The rubber seal around the door of my venerable AEG washing machine
seems to leave dirt on clothes, despite being cleaned vigorously.
Can anyone suggest a way of cleaning the seal?

--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail: gayleard /at/ eircom.net
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

On Nov 22, 3:17*am, Timothy Murphy wrote:
The rubber seal around the door of my venerable AEG washing machine
seems to leave dirt on clothes, despite being cleaned vigorously.
Can anyone suggest a way of cleaning the seal?

--
Timothy Murphy *
e-mail: gayleard /at/ eircom.net
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

It has perished. They all do after a while. The next thing it will
develope a hole. See if you can get a new one.

"harry" wrote in message
...
On Nov 22, 3:17 am, Timothy Murphy wrote:
The rubber seal around the door of my venerable AEG washing machine
seems to leave dirt on clothes, despite being cleaned vigorously.
Can anyone suggest a way of cleaning the seal?

--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail: gayleard /at/ eircom.net
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

It has perished. They all do after a while. The next thing it will
develope a hole. See if you can get a new one.



Awful pain to replace though: make sure you have the Haynes manual to help.

S

On Nov 23, 12:03*am, "Spamlet" wrote:
"harry" wrote in message

...
On Nov 22, 3:17 am, Timothy Murphy wrote:

The rubber seal around the door of my venerable AEG washing machine
seems to leave dirt on clothes, despite being cleaned vigorously.
Can anyone suggest a way of cleaning the seal?

--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail: gayleard /at/ eircom.net
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

It has perished. *They all do after a while. *The next thing it will
develope a hole. *See if you can get a new one.

Awful pain to replace though: make sure you have the Haynes manual to help.

S

Nah. On most machines quite simple. Take the top off the machine.
The rubber "door seal" is actually a large diameter tube linking the
tub to the shell of the machine. There is a long wire "hose clip"like
device secures the rubber thing to the tub. On the shell end it has a
moulded section that folds onto a rim, relies on the glass door to
keep it in position. You need to make sure the rubbery thing is
correctly seated at both ends but apart from things being a bit tight
no problems. It helps to have th machine tilted back so there is a bit
more clearance between the tub and the shell. Sometimes taking the
back off the machine too lets the tub go even further back to create
more space at the front.

On Nov 22, 3:17*am, Timothy Murphy wrote:

Can anyone suggest a way of cleaning the [door] seal?

Quick wipe with a cloth with a bit of bleach on it.

If that doesn't do it any more, it's because the surface of the rubber
is starting to break down and it's no longer mechanically smooth. As
Harry says, that's an indicator it's time to change it.

Expect a relatively simple job in theory, but requiring powerful
thumbs and a rubber seal that has to be thoroughly sworn into place.
Some machines are easy, some not so. Parts are £10+ Do be careful not
to jab tools through the seal when fitting - easier than you'd think!

Andy Dingley wrote:


Can anyone suggest a way of cleaning the [door] seal?

Quick wipe with a cloth with a bit of bleach on it.

If that doesn't do it any more, it's because the surface of the rubber
is starting to break down and it's no longer mechanically smooth.

Thanks for the advice.
Actually the surface seems quite smooth,
so I'll try your bleach suggestion first.

I'm not quite sure what kind of bleach you are suggesting?
There seems to be a huge range, from mild to dangerously active.
But hopefully the wife will know ...



--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail: gayleard /at/ eircom.net
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

On Nov 22, 2:12*pm, Timothy Murphy wrote:
I'm not quite sure what kind of bleach you are suggesting?
There seems to be a huge range, from mild to dangerously active.
But hopefully the wife will know ...
There is a product called 'dr beckmanns' from the supermarkets for a
few quid. Wipe the seal with it, clean the draw in diluted solution
then bung the rest in a 90c wash. It might be a waste of money and
marketing hype but I've used it a few times and washing machine
doesn't pong or have black mould in the drawer. Also use calgon-esque
tablets as its a hard water area.

http://www.dr-beckmann.co.uk/product...chine-cleaner/

Dave.

On Nov 22, 2:12*pm, Timothy Murphy wrote:

I'm not quite sure what kind of bleach you are suggesting?
There seems to be a huge range, from mild to dangerously active.

Most household bleaches are hypochlorite bleaches, but in varying
strengths, I'd use (for sheer convenience) some supermarket own-brand
Milton, just because it's nearby and in a ready diluted form in the
bottle. If you use something stronger (feel free), you obviously have
to remove all traces before washing.

On Nov 22, 2:12*pm, Timothy Murphy wrote:

I'm not quite sure what kind of bleach you are suggesting?


While you're about it, pull the soap tray out and do that too. Don't
dishwash it though, they warp!

Expect a relatively simple job in theory, but requiring powerful
thumbs and a rubber seal that has to be thoroughly sworn into place.
Some machines are easy, some not so. Parts are £10+ Do be careful not
to jab tools through the seal when fitting - easier than you'd think!

Flow-Plast silicone spray lubricant: brilliant for fitting gutters, push-fit
waste pipe, and all other sorts of seals that need to be slid into place.

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On Nov 22, 3:17 am, Timothy Murphy wrote:

Can anyone suggest a way of cleaning the [door] seal?

Quick wipe with a cloth with a bit of bleach on it.

If that doesn't do it any more, it's because the surface of the rubber
is starting to break down and it's no longer mechanically smooth. As
Harry says, that's an indicator it's time to change it.

Expect a relatively simple job in theory, but requiring powerful
thumbs and a rubber seal that has to be thoroughly sworn into place.
Some machines are easy, some not so. Parts are £10+ Do be careful not
to jab tools through the seal when fitting - easier than you'd think!


You were lucky I think: our Electrolux was a real pain as there was no room
for fingers and it did indeed require a lot of swearing and bruises. Also
difficult to be sure of ordering exactly the right one. Our seal has a
built in outlet for a water recirculation pipe whose retaining clip was all
but impossible to get at.

If you do replace, take the opportunity of cleaning all the other pipes and
the pumps too as they will almost certainly be full of crud.

S