Do you know that you have to clean the insides of your washing machine thoroughly to avoid buildup of mould, mildew, scum and terrible odours (especially when almost all brands of front loading washine machines will have bad odours)? Well…I didn’t! 
It was only recently that I found out there is a way to properly clean the interior of our washing machines. Mine is a Zanussi front loading washing machine, and all this while, I have just been cleaning its detergent drawer, the exposed part of the rubber seal at the doorway and the external body.
Of late, I noticed an odour that is a bit mildewy and my detergent drawer was growing some black stuff, which I only knew after doing some research on the Internet. was BLACK MOULD! OMG! I was shocked and quickly found what I needed to do to get rid of this mould, gunge and slime ……and at midnight last night, I gave my washing machine a thorough cleaning. 
Now, my machine looks almost like new (although it is 5 years old), the glass door and external body is gleaming, and best of all, the mouldy odour inside is gone! 
(Please READ HERE for my post dated 30 Sept, 2009 on second method in cleaning the washing machine – a homemade eco or environmental friendly fruit enzyme is used instead)
For washing machines like mine that have not been properly cleaned for a long time -
(Note – Make sure the power supply is turned off before starting)
1) remove the detergent drawer and soak it in 1 litre hot water, 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup vinegar for 10 minutes. Give it a good scrub, and if there are persistent stains, spray some undiluted bleach on it. After rinsing, leave it to dry and put back later when you have finished cleaning the “hole” that you removed the drawer from.
2) make another batch of the baking powder-vinegar-water solution in a pail – use a long handled brush to clean the hole/compartment that contains the detergent drawer. There is a lot of black mould in there, which is not good for our health as it can easily spread to the rest of the washing machine and may cause allergies if we wear clothes that have black mould.
For harder to access nooks and crannies in the hole, I used a spray bottle to squirt the cleaning solution inside. Use a bottle to spray the water in to rinse off the dirt. My washing machine is located in my laundry room and I can use a hose to directly spray water inside. Make sure the cover to the drainage located on the bottom front of the washing machine is open so that the dirty water can drain out from the front, when your washing machine is turned off.
Then as I was not satisfied with the cleaning that way, I even squirted some undiluted bleach into the hole and let it stand for a few minutes, while I went on to clean the other areas of my washing machine.
The rubber seal at the doorway for my washing machine is folded and in the fold there was a lot of buildup of slime and gunge, which I was not aware and so I used the same baking powder-vinegar solution to scrub the whole rubber seal – outside and in the folds…practically every inch of it. The slimy scum was also contributing to the odours in the washing machine and the front loading models are very prone to these problems.
One way to avoid this scum and gunge buildup in the rubber seal’s fold is to wipe it dry with a cotton towel each time a wash cycle is completed.
3) I went back to clean the hole of the detergent drawer as it was sprayed with bleach earlier, and rinsed it with my water hose. Next, put back the detergent drawer.
4) for the last part, turn the power switch back on. I put in 2 cups of bleach, set the hottest wash cycle (no clothes inside) and let the washing machine “clean itself”…..and ….. Voila! Now, my washing machine is very clean, both outside and INSIDE, and there is no mouldy odours anymore! Be sure to leave the door open to air it as there will be a bit of bleach smell still from all that cleaning.
For regular maintenance/servicing of your washing machine, here is what you need to do once a month -
1) pour a cup of laundry detergent, set temperature for a hot wash, and turn on your washing machine for a whole cycle (but without any dirty laundry)
2) to remove odours – pour in 1 cup of white vinegar and put your washing machine through a hot wash cycle (without clothes). Some recommended 1 cup of baking soda.
3) to kill off bacteria and prevent buildup of slime, gunge and mould – pour in 1 cup of bleach and put your machine to a hot wash cycle (without clothes). Some recommended a combination of bleach and detergent.
Remember to take care of your washine machine regularly! 
With best wishes,
choesf
Added on 24 July, 2009
I no longer use bleach, baking soda nor vinegar to clean my washine maching. Instead, I now use a Homemade Eco Enzyme, which is environmental friendly, for a better cleaning job of my washing machine. Use the cold wash cycle instead of the hot one because the hot water will kill the enzymes.
