I love my washing machine. A lot. I didn’t realize how deep my love ran for this amazing little appliance until I spent a four-month stint in Toronto in a beautiful apartment sans a washing machine. Not ideal.
Just four months was all it took. The time I had away from my sweet little cleaning machine taught me to take care of her – I’m not sure I could handle more time apart.
Similar to the regular maintenance you do on your car, it’s important to maintain appliances in your home. Not only to ensure they live a long fruitful existence but to prevent a larger, more expensive problem from occurring. Left unattended, a burst washing-machine hose can spill hundreds of gallons of water an hour.
Maintaining the Life of Your Washing Machine
Hoses
Check your washing machine’s water hoses for signs of wear or weakness a few times monthly year. If you discover any cracks or bulges or leaks, replace the hose. Any damage could cause a leak or burst – and extremely expensive flood damage in your home. It’s worth the few extra dollars to replace rubber washing machine hoses with braided-metal ones to reduce the risk of bursting. Expect to pay about $18 per hose.
Flood Prevention
A water shutoff system prevents water damage by automatically shutting off the water flow when a malfunction is detected. Installation can be completed in five minutes. No special tools are needed. For smaller leaks and drips, an overflow pan fits beneath a washing machine and will protect a floor from water damage due to overflow and leakage. It has a fitting to accommodate drain line attachment.
Follow the owner’s manual’s instructions for appropriate loading sizes. Over-sized loads will throw the machine off balance and that can lead to problems.
Detergent
Regardless of what’s recommended on detergent packaging, follow your owner’s manual for the manufacturer’s recommended amount of detergent. You can actually damage some models by using the pre-measured pods.
Cleaning
It’s common for detergent residue to build up inside washing machine tubs. Use a cleaner once per month to keep high-efficiency washing machines free of odour-causing residue.
Dispensers
Gooey in nature, liquid fabric softener is known to gum up along fabric softener dispensers. Use a damp rag and hot water to clean the dispenser periodically.
On The Level
If your washing machine is not exactly level, with all four legs on the floor, it may rock back and forth and vibrate strongly.
It’s best to keep the machine as close to the floor as possible. The closer the machine sits to the floor, the less it will vibrate. The front legs are adjustable with a lock-nut. Position the legs at the desired height and tighten the lock nut against the body of the machine so that the legs cannot rotate. Some models also have adjustable legs in the rear, too. Follow the same process for adjusting those.
It is more common for machines to have self-adjusting rear legs. Ask someone to assist you with this. Tilt the machine forward on its front legs so that the rear legs are three to four inches from the floor. When you set the machine back down to rest all on all four legs, the legs should adjust automatically. If you find that they are not level, tilt the machine forward again and tap on the rear legs with the handle of a hammer to loosen them.
The Outside
Spilled detergent, stain remover and fabric softener dry to a sticky mess. This all-purpose cleaner and a rag will make cleaning easy. Prevent rusting by taking care of gashes and scrapes right away using appliance touch-up paint.