thank you!! I do occasional bleach/hot washes but I WILL now do the cleaning cycle. this is most helpful. really appreciated

I have noticed the same thing! I just run the cleaning cycle at the first of every month. Occasionally, if I have just done a lot of extremely filthy laundry, I'll run an extra cleaning cycle.

I do the same as amynrichie. I run the cleaning cycle at the first of every month. The manual covers a few models - ours doesn't have a light that goes on telling you it needs cleaned.

I have not ran the cycle in quite some time. I rather run a nice long hot wash with towels, STPP, Tide plus Bleach, etc. However, it sometimes is more beneficial albeit wasteful

Wondering if any of you can help- I have the Whirlpool 85 and I noticed that when I put the liquid detergent in, if I open the washer door to throw in a forgotten item, all before I have turned on the machine and then turn it on, when I come back the liquid detergent seems to have dripped out. I mean like dripped out onto the floor.

I never noticed this before .

I looked at the manual and it does say something about liquid might drip in this instance. I am kind of disappointed and surprised.

I guess I just need to NOT do the detergent until I am certain I am ready to start the wash OR use powder detergent.

Anyone else have this? I was trying the Whirlpool website yesterday but apparently it was down . (not overly happy)

Are you making sure to put down the slider door in the compartment when you switch from powder to liquid. Mine seems to seep out slowly, but it goes into the washer, not onto the floor. Do you not have the tray slid back in? I do always add detergent last though, so I've never worried about it.

aa-- mine is not the load and go, so there is no slider door that I am able to see. I am just baffled by it. And the fact that they mention it in the user guide which I never noticed and until this happened a few weeks ago for the first time, I was super thrilled with the washer. Now I don't know. Will play around and see if anything else makes sense but thank you for your comment. Yes I definitely had the tray back in. who knows.

Mine is not a load and go either. It's just a little slider - up for powder - or you press it down to close the opening more for liquid.

"Whirlpool 85" is pretty much meaningless. Need a FULL model number to identify the machine.

A picture of the corner of the machine where the dispenser drawer is located would be helpful ... and also a picture looking down on the open drawer.

I tried to circle the location of the slider that I am talking about. See if yours has it and if you have been changing it based on powder vs liquid.

Some models have a "slider" partition to adjust the detergent compartment to function properly for liquid or powder. Others have a (removable) cup that sits into the compartment. The purpose of the slider partition or the cup is to hold liquid from immediately running out of the detergent compartment ... it's held there until water flows into the compartment during fill to flush it out. Powders don't run out, they can sit in the compartment without dripping out so the slider partition or insert cup isn't needed with them.

salonva needs to post pictures of his/her dispenser drawer to clarify what is involved with it.

oh my you are the best people ever. I just went up to look at it and saw that while the compartment was in place, I was able to push it down to more firmly sit. I think that might have been the issue. I will post a few pix in a moment along with the full model number.

I bet that is it salonva . My husband uses powders and I use a mix, so I have often forgotten to slide it back down before adding the liquid. Or sometimes I slide it down, but not all the way and some starts running out. (Our previous machine had the littel container you added.) But mine just goes into the washer, not out onto the floor when that happens. Is your machine level?

dadoes - If you go to the first link in my old post, it shows what machines this 8540/85 references. (One is just the lowes model.) Model #: WFW8540FW or wfw85hefw https://www.houzz.com/discussions/whirlpool-8540-or-85-discussion-dsvw-vd~4780028?n=60

salonva - does that match your machine or do you have a different model?

The model is WFW85HEFW1. I have taken 2 pix of the tray, apologize for bad lighting and very weak photography skills.

I must have been posting while you were writing. This is from Home Depot, so it's not the 8540. (to make things crazier, I did have the 8540 but moved and that one stayed behind. I liked it so much I bought this one at HD. ). wfw85hefw

just strange because this never happened before and now it's happened twice.

I do , after most washes, remove the whole tray because there is water remaining in it. I had that with my last machine as well, and would just empty it. Maybe when I did that, the part that I was unaware of became loose?

The detergent compartment on this design is adjusted by lifting the tab labeled "Max" up or pressing it down. Up position for powder. Down for liquid. Appears in the photo you have it down so that should be correct.

Make sure it is really all the way down. Mine sticks in a spot before it is fully seated all the way down. It doesn't entirely seal off the tray, but as long as I fill and then close the tray right after, no big deal.