On 2017-12-06, wrote:

On Wednesday, 6 December 2017 20:18:13 UTC, JoeJoe wrote:

We have a 4 year old Samsung washing machine (Eco Bubble Quiet Drive
WF0804W8E I think it is called). It has been used every couple of days
or so since new without any problem.
When we came back from a 2 week holiday away in October I noticed quite
a bad mouldy smell coming from its direction. I removed the dispenser
tray and found that behind its housing was mouldy and black. I cleaned
the area as best as I could and then ran the machine on max temperature
on empty. I also cleaner the filter.
Unfortunately the smell is still there and it seems to come from inside
the hole into which the detergent and conditioner are fed into the
machine. I hope that makes sense, but I put a couple of photos here just
in case:
http://tinypic.com/r/10gwoit/9
http://tinypic.com/r/ilhhyo/9

(note that the black marks in the photos have been thoroughly scraped
and would simply not go away).
....
Wipe around the soap dispensing area with bleach. Put it in the
drawer if the machine is bleach compatible, not all are. A monthly
boiling hot wash really helps, alternately with a tb of citric acid
or washing soda. If not bleachable, doses of some other bleach
killer down the chute would help. Also clean the folds of the door
rubber, that tends to build up lots of mould.

I plan to experiment with fitting copper wire in the soap drawer, see if that prevents its growth.

The problem I've had is with black mould in the *top* of the slot that
the drawer goes into. I've managed to get it fairly clean (although
it's awkward) & I'm maintaining it by spraying distilled vinegar into
the slot & the drawer most mornings [1] after I take the laundry out.

How much copper wire "coverage" would you need to have the desired
effect? (I thought copper was more antibacterial than antifungal,
TBH.)



[1] Of course, I forgot today, now that I've said that.