In message , "[news]" writes
Lawrence Milbourn wrote:
Yesterday my wife took out the soap dispenser drawer in our Hotpoint washing
machine and was horrified to see black mould-like yuck growing down from the
water inlets. It's been scrubbed but there are still signs of it.

1) Is it mould?

yes. it's probably a slime mould and we have it in the fabric softener section
of our washing machine. it's harmless as long as you don't eat it and will not
do any damage to your clothing. it does look a bit manky tho.


Slime moulds are mobile, intelligent and really cool. Your washing
machine isn't a stimulating enough environment for them.

Probably the growth is Aspergillus niger, it's very common in damp
places indoors.
If you have a sanguine temperament, just wipe it off every now and then.
If you love health scares, google on the name and you'll find all sorts
of stuff it can cause but usually doesn't.

--
Sue ];(