Grosser than gross: my washer!

So...I kept noticing that the detergent area of my washer (the typical 3 section drawer) was getting a little mouldy around the edges.  So today, I decided to yank it out and hose it down.  And then I noticed the entire surrounding area -- where the drawer slides in -- is grosser than gross.  It's totally black and nasty and yuck.  I got a lot out with paper towels and such, but what would best get rid of this revolting mould farm?  Bleach? 

We're in a rental and who knows how many years of grime is involved there.  The washer in our last place didn't get mouldified like that at all.

Suggestions?

I would definitely go with bleach.  It will help repel a second onslaught of the mould as well, I think.  Just from a "better safe than sorry" stand point, I would also wear gloves. Yuck!
I hate mould! And it's even worse when you just happen upon it and then have to imagine how long it has been colonizing.

Yeah, just use bleach, and you might want to sacrifice a toothbrush to make sure to get it out of all the nooks.

We make sure to keep the drawer open for a bit after we use the washing machine so that it dries out. That helps prevent it from coming back.

Thanks to both of you!  I'm sure the mould extends to places I can't see -- do you think it's okay to run a super hot cycle with just bleach, rather than detergent?  (and then probably a second one as a rinse, to keep me from destroying my clothes)  I've not used bleach in a washer since I've been here (a year), and am not sure if it might do anything bad to the washer itself.

I'm definitely going to sacrifice a toothbrush, too.  Oh, man.  I should have taken a picture.  It was horrible.  *shudder*

Thanks again!

Ah, the evil black mo(u)ld! On the soap dispenser it can divert jets of water to the front and cause water to leak from the soap drawer. Therefore don't overlook the top of the dispenser compartment where the water comes in and use a suitable scourer to remove it. Black mould can release spores and these can affect allergic people so if you know you are liable to this maybe you should wear goggles and a mask when scrubbing.

Using mostly low temperature washes, and using washing machine detergent that doesn't contain bleach causes black mould, which thrives in warm moist places.

I think doing a maintenance wash once a month is a good idea. As this is a rental machine, maybe previous users neglected this. Many washing machine manufacturers advise this in their instruction books. This is particularly important if you mostly use low temperature washes and/or liquid detergent, and other washing machine detergent without bleaching agents such as colour friendly detergent.

This involves putting the washing machine on the hottest (e.g. boil) wash with only the detergent inside, no laundry. If you normally use a washing machine detergent that doesn't contain bleach, then buy some detergent that does and use it for your maintenance washes.(look for something like "bleaching agents" in the ingredients. I would not put actual liquid bleach in the washing machine) This will help kill off bacteria and prevent black mould and grease.

I always pull out that little drawer and give it a good scrubbing whenever I remember - probably every week or so.

I'm going to have to check mine! Yuck!!!!

I too just pop it out and give it a good clean, sometimes I run it through the dishwasher on a quick wash.

In addition to the advice given, I'd suggest you wipe the drum and seal after you run it (I keep an old t-shirt near the machine for this), and leave the door open for an hour or two after a wash.  Adding white vinegar to the wash (bit in the soap compartment, a bit in the softener) will help keep scale build up down and help soften and freshen your wash.  Personally, I wouldn't bother with the bleach (at least after the initial clean up of the mould), but run a load every two weeks (or even every week if I was having a lot of mould) with a hot run and white vinegar in all the compartments.

They sell this stuff called "service it" or something.  Normally, I wouldn't bother with it, but my mother in law really used a lot of crap detergent in the machine (and wouldn't dream of using Calgon or vinegar), so in order to keep the machine functional, I used to use it about once a month.  Usually they have a break-down within six months with a new machine, and a machine usually only lasts a couple of years.  We managed to avoid any breakdowns for a year and a half by using that regularly in a really cheap machine we picked up after my MiL's expensive machine broke down after 3 years.  It might not hurt to use that to get it clean the first time you clean your machine.  It's only about 3 quid, and it has pretty clear instructions.  

Good luck!

For limescale buildup I use soda crystals:
http://www.dripak.co.uk/
Once a month I will run a 95 degree wash with soda crystals.  They are quite cheap as well. 
For cleaning the drawer area of the washer I take it out and give a good scrub with hot water. 
I've also found that using white vinegar with some essential oils (I use tea tree or lavender) as a fabric softener works and doesn't lead to build up in the softener drawer.  I buy bulk vinegar from here:
http://www.summernaturals.co.uk/
I believe others have bought it from Asian markets, but I don't have one near me. 

I too always had a build up of black mould in the soap dispenser of my old washing machine.  With my new machine I do not put the liquid detergent in the soap drawer but instead put it in a small plastic cup that came with the detergent and put that directly into the drum of the machine with the clothes.  I've had no mould at all so once you get your machine clean you might want to try it this way to avoid future build-up

great, now im going to have to check mine 

The instructions that came with ours said to run it periodically with a boil wash and non-bio detergent.  When I remember, I also use vinegar in it, but it's a little bit of a pain to find in large enough quantities around here.  Yet another reason why some days I wish I could just teleport to wal-mart for a few hours...sigh.