Many people think of their washing machine as a self-cleaning appliance.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case. You may notice after a few months of use that the rubber rings in you washing machine appear to have stains and that your clothes smell a little funky. This is a sign that your appliance may be contaminated with mold.
This is the same humidity-loving mold that can plague your bathroom and kitchen over time.
Why You Should Clean Your Washing Machine
Molds are fungi that can cause inflammation in your respiratory tract.
Allergic reactions are the most common health effects of mold.
Common symptoms include (1) :
- Wheezing
- Rash
- Watery eyes
- Runny nose
- Itchy eyes
- Coughing
- Red eyes
Mold exposure has also been linked to the onset of asthma in children. Spores also have the ability to penetrate into the lungs and cause infection (2).
Front loading washing machine are more prone to mold. In fact, there have been many complaints of chronic mold contamination in popular front-loaders built until the late 2000s by Whirlpool, Kenmore, Bosch and LG (3).