One more.... If I use borax for my hard water (which i do) do I still need to run self cleaning cycle with bleach or does borax in every load take care of that?

There is no active lint filter in the machine ... not in the sense that it filters the water while the wash and rinse phases are running.

There is a pump protector/filter. It's sole purpose is to catch stray small objects and debris (coins, hairpins, screws, nails, gum wrappers, etc.) from getting into the pump when the water drains. It does not need to be cleaned unless/until there's an obvious problem related to it, such as an impairment in draining the water. Objects caught in the filter can accumulate some lint as the drain water passes through but the potential for that is greatly reduced if you are diligent at checking pockets and keeping stray objects out of the machine.

I run a cleaning cycle about once a year. I use powder detergent the majority of the time, never use liquid fabric softener, and do use borax in some of my loads. I have never had a smelly washer problem. I take the detergent tray out and leave the door open when I am finished using the washer for the day. My washer is a Kenmore made by Whirlpool and I have had it for 4 years.

Annakathleen, If you like Gain, you can get the HE formula and experiment with doseage. You want very few suds or none at all. You can test the water to see if it's slippery by pausing the cycle and opening the door and feeling it. Start with the smallest amount and work from there.