I Guess It's a Wash...

I've done some digging and I think I must accept my washing machine woes. The problem of smelly front-loaders appears to be extremely common. The manufacturer recommends leaving the door slightly ajar between loads to air out the machine. They also suggest wiping out the rubber seal around the door. (Not much help, I'm afraid.) I've yet to try running a load of bleach through. (I'm scared of bleach hiding in the seal and ruining my laundry.) Several advice sites also suggested using Pine Sol to kill the mildew. (I'm not terribly comfortable with trying that either.) At least my machine isn't as disgusting as some of the ones I read about...