How To Clean Mold From A Front Load Washer Gasket

Nick Durante
by Nick Durante

Front-load washers have made it easier than ever to do your laundry, and they’re a modern convenience. Nothing is more frustrating and scary than when you find mold in your front-load washer, even if it’s only on the gasket. Many homeowners struggle with how to clean mold from a front-load washer gasket.

Run bleach through your washing machine in the highest water temperature setting. You can also pour vinegar into the soap dispenser and drum and run a cycle with hot water. Scrub your front-load washer gasket with isopropyl alcohol or a paste made of vinegar, hot water, and baking soda to clean the mold.

You can also find a wide variety of mold killer sprays such as Moldex that you can apply directly to the gasket. Never combine vinegar with bleach when you clean mold from a front-load washer gasket because it’s dangerous. Follow along as we explore how to clean mold from a front-load washer gasket with household items and special products.

How do you get Mold off the Rubber Seal on a Front Load Washer?

You can clean mold from a front-load washer gasket with household items like vinegar and bleach. It’s important to exercise caution when you clean mold from a washer gasket because it’s harmful to inhale bleach and the chemicals found in mold killer sprays. Let’s take a look at the best ways to clean mold from a front-load washer gasket.

1. Run Your Washer

Household items like bleach are enough to clean mold from a front-load washer gasket in many cases. If there is mold on your washer gasket, it is likely a sign that there is mold throughout the rest of the unit. You can clean mold from the gasket and the rest of your front-load washer if you run a cycle with bleach.

Set your water to the hottest setting and pour bleach into the soap dispenser and drum. Pour 1 cup into the soap dispenser and another into the drum so that it can circulate throughout the washer. The combination of bleach and hot water will kill the majority of the mold in your front load washer.

This will make it much easier to manually remove mold from the gasket and even in the drum. You can repeat this process a few times until it works, but make sure to run a cycle with just water to get rid of any bleach remnants.

2. Clean it With Vinegar

Vinegar is acidic which makes it the perfect household item that you can use to remove mold. Granted, it isn’t always strong enough to kill mold in extreme cases. Luckily, vinegar is just strong enough to clean mold from a front-load washer gasket.

You can either spray the vinegar directly onto the washer gasket or apply it with a cloth. The only downside to spraying it is that you may spray more vinegar than needed and it will seep into the washer. Spray or rub the vinegar onto the washer gasket and let it sit for an hour.

After an hour, scrub the gasket with more vinegar and then wait for it to dry. The vinegar should have killed the mold and made it easier to scrub off by this point. You can speed things up with a dry washcloth or a ceiling fan.

3. Run a Vinegar Cycle

Run a washer cycle with vinegar if manually cleaning the gasket wasn’t enough. Much like bleach, vinegar can help clean and remove mold throughout your washer. Pour vinegar into the soap dispenser and drum for the best results.

Afterward, you need to run a cycle that is strictly hot water to flush the vinegar out of the machine. This is important because vinegar odors will linger and the smell can be overwhelming. White vinegar is the best option

The 5% acetic acid content of white vinegar will kill mold in your washer and prevent it from spreading. You can do this process before or after you run a load of bleach and hot water to maximize results. Don’t combine bleach with vinegar, however, because it can create dangerous chlorine gas. This can cause respiratory problems and even death after prolonged exposure.

4. Baking Soda & Vinegar

Combine baking soda and vinegar to create a paste that you can use to scrub the mold off of the washer gasket. This is more effective than using strictly vinegar in many cases if the gasket is covered with mold. Mix 5 parts vinegar and 5 parts water to 1 part baking soda in a bottle or jar.

Dip a brush or cloth into the paste and brush it onto the gasket. Scrub the paste in with the brush or a separate cloth to weaken and kill the mold. Soak a cloth in hot water and scrub the paste off of the gasket after 10-15 minutes. Pat the gasket dry and let it air out for an hour.

5. Isopropyl Alcohol

Most people know isopropyl alcohol as rubbing alcohol, and it’s a great way to kill mold. Isopropyl alcohol comes in several different strengths, and anything over 90% is the best option. You can clean mold from a front-load washer gasket with 70% isopropyl alcohol, but the 30% water content makes it less effective.

Simply soak a rag or cloth in some 90%-99% isopropyl alcohol and scrub the washer gasket. Try to wear a mask or covering of some kind during this process. You don’t want to breathe in the isopropyl alcohol or the mold.

Mold can dissipate into the air as you clean it which is how it spreads. Luckily, the isopropyl alcohol should kill most of the mold, but it’s dangerous to inhale even minuscule amounts of mold.

6. Mold Killer Spray

Today, there are countless mold and mildew killer sprays available at home and hardware stores. Many homeowners choose to save their money and forego a special spray because of how many household items they can use, such as vinegar and bleach. Mold killer sprays contain a variety of chemicals, such as bleach, borax, formaldehyde, iodine, and hydrogen peroxide.

Exercise caution anytime that you use mold killer spray because the chemicals are dangerous to ingest. Brands such as Moldex and even Lysol produce reliable sprays that you can use to clean mold. Simply spray the solution onto the gasket and wait to scrub it for as long as the bottle says.

Do all Front Loaders Have Mold Problems?

Unfortunately, mold problems are quite common for front-load washers. Front-load washers experience mold problems because of how much humidity remains in the drum. It’s easier for soap and scum to accumulate in a front-load washer than in a top-load washer.

Currently, 15% of front-load washer owners experience problems with mold. You can reduce the risk if you leave the door open for up to an hour after you run a cycle. This isn’t enough to completely mitigate the risk of mold, but it can certainly help.

It’s hard to get rid of moisture in a front-load washer because the drum takes longer to dry out. Avoid leaving wet loads of clothes in a front-load washer for too long or the risk of mold increases significantly. It’s also easier for the gasket to retain wet debris and soap scum that will eventually contribute to the growth of mold and mildew.

Summing it Up

Pour bleach into the soap dispenser and drum of your front-load washer. Run a hot cycle to kill the mold and scrub the mold off of the front-load washer gasket with a wet rag. You can also soak a rag in vinegar and scrub the gasket to kill and remove the mold.

Another option is to pour vinegar into the drum and soap dispenser and run one or two cycles. Make sure to run another cycle of hot water or else your washing machine will smell like vinegar for days. You can also spray vinegar directly onto the gasket and let it sit for an hour before you scrub it.

Soak a rag in isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and scrub the gasket until the mold is gone. Wear a mask if you do this so that you don’t inhale mold spores. Otherwise, you can buy a mold killer spray such as Moldex and spray the gasket to kill the mold.

Related Guides

Nick Durante
Nick Durante

Nick Durante is a professional writer with a primary focus on home improvement. When he is not writing about home improvement or taking on projects around the house, he likes to read and create art. He is always looking towards the newest trends in home improvement.

More by Nick Durante

Next