Where do you find the soap scum? I only blot out the small puddle that accumulates in the gasket at the end of the cycle. I wash in warm all the way to sanitize every week or two. I usually use the extra rinse cycle. I use both liquid and powder detergents. I have a Miele 3033.

A picture would be helpful - don't really understand where that area is supposed to be.

We never, ever get soap SCUM in our Samsung 520 washer. Had it for about 3 years.

My folks bought a FL washer (Duet), and due to stupid-people tricks (my elderly dad doing a few loads, not knowing what he was doing) within less than a month, the washer had a ton of very hard, very thick, residue on the seal and behind it. What a mess.

Moral of the story is don't go crazy with detergent. Both their and my homes have soft water. There really is no reason for a properly functioning FL to get a huge build up of ANYTHING. Even when it's been in use for years.

The line - which every machine is different I suppose, based on inner/outer tub, is the area where water does not really hit it , but it does get water there. Terrible analogy I suppose.

For example, on mine, there is a area that can possibly get buildup with not enough hot washes, as this area does not get *dousing* of water* during a wash cycle, It's like this little indent/lip on the outer tub. In order to see this area, I would peel back the gasket, shine a very bright light to see the cavity space between inner and outer tub.

Dave1812, you are blessed to have your parents. Would give anything to still have mine.

I just peeled back the gasket on my German Duet after three small loads and this is what I saw:

Whirlpool.

It's not the area behind the door gasket.
Between your inner tub *silver* and the outer (plastic or fiberglass), shine a light through that very small opening and start inspecting there....

@chefwong,

Is your water hard or soft?

Super Soft - NYC soft water.

Whirlpool. A better explanation. On your laundry tub, where the perforated holes are - that is where most of the water sits during a wash cycle. If you start looking past that, where the wall of that inner tub starts to form leading all the way to the edge of it - that is the area where you will get water just strictly by nature of agitation and overspray, but not as much as it doesn't really *sit in water* during a wash cycle,

Too many variables, as different makes have different tub designs, etc. For me, that is the scum ring - but it's also due to how my wash cycles are..

I do suspect that while most people are looking at their gasket, how many of ya'll go to great lenghts to check out the cavity I'm referring to....

I'm a OCD clean freak deep down. I have a commercial grade steam cleaner that not only produces steam but allows me to shoot boiling water through the nozzle - I will put the nozzle in that tight cavity and steam clean/send high pressure boiling water through that cavity (after seeing how this a problem prone area) around the entire perimeter of that area. While this cleans the area , nothing beats a sanitize cycle with the overloaded water dosage to really clean it.

You mean the gap where the outer tub and the drum meet? I cannot even shine a flashlight in there - the gap is that small. It does work on my grandma's Miele, though.

My washer, while a Duet, has the European programming on it: cycles like Bulky, Delicates, Handwash and Wool have water two to three inches up the door glass. There's no Clean Washer cycle.

While I was filming a video for my YT channel, I also decided to have a look at my outer tub. Looks all clean to me. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: A little silliness

"I do suspect that while most people are looking at their gasket, how many of ya'll go to great lenghts to check out the cavity I'm referring to...."

I will admit that I've tried it look, with a good flashlight, but really cannot see much on our Miele W4842. It's not pristine white in there; I see small bits of black but I know that is not mold. It might be dark lint or the tiny black bits that come in thru the HOT water line, which probably come from a disintegrating hose. I really need to check that. . . .