Simple Washing Machine Maintenance – Tips for a Longer Lifespan
Owning a washing machine is essential in modern households, ensuring a smooth laundry routine and offering convenience in daily life. To guarantee the durability, longer lifespan, and dynamic performance of a washing machine, regular washing machine maintenance is crucial.
This guide provides practical tips for a longer lifespan, helping to prevent your washing machine from breaking down and malfunctioning.
However, if you are not familiar with washing machine maintenance or simply tired of handling this task, worry not! Love2Laundry is the remedy to your problem. We offer quick and effective laundry and dry-cleaning services with a fast turnaround time, using modern washing techniques and eco-friendly detergents.
Washing Machine Maintenance Tips
If professional washing machine maintenance services aren’t your preference, handling it at home requires a different approach. Let’s delve into some useful tips for washing machine maintenance, which include using the right detergent and cold water for loads, cleaning the drums and hoses, and avoiding overloading with clothes and hard water.
By incorporating these key yet straightforward maintenance tips, you can not only extend the lifespan of your washing machine but also make it cost-effective for you. Knowing what to do is half the battle, and understanding how to do it completes the equation.
Keep It Level
The first and foremost step regarding washing machine maintenance is to check the appliance level. It is better to use a carpenter’s bubble level; this will let you set your device according to your preferences.
Check the level first from side to side and then from front to back. If the bubble centers itself, then you have to make some adjustments.
Use the Right Detergent
Choosing the right detergent for your laundry and washing machine maintenance is a crucial element because that matters a lot. It’s preferable to check the manual of your washing machine to see what kind of detergents are best to use.
Eco-friendly detergents are the best option as they don’t contain harsh or toxic chemicals that may be dangerous for your clothes or even your skin.
Liquid detergent, alkaline detergent, and anionic detergent are not recommended as they are too heavy in alkaline and can damage the machine as well, especially if you are using high-efficiency models. Also, high-efficiency detergents can be used to reduce the residue buildup since less water is required for the load.
Don’t Overload
Whether you are using a high-efficiency washing machine or front load washing machine caring tips, don’t forget it’s still a machine, and it has a certain capacity or power. Therefore, you must be careful while using it and keep checking it frequently for laundry machine maintenance.
Overloading or overstuffing is always a bad idea; it affects the overall productivity and efficiency of the washing machine and might create major issues. Make sure to put a balanced load according to its capacity, or else your clothes will not be washed properly. Arrange them according to their size, quantity, and color.
Use Cold Water for Most Loads
Using cold water for most loads is very useful for your clothes as well as a washing machine. It helps to remove the stains and spots from the fabrics and is less likely to fade or ruin the color of your fabric.
Also, not heating the water in the form of a steam dryer may minimize the energy cost of around 80 to 90% of the total energy consumed by the machine. Therefore, switching to cold water for most loads could be beneficial for your fabric and machine as well.
Regularly Clean the Drum
Regularly cleaning the drum of the washing machine is essential, as an untreated or unchecked drum may block the filter and drain pump from clogging, preventing your washer from draining properly between washing cycles.
You can use this hack for cleaning the drum by adding two cups of white vinegar, running the complete cycle of the washer, running the cycle once again, but this time with hot water at the highest temperature, and adding 1 cup of baking soda to the drum. Once you are done with this step, wipe the interior of the drum using a microfiber cloth thoroughly.
Check the Hoses
Hoses are made for the flow of water from inwards or outwards. Most of the machines have three inbuilt hoses, make sure to check the hoses regularly whether they are connected properly or if they have no leakage or spillage.
One of the reasons is the regular usage of machines, due to which the traditional rubber hose loses flexibility over time. Make sure to check your hoses to prevent them from cracks, blistering, or kinks frequently.
Leave the Door Open
Once you are done washing your load, try not to close the door of the washer for at least 20-30 minutes as the interior of your washing machine does not dry easily; it takes time and air to be dried completely from the inside.
In case you forget to leave the door open, it will cause moisture, and ultimately, moisture or detergent residues to stay even longer, causing mold or mildew. Also, you can clean the gasket around the washer door for cleaning it thoroughly.
Protect Against Hard Water
Hard water is not recommended for appliances like washing machines as it reduces the ability of detergent or soap to wash, and ultimately, your machine has to work double. Use a water softener to protect your machine against hard water, approaching a water softener will extend the lifespan of your washing machine and maintain the quality of your fabric.
Watch Out for Unusual Sounds
There may be multiple reasons why your washing machine makes unusual noises; it could be because of an unbalanced load in a washer, a blocked filter or hoses, loose drum bearings, a light tapping sound, or some other issues. Watch out for them as untreated issues may lead to a major problem or breakdown of a washer.
Schedule Professional Maintenance
If you are searching for “how to repair washing machine” and finding it difficult at home, then you can use a professional washing machine maintenance service. Sometimes, washing maintenance cannot be done at home, especially if your washing machine is high-tech.
It will become a task that is assigned to a professional according to your convenience and availability. It may be twice a week or monthly, depending on the schedule you decide. It includes inspection, regular maintenance, adjustments, and reducing equipment failure or breakdown, etc.
FAQs – Washing Machine Maintenance Tips
How do I prolong the life of my washing machine?
You can extend the life of your washing machine by the maintenance washer and dryer:
- Checking the filters or gasket
- Check pockets before the cycle
- Select the detergent wisely
- Don’t overload the wash
- Keep it level
- Let the door open after the wash.
What’s the best way to clean a washing machine?
washing machine care is essential and for that following are the best ways to clean:
- Run a hot cycle with vinegar
- Scrub the inside of the washing machine
- Clean the exterior body of the washing machine
- Run another hot cycle.
What is the average life of a washer?
The average life of a top-load washer lasts about 14 years.
Is vinegar enough to clean a washing machine?
Yes, vinegar can help to clean a washing machine. Just follow these steps;
- Set your washing machine to an extremely hot temperature
- Add 4 cups of white vinegar
- Run a cycle
- Pause the cycle to allow the water and vinegar to soak completely for an hour or so.
