Easy Ways to Avoid Washing Machine Mishaps

Keep your washing machine in top working condition by following these tips!

In many households, the washing machine is among the hardest working appliances. The larger your family, the more laundry you produce – and the more work you create for your washer. Between clothing, towels, sheets and other items, the typical washing machine is regularly put through its paces. That being the case, you’ll need to take steps to keep this essential appliance running at peak efficiency. Fortunately, keeping your washer up and running for years to come needn’t require a great deal of time or effort.

Schedule Regular Maintenance Visits

Like many other big-ticket appliances, washing machines benefit from regular maintenance visits. Even if your washer isn’t exhibiting any problems, it’s recommended that you have it inspected by a licensed professional once every six months. While giving the device a thorough once-over, maintenance professionals will record any problems they find and provide you with helpful recommendations on how to move forward. Additionally, regular maintenance visits are essential for staving off damaging – and exorbitantly expensive – defects. The sooner a potential problem is caught, the sooner it can be addressed for a reasonable price.

Investing in a membership with a dependable home services company can be a boon to your maintenance efforts. This will ensure that you won’t have to shell out a small fortune every time your washing machine is on the fritz. Furthermore, most home services companies cover an expansive range of appliances, so if you want to keep the most important devices in your home in prime condition for the foreseeable future, take care to explore your membership options.

Avoid Overloading

It isn’t hard to see why so many households habitually overload their washing machines. Washing large amounts of clothing in the shortest possible time-frame is an understandable goal for people who are busy and have other chores to attend to. However, while this approach to laundry may save you a little time, it can cause considerable damage to your washing machine. Overloading your washer will prevent the device from rotating properly, thus impacting the circular movement of the drum and resulting in clothing not being fully cleaned. Overloading can also damage – and in some cases, break – a washing machine’s motor, thereby rendering the device unusable. As such, you’d be wise to avoid loading your washer past its recommended capacity. The prospect of doing a lot of laundry in one go may be tempting, but this convenience is hardly worth a damaged washer.

Regularly Inspect the Hoses

To get the best possible performance out of your washer, you’ll need to keep a watchful eye on its hoses – two of which are inlets, one of which is an outlet. When inspecting the inlet hoses, confirm that they’re securely connected to the machine’s water source, and if you come across any cracks or leaks, have the hose(s) replaced posthaste. You’ll also need to keep an eye out for issues with the outlet hose. In addition to watching for cracks and leaks, be vigilant about spotting drain filter clogs. Since dirty water goes through this hose, lint and microfiber particles sometimes accumulate to the point of creating a blockage.

Clean the Drum

Just because cleaning clothes is your washing machine’s primary function doesn’t mean the device can’t get dirty. For example, closing the door immediately after completing a load is liable to lead to the formation of mold and/or mildew, so take care to leave the door open for at least an hour after each load. Additionally, to prevent soap residue, dirt or lint buildup, you’ll need to regularly wipe the inside drum down with a dampened cloth. When it comes to keeping your washer clean, a little bit of follow-through can go a long way.

Although it’s easy to take washing machines for granted, they perform an essential service for countless households on a daily basis. Without a dependable washer, many families would find themselves overloaded with dirty clothing, towels and bedding. Given how hard washing machines work for us, the least we can do is properly care for them. While some households make washing machine maintenance seem like an uphill battle, taking care of your washer is a relatively simple undertaking that requires only minimal effort on your part. Anyone looking to keep their washing machine in peak condition should put the pointers found above to good use.