Maintaining your washing machine is essential for ensuring it enjoys a long and productive life. While it’s common knowledge not to wash flammable substances or oils, there are lesser-known tips that can make a big difference. For instance, did you know that dishwashing soap, although excellent at stain removal, needs to be rinsed out by hand and isn’t a substitute for laundry detergent? These nuances often get overlooked, but understanding them can significantly impact the lifespan of your washing machine. Let's explore how your habits can directly affect the health and longevity of this indispensable household appliance.
Load Sizes Directly Impact Machine Health
At its most basic, a washing machine is a motor that turns a drum filled with water to agitate your clothes and then rinse them. That motor can die more quickly if it is used to the maximum consistently. Being able to identify the different sizes of loads appropriately and vary them is far better than constantly pushing for the maximum load size.
Small - this is approximately 1/4 of the size of your washers drum. Typically this is going to be a few small items like t-shirts or a week’s worth of socks and underwear. Or you might do one large item like a jacket or a blanket.
Medium - this should be, half the drum. This would fit maybe a week's worth of summer clothing for one person.
Large - this is 3/4 of the drum and is capable of fitting multiple bedding sets or a fair bit of clothing.
Extra Large - if you're washing machine is completely full then you are running an extra large load.
However large you choose to have a load, ensure that it is properly balanced, as that is also going to play a significant role. If the load is not properly balanced, the machine is undergoing more wear and tear as different parts of the drum or pushed down or up. Additionally, an imbalanced load can result and often does result in the machine vibrating, shaking or even walking.
How To Clean Your Washing Machine
Like many tasks, cleaning your washing machine is best done in smaller stages. Rather than cleaning everything once a month you can take 5 minutes here or there and knock out one part of it. This is the exterior, the drum, the detergent drawer, and any of the filters that your machine might have.
When it comes to the interior, making it a regular practice will affect not only the life of your washing machine but also the life of your clothes. Having dirt and detergent buildup in the drum will lead to poor washing results and even the machine malfunctioning. Worse is when water remains in the drum after running a load. If that's allowed, you can end up with mold, and at that point, you need to call in a professional.
Regularly Maintaining The Outside Of Your Washer Is Just As Important
You might notice that we didn't explain much about cleaning the exterior of your washing machine. That's because cleaning the exterior is a simple task. On the other hand, carefully going over the exterior to check for issues is its own kettle of fish. You need to check the hoses, connections, and the power line. The hoses need to be gone over to make sure there aren't any cracks or swelling, or kinks. If they start showing signs of wear or damage then you need to replace them before they lead to leaks. The connections also have to be carefully checked for any cracks or leaks. It only takes a minute or two to go over these but you can prevent major problems by doing it.
Anticipating And Replacing Failing Parts When Possible And Calling A Professional When Not