6 Easy Washing Machine Maintenance Tips

1. Remove Wet Clothes ASAP

This is one of the most important steps to ensuring your washer is properly maintained. Fortunately, it’s also one of the simplest. When you leave wet clothes in the washer long after they’re finished, it can lead to buildup of mildew and mold. This can leave an unpleasant smell in your washer, and on any future loads.

2. Check Door for Moisture

Mold and mildew can also accumulate in the door gaskets of your washer, especially on front loader models. In addition to any odors this could cause, it can also prevent the door from sealing properly while the washer is in use. To prevent this, make a habit of wiping down the gaskets after every use, and leave the door partially open to dry any remaining moisture droplets. For top loading models, just leave the door open after each use to allow air to circulate.

3. Run Maintenance Washes

To keep your machine and drain pipes clean, schedule periodic maintenance washes for your machine. With the washer empty, add a standard amount of detergent, select the hottest cycle, and run the machine as you normally would. Doing this 2-3 times per year will help to prevent grease and hard-water salts from building up in the machine.

4. Inspect Water Hoses

A burst hose may be the biggest possible disaster that could arise from your washing machine. This is because a burst hose could lead to hundreds of gallons of water flooding your home. To prevent this, make sure to inspect your hoses for damage at least twice per year. If you see any cracks, unplug the washer, shut off the water for both hoses, clean the filters, and replace both hoses. On top of this, it is good practice to replace both hoses every five years (regardless of whether you see any damage). Whenever they’re replaced, write down the date so you know when to replace them again in the future.  

5. Keep the Washer Level

If your washing machine tends to move around slightly when it’s on a spin cycle, it could indicate that your machine is not currently on even ground. When a washer is not level, the drum is spinning off balance, which puts an additional strain on its parts and reduces the overall life of the machine. Fortunately, most washers have adjustable legs for just this purpose. To balance the washer, adjust and tighten these legs until the machine sits perfectly level on the floor.

6. Don’t Overload

This may seem obvious to some, but it’s important enough to merit mentioning. In addition to poor results from your wash (or even damaged clothing), oversized loads can also throw your drum off balance. For the risks of an uneven drum, see the list item above! To prevent these issues, make sure your loads are always loose with plenty of extra space.