How to Check Your Front-Load Washer Gasket for Mold

With a front-loader, the door gasket is the usual suspect. LG's support guidance says keeping the washer door closed traps moisture, and mold may form inside the door gasket. Rich sees the same pattern: in his experience every front-load washer develops mold, mildew and odors over time.

So when the smell won't go, check the gasket before anything else.

Regular cleaning is the first line. LG recommends cleaning the gasket at least once a month with a diluted oxygen bleach solution, but your own washer's manual comes first on which products it allows.

Mold that has set into the rubber is a different matter. Rich says it's extremely difficult to remove and that most of the time the gasket has to be replaced. In his words, holding a stained gasket: "this is what mold looks like when you're trying to clean it. And it just won't go away."

That's why Way Beyond Cleaning's Washer/Dryer Renewal Service replaces the gasket instead of scrubbing it. The washer's panels come off, a new factory gasket goes in, and a disinfection process cleans many of the hidden areas where mold and mildew develop. Pricing starts at $379.

If the washer is getting attention, give the dryer some too. Lint collects inside the machine as well as on the screen, and Rich's point is that it restricts airflow and stretches drying times. Rich builds the dryer into the service to clear those hidden lint bottlenecks, which is meant to cut drying times and reduce fire hazards.

The Washer/Dryer Renewal covers the dryer as well: its panels come off, the filter port gets vacuumed and the front and back are cleaned of as much lint as possible. It doesn't include the vent system or the ductwork behind the wall.