Customer Questions and Answers for Washer Door Bellow Seal by Whirlpool

Hello Maricela, The odor produced in the front load machines is the by-product of a bacterial action. This tends to develop more strongly in units where the customer only washes in cold water and uses very little if any bleach. The hot water and bleach actually kills the bacteria and prevents the formation of the odor. Excessive use of fabric softener adds to the issue since fabric softener is made of 80% to 90% animal fat. People who think they will cover the smell with the fragrance of the softener are feeding the bacteria and when the bacteria count spikes, the smell gets even worse. The bacterial action is not just on the door boot but on the entire inside of the unit, (outside of spin basket, inside of outer tub, sump and pump area, etc...). Of course there is no way to kill all of the bacteria, but it can be controlled by running either a sanitation cycle with hot water and bleach or white vinegar or by running at least two hot washes per week with bleach. You should run a sanitation cycle initially to help control the odor. You can also use one of the cleaners made for this purpose such as Affresh W10501250.