

Dear Texas Mom - We have a frontload washer as well ... to be honest, I can't remember what kind, a GE I think. We also have mold and mildew issues with the rubber gasket that goes around the inside of the door. It is very gross and it smells awful. We bought ours somewhere else and their care team has told us to do the same thing (bleach solutions, cleaning agents, etc.) and none of them have taken care of the problem. The mold continues to come back and the washer continues to stink. In talking with other Moms (and Dads) that have frontload washers, I have found that all of them - no matter what brand, how much they spent, where they bought it, and how well they take care of it - have the same issues. I've decided to give in and buy a new washer ... and it will NOT be a frontload!!!

Hi All -

Totally agree. I am a clean freak - have always done the bleach and Afresh tabs. I use hot water on every cycle and are clothes do not smell clean. I don't even think it is due to mold I just don't think these washers use enough water. No matter what there will always be some dirty water in the bottom under the basket so if you are washing 5 loads in a row that water does not have time to dry and is being thrown in to your new load. I have about 14 firends that have front loaders all different brands - all have the same problem. What a joke. I'm selling my 1 and a half year old LG on Craigslist.

Wearing clothes that don't smell fresh is disgusting I am heading out tomorrow to buy the top loader that uses the most water and is probably the cheapest. I agree we should conserve for the enviornment but I think this front loader thing is more about looks then conservation. Not to mention it takes about an hour and 20 minutes for one load to wash.

Don't waste your money on service calls or washer cleaners - just go buy a new top loader that is not HE -

Dear Texas Mom, we have a Kenmore Elite Smart Wash Quiet Pak 9 HE 4t, that's now at least 4 yrs old.  My wife and I also noticed a smell in our clothes after washing and more so after trying a True green laundry washing ball (which did not work).  What worked for us was, I put in 1 white towel and bleach then used the sanitary cycle on the machine and we have not had any problems since.

Top-load washers get stinky, too.

http://smellywasher.com/blog/

http://www.managemyhome.com/mmh/answers/Answers.action#l4q110082

http://www.ehow.com/how_4679225_remove-mildew-smells-washing-machine.html

http://www.affresh.com/content.jsp?pageName=faq#/six

If you've ever run your finger along the undersides of the washtub or lid of a top-load washer, or taken the fabric softener cup on the agitator apart, you're familiar with how mildewy a top-load washer can be. It's not as visible, but it's just as pervasive.

Water isn't what prevents mildew; it's dryness, proper use of detergents, not leaving wet clothes in the washer for extended periods of time, and refraining from using liquid fabric softeners that prevent mildew. Europe uses these machines exclusively and if the entire continent stank of mildew, someone would have noticed by now. It's generally user error that causes mildew problems in all styles of washing machines.

The amount of misinformation and misunderstanding regarding these machines is astounding, and, unfortunately, because the technology is new to us, the inclination is to believe the machine is at fault, whether it's true or not. Human psychology is rarely rational, but it is consistent.

I just talked to the large appliance guy at my local Sears store and he said he was unaware of any mold problem. He then told me it might be a good idea to leave the door open. I asked him why i would do that if there is no mold problem. He then said some people have said they have a slight mold problem. I then reminded him he just told me there was no mold problem he was aware of and if that be so, why should I leave my door open at all. He then began an olympic backstroke of epic proportion that hasn't ever been seen. Ultimately he became very irritated and said he was a busy man and if there was nothing else I needed, then I should have a good day and thank you for shopping at Sears. I then pointed out to the man that he had just lied to me and that is when he introduced me to his associate... Mr. Dial Tone....thanks for your proffessional help Mr. Sears guy. Rest assured you have my last dollar and I hope to spread the good word about your wonderful attitude & service skills.

Thanks everyone for the responses.

terryf, we have never used cloth diapers, so that's not the issue. 

strikerpup, I can't believe that happened.  Did you get a name?  I would be calling the store/district manager...

TexasDad, I tried washing towels with massive amounts of bleach, and while it dulled the smell temporarily, it didn't strip away the brown gunk, and the smell came back.  Unfortunately our model doesn't seem to have any sort of cleaning/sanitary cycle.

Brian, thanks for your note, I will be e-mailing you in a few moments.

BlueCrewGuy, thanks again for your help, but I am striking out on the solutions you recommended.  I've done 6 tablets of Affresh so far (two packets), and while the washer had a clean/detergent-y smell afterward, there was still a faint earthy smell, which came back full force after a couple of loads of normal laundry.  The Affresh doesn't seem to have done anything to strip away the brown gunk which is still visible.  I've also run 5 loads with liberal use of SmellyWasher (nearly half a bottle), and the smell has become worse (according to their website, this is a good sign?), but the visible brown gunk is still there.  The part I can see through the crack is the coating on the lip/rim of outside of the barrel, where the water doesn't actually sit -- apparently it's a place where moisture can make mold grow, but the chemicals can't get to it to clean?  It's disgusting, it still smells disgusting, I've spent hours trying to get it clean with bleach and these two cleaners, and we still have mold.  Brian, I am really hoping that you have a good solution, because we are upset.

Also, BlueCrewGuy, not to argue, but I've personally owned 3 top loading washers in my life and have used several owned by friends & family, and I have never once experienced a problem with smells/mold in a top loading washer. 

Smelly Washer's suggestion that increased stink is a positive sign is correct. As the gunk is stripped away, it becomes more exposed and releases more of its odor.

I wonder...your washer has the water heater inside it, right? Are you using that setting (whitest whites or sanitary)? Heat helps loosen the gunk, along with helping kill it.

I also have an unconventional, but potentially helpful, suggestion: there's a product called OralBreeze, which is an oral irrigation product. It attaches to showerheads or sinks, and has a steady, potentially powerful stream that is concentrated through a nozzle handle. You may be able to use this to kind of pressure wash the insides, if you have a sink nearby (you may need to get a separate piece of tubing to be long enough). I can't promise it wlll work, but it's a great way to reach farther inside the machine to places you can't get your fingers. The product is available online, and is rather inexpensive (and can be used for its intended purpose afterward).

Good luck!

Hi BlueCrewGuy, yes, we are using the hottest water setting with the SmellyWasher product (the bottle says this on the instructions).  Our washer doesn't have a cleaning/sanitary setting.

I just looked at the oral & shower breeze products -- it is a good idea, but it looks like the longest extension hose is 6 feet, and we would need about 20.  Also, there are only a couple of inches of gunk visible through the crack, and I have to imagine the gunk extends (and may even be worse) beyond where I can see or a stream/spray could reach.  After seeing the limited effects of the Affresh & SmellyWasher on the visible gunk around the lip/rim of the barrel, I'm increasingly concerned about the back of the barrel, which is the area that the person I found on the web, mentioned above, found significant mold.  I can't take any chances with my son's and my health; we're currently on our second set of sinus infections in 2 months, and we've been referred to an allergist for my son's repeated problems.

I'm also not able to spend much longer cleaning this myself.  My husband and I are both attorneys, and time is in short supply.  We are at the point where we feel we've done everything we can be expected to do on our own, have followed the instructions in the manual from the beginning, and are facing potential health consequences.  If this is a problem that could have been prevented, instructions should have been included in the manual.  Sears needs to come and remedy the problem. 

Hey TexasMom-Did you end up contacting SearsCares to see if there was anything they were able to do to remedy this situation?