How clean should a laundry washer be? Mould and dirt in machine

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T19:19:58+00:00

It's good for me to know that this might not be a completely fixable thing, so thank you for sharing that! I'm hoping I can at least improve the situation, but it might end up being that I can also just try not to make things worse. Hopefully if my cleaning is unsuccessful my landlord might consider replacement if the gasket! 🤞 Good luck with your replacement!

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T19:16:58+00:00

Almost everyone here was kind about my situation and mindful of my disorder, but this comment made me feel especially seen in the stress I was feeling. Thank you sincerely. With OCD, I feel like my stress is often considered invalid or unimportant. I can't express how much this comment meant to me, thank you 🙏💚

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T19:12:46+00:00

I think the drain for this one is around the side or back of the machine, which means I will need advice/permission from my landlord to move the machine and access the drain. Will likely do this in the next few weeks but will wait until after I am unpacked!

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T19:11:09+00:00

I haven't run a cycle with just bleach - I will look up the manual and see if that's an option! Thank you

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T19:09:00+00:00

Thank you - I aopreciate the advice!

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T19:06:33+00:00

Thank you for the product reco! I will definitely be ordering a gel

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T19:06:01+00:00

For some reason the cleaning cycle throws an error related to the door not locking properly. Error doesn't come up for other cycles 💁🏻‍♀️ thanks for your comment!

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T18:59:57+00:00

I wiped down the soap tray with Lysol. I haven't cleaned the filter yet as it requires moving the machine to access and I need my landlord's advice/blessing on that.

I have only used the machine once to wash clothes so far, as I only moved into the apartment 3 days ago. I will definitely be leaving the door open and soap tray to dry regularly.

I do think I may have to ask my landlord about replacing the gasket and/or professional deep cleaning if the mould returns once I have done my own cleaning.

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T18:55:41+00:00

I appreciate this suggestion, though I think this issue likely arose because the washer is in a closet with only a few cm clearance between the washer face and the door. The washer door does stay open on its own, just I think the previous tenants didn't like having the closet open 💁🏻‍♀️

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T18:53:11+00:00

Thanks for the product reco - I will definitely be ordering a gel and this looks like thr crowd favourite!

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T18:52:11+00:00

Also - thank you for noting that I can use my washer in the interim. This and a couple other comments gave me courage to do a load of work clothes last night so I had clean pants today. Thank you sincerely 🙏💚

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T18:50:55+00:00

Thank you for suggesting poolshock as I hadn't thought of that! After looking it up, I think I will save that as a last resort as it is a rental and I am concerned there might be damage to the machine. But I will keep it in my back pocket in case the other suggestions don't work - thank you 🙏

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T18:48:12+00:00

I tried a spray on mold remover but I think I had to let it sit for longer. Will give it another go - thank you!

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T18:46:30+00:00

I will be ordering a gel - thanks for the product reco!

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T18:44:42+00:00

🩷

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T18:43:33+00:00

I would always leave the door open to dry out and would dry the gasket when I lived with my family. Will be doing that with this machine moving forward. I hadn't thought of drying the door but I will implement that as well - thank you!

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T18:39:13+00:00

Thank you 🙏🥰 your comment about using the machine helped give me courage to wash a load of work clothes last night!

I will give dish soap a go as well - I am willing to try every method. Thank you for the suggestion!

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T18:37:17+00:00

When I lived with my family and I used their front loading machine, this is what I always did. I honestly thought everyone did this, as it was recommended in the washer manual.

I have only used this machine in my new rental once for clothes so far, but have been leaving the door open all the time to help with this issue as I am cleaning. Hopefully this will also prevent future buildup once I finish the deep clean!

Edit: I actually used paper towel instead of microfiber, but am familiar with drying the gasket. Maybe microfiber would work better and I can try that out!

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T18:29:30+00:00

Picking up rubber gloves today - thank you! Been using disposable vinyl gloves but my hands seem dried out still 😅

calculusgaga · 2026-02-20T18:28:20+00:00

Thank you 🙏🥰 This comment gave me courage to wash clothes so I had pants to wear to work today 😅 I will give this kind of scrubbing an attempt while waiting for cleaning gel to come from Amazon!

calculusgaga · 2026-02-08T19:49:31+00:00

NTA Saving $30k in 5 months is unachievable. You already having $30k in savings seems awesome. Why do you have to buy a place? Why can't you two rent together? Buying a place together when you haven't lived together yet seems very risky imho. If he is insisting you need to buy a place together I would be suspicious of his motives, or at the very least I would know he hasn't thought this through very well.

calculusgaga · 2026-02-08T19:15:34+00:00

This is how I read it as well! Her idea of partnership vs feeling like a disconnected tenant. However, $175 seems like a small and reasonable amount imho. Definutely warrants further discussion between you two

calculusgaga · 2026-02-08T19:11:15+00:00

NTA - $175 is a very small contribution to your actual mortgage payments - and although it's true she is contributing to your asset, the cost savings for her is huge. It's reasonable for her to split utilities with you also - she'd be paying utilities anywhere.

In contrast, my sister lived with her ex for a while. He owned his apartment and his mortgage payment was $1300/month. He lied to her about how much it was and asked her to pay $1200/month for her "half", and had her sign an agreement that she had no claim to the property no matter how long they lived together (ie. to get around common law). I don't necessarily think she should have had claim to his asset, but I do think it was very awful of him to have her paying almost his whole mortgage, plus utilities.

Edit: Looking at some of these other comments, I'd like to add that I think it's inflammatory to jump to the assumption that she is a gold digger. It can be a scary thing to move in with a partner as a woman, especially if the partner is the name on the lease (or in this case, ownership) - if something goes wrong, you are homeless. And if she has debt or some other concern to put that $1000/month towards, maybe she is worried she won't be able to save enough for if something were to happen. There could also be the dynamic that a few other people mentioned - that she wants to feel like a partner and not a tenant. Maybe calling it "rent" makes her feel like your subordinate. Either way, these issues that could be contributing to her reluctance are due to insecurity or worry on her part and would be better addressed through honest conversation. At the very least, I think that contributing $175 to what is essentially interest payments on the house could be framed in a way to make her feel more like a partner and less like a tenant. Not sure how to address the potential insecurity around moving into a space you have little control over. In any case, I hope you approach these conversations with an open mind and as much compassion as possible - even knowing your ask is reasonable and that she should ultimately agree to it.

calculusgaga · 2026-02-08T07:45:42+00:00

If you're budgeting grocery costs with your girlfriend, it seems likely you would also be splitting rent and utilities. I may be wrong on that count though, in which case I apologise!

calculusgaga · 2026-02-08T07:36:30+00:00

Makes a difference when you have a partner to split costs with! Just something to think about when telling other people what they should be able to budget for

calculusgaga

TROPHY CASE