Tag Archives: washing machine maintenance

Dos and Don’ts of Washing Machine?

How you handle your washing machine comes in handy in determining its durability and effectiveness. Have you just started using the machine? Here are a few dos and don’ts you should be aware of as given by washer repair professionals:

Do ensure the washing machine is level

One of the important things you need to do is to ensure that the machine is installed correctly. This calls for you to ensure that the machine is on level ground. Remember that if your machine isn’t balanced, it will regularly develop problems with the spin cycle.

You will also have problems if the machine isn’t correctly installed. For example, if your machine is poorly installed and the waste hose is too high or too low, it won’t function as well as it should.

When the machine is improperly installed, you have a problem maintaining pressure in the pipes. When the pressure is too low, there is the risk of flooding, which can turn the machine off. The pump might not get strong enough to push the water out when the pressure is too high.

For your unit to function correctly, you need to install it properly. Thankfully, most machines come with instruction manuals that guide you on how to install the machine properly. Follow the manual and install the machine, but if you have a problem doing it, let a professional help you.

Do consider the capacity of the machine.

When loading the machine, pay close attention to the machine’s capacity. As a rule of thumb, don’t simply stuff the drum, as this puts too much pressure on the bearings, suspension, motor, and other parts of the unit, triggering the unit to wear out.

Overloading the machine also reduces the quality of the wash.

To stay safe, pay attention to your machine’s maximum capacity and do not overstuff it.

If you have a top loader, ensure that you balance your load. This is because having the weight on one side increases the chances of the machine getting damaged as it spins.

If the situation doesn’t allow it and you have to run an unbalanced load, take care and reduce the spin speed to reduce the chances of breakages.

Do empty your pockets and clean the filters.

Emptying the pockets before putting the clothes in the washing machine might sound obvious, but you will be shocked by the number of people that forget to do it.

Besides coins and other metals getting into the drum and damaging it, there is the risk of different types of debris, such as papers and cloth fibers, getting into the pipework and damaging the various components.

To ensure this doesn’t happen, always empty your pockets before you place the clothes in the washing machine.

If you regularly forget to empty your pockets, remember to clean the filters. Thankfully, most washers come with well-detailed manuals. You should read the manual and find a way to access the filters and clean them properly.

Don’t use too much detergent.

You might argue that using more than usual detergent will get your clothes cleaner, but this isn’t the case. It has been shown that using too much detergent than usual leaves residues on your clothing; hence you don’t have clean clothes at the end of the cycle.

To easily keep your clothes clean, use the right amount of detergent. If you aren’t sure about the right one to go for, get a guide from the manual.

Don’t leave wet clothes in the washing machine for a long time

Some people wash their clothes and then forget them in the washing machine. This is wrong as the moisture from the wet clothes leads to a buildup of mold in your washing machine’s drum and even sometimes on your clothes.

When washing your clothes, it’s good that you concentrate on them. This calls for you to focus on cleaning the clothes and only get to other activities once you are done.

When you finish washing the clothes, appliance repair Alexandria professionals recommend you remove the clothes from the washer as soon as possible after you complete the rinse cycle. You should then leave the clothes to dry outside naturally.

Do Washing Machines Consume A Lot Of Electricity?

Have you just bought a washing machine and wondering, do washing machines consume a lot of electricity? Well, it’s hard to give a definite answer to this question as the appliance’s energy consumption is dependent on several factors that include:

Condition of the washing machine

Is your washing machine new? Is it old? This will significantly affect its energy consumption. An older appliance will consume more energy as it tends to run inefficiently.

The condition of the appliance will be primarily affected by how you take care of it. Do you hire washer repair technicians when it develops problems, or do you ignore it?

If you are a responsible homeowner and fix your appliance whenever it develops a problem, your appliance will run more efficiently and consume little energy, but if you ignore it to put off repair till a later date, you are in no luck as it will consume a lot of energy.

To keep your appliance in top shape, make it a habit to fix any problem as soon as it comes about. It’s also wise to hire an appliance tune-up professional at least once a year to tune up the appliance and fix any problematic areas.

Size of the washing machine

The other factor that will affect the energy consumption of your appliance is the size of the machine. As a rule of thumb, the larger the device, the higher the energy consumption.

This means that you should be cautious about the size of the machine you buy. If you live alone or have a small family, there is no point in purchasing a large, commercial appliance, as you will be pouring money down the drain with a huge electricity bill.

While a large machine might be consuming a lot of energy, you should note that sometimes you might have even higher bills if you overuse a small machine. For example, if you have a large family, having a small machine means you will have to run several loads at a time to clean all the clothes. As you can tell, when you have your appliance running all the time, you have a high-energy bill.

To save money, if you have a large family, get a large appliance. It will cost you more to purchase initially, but it will save you a lot in the long term.

Type of washing machine

The type of washing machine will also determine your energy consumption. If this is the first time buying the appliance, you should note that front-load washing machines are more efficient hence use less electricity and water, so these are the ones to go for.

Load size per wash

When you load just a few clothes, the machine will consume little energy, right? Wrong. The machine will consume the same amount of electricity as if it was fully loaded. So always fully load the machine to save money—never underload the machine, then run several cycles as you will receive a scary electricity bill at the end of the month.

You should note that there is a vast difference between fully loading and overloading the machine. As you can tell, overloading is when you load the machine more than it can handle. As much as you want to save energy, never overload as you risk damaging the machine’s drum bearings and belt.

An overloaded machine also doesn’t clean the clothes well enough, so you have to redo them.

Style of washing the clothes

You can wash the clothes in two ways—hot washing and cold washing them. As you can tell, hot washing is when you wash the clothes using hot water, and cold washing is when you wash them using cold water.

Since you need to use electricity to heat the water, hot washing usually consumes a lot of electricity. Unless necessary, avoid hot washing your clothes.

Type of detergent

While there are plenty of detergents, there are different detergents for top and front-loading machines. Choosing the wrong detergent means that you have to do multiple wash cycles, increasing energy consumption.

To avoid multiple wash cycles, always take your time to understand the right detergent to use. If not sure, get the input of an appliance repair Alexandria professional.

How Do You Do Laundry Like A Pro?

Although people have been doing laundry for centuries, studies show that few people properly use their washing machines. As a result, many homeowners have to keep hiring washer repair professionals to fix their appliances as they keep failing.

Improperly using the washing machine also means that the clothes don’t get clean as well as they should. Are you wondering how do you do laundry like a pro? Well, there are plenty of ways to do it. They include:

Use the proper water temperature

Different water temperatures are ideal for cleaning different fabrics, so you need to use the proper temperature for effective cleaning. Coldwater is best for delicate fabrics, items that might shrink, and sensitive dark colors that can bleed.

Besides cold water protecting your fabrics, it also saves you money as you don’t have to use electricity to heat the water.

If you have soiled clothing or human-made fabrics, these are best cleaned with warm water.

On the other hand, hot water is best used to clean towels, beddings, cotton whites, and heavily stained work clothes, especially those stained with grease or oil.

Sort your clothes before putting them in the washing machine

The last thing you want is some of the fabrics bleeding and the different colors getting on the other clothes. For example, your pink underwear or tie bleeding on your white t-shirt. You wouldn’t want this, would you?

To ensure that this doesn’t happen, sort your clothes before putting them in the washing machine.

If you aren’t sure whether the outfit is colorfast and will bleed color into the other clothes, before you put it in the washing machine, wet a cotton swab and rub it on the inside corner or seam and see if the dye transfers to the swab. If it does, hand wash it separately.

Use the suitable detergent.

The detergent you use goes a long way towards how well the outfits pan out and how long the washing machine lasts. Different detergents are ideal for different loads, so you need to know the suitable detergent to use for the load you are running.

Powdered detergents are best when you are running general loads, and the beauty with them is they are usually affordable.  Unfortunately, they don’t dissolve easily in cold water and leave white residues on the fabrics.

Liquid detergents contain enzymes, and they are best for removing stains. When buying the detergents, always pay attention to the enzymes listed in the list of ingredients. As a rule of thumb, the more the enzymes in the formula, the better the detergent hence, the better the cleaning power.

You can also clean your outfits with tablets, packs, and pods. While they are convenient and easy to use, be cautious and avoid overdosing. Remember that you can easily spend a lot of money on these, so be careful about the price per load.

If you don’t have money to invest in a quality detergent, you can always make one using one of the many formulas.

Regardless of the detergent you are using to clean your outfits, be cautious of the amount you use, as using too much of it can create suds that trap the soil and deposit it into the clothes.

For the best results, use one-half less detergent than the recommended amount. By doing this, your clothes will not only look better, but you will also save a lot of money.

Turn the clothes inside out before washing them.

Clothes are expensive, and you don’t want them to fade and look worn out, so you need to be cautious when cleaning them. As a rule of thumb, turn them inside out before washing them. The purpose of doing this is to avoid abrasion and wearing out the fabric surface.

Handle the delicates with care

Plenty of people have reported their underwear and bras getting damaged after machine washing them. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, handle them with care. Appliance repair Fairfax professionals recommend that you hand wash them, but if you have to machine wash them, toss them in a mesh lingerie bag and use a delicate cycle.

How Do You Know If Your Washing Machine Is Broken?

How do you know if your washing machine is broken? Well, there are plenty of symptoms you can look out for. Some of these symptoms, as given by washer repair contractors include:

The washing machine is leaking.

Most washing machine leaks are due to overflowing or loose connections, but sometimes the leaking can be due to complex problems. For example, if you have had your appliance for a long time, the water hose at the back of the washer might be worn out, and you need to replace it.

Your appliance might also be having a cracked tub you need to seal to restore the unit to its proper working condition.

Before you hire a service provider to fix the unit, first try to solve the overflowing problem. You do this by finding out the size of the load that can fit the washer and still leaves room for turning, shaking, and spinning.

The washer is making a lot of noise.

The washing machine will make weird noises due to plenty of reasons. For example, if it’s unbalanced, it will make noise when running, and all you need to do to fix this is to place the washer level.

If you balance the machine, but it’s still making the noise, you have a reason to be worried. First, stop the wash cycle, rearrange the clothes, and load the washing machine correctly, so the clothes are evenly distributed. Still experiencing the noise? The motor drum or mount might be loose and need tightening.

Unless you have the experience, let an experienced professional help you with the work.

Water doesn’t drain properly.

Once you have completed the washing cycle, the washer should drain completely, so you are left with little or no water in the washer. If you complete a cycle but some water sticks around the washing machine’s insides, you definitely have a problem you should address as soon as possible.

For example, the pump might be blocked, or the drain hose might be clogged hence preventing the water from draining as well as it should. The improper draining might also be due to problems with the water pump.

You need to get in touch with experienced technicians with the necessary tools and expertise to help you diagnose the issue and fix it.

Water doesn’t fill the drum.

When properly functioning, the washing machine should fill up with enough water to thoroughly clean the clothes. When the appliance is broken, water has a problem getting into the appliance. Water will fail to get into the appliance due to plenty of problems such as: kink in the hose, issue with the machine’s water intake valve or filter, or any other issue.

Contact an experienced professional to help you troubleshoot the source of the problem and fix it.

The drum doesn’t spin.

Water might fill the drum without any issue, but if the drum isn’t spinning, it’s pointless as you won’t be able to clean your clothes. The drum will fail to spin due to plenty of issues such as belts or lid switch.

You can try to replace the belts on your own but replacing the lid switch is more difficult, so you will be better off hiring a professional to help you out.

The washing machine keeps moving.

A moving washer might seem interesting, and most homeowners ignore it, but don’t do this. A properly functioning washer should remain in place when cleaning, spinning, and rinsing. So, when the unit is moving around, you have a problem you should fix as soon as possible.

If the machine is moving around and at the same time making a lot of noise, the movement could be due to imbalance, so you need to balance it, and you are good to go.

If you balance it and it’s still moving, it might be having a more serious problem, so you need to hire an appliance repair Springfield professional to find out the cause of the movements.

Don’t ignore these movements as a walking machine comes with plenty of risks. For example, the machine might start sloshing water outside the unit, which can ruin the floor leading to mildew and mold.

The walking washer can also pull itself free of its connections putting your property at the risk of fire.

Can You Run A Washing Machine With Just Cold Water? Washer Repair Experts Answer

Ah, the washing machine. Hands down one of the greatest inventions of our time, it not only frees you time but saves you energy too. Homeowners are used to washing their clothes with hot water that they can’t imagine using cold water.

What happens when the hot cycle fails, and you can’t find a washer repair professional? Can you run a washing machine with just cold water?

The answer to this question is a resounding YES. Studies have shown that most of the clothes come out just as clean with cold water.

Washing clothes in cold water? Tips to consider

For you to get ideal results, you should put these tips into consideration:

  • Always sort the whites, lights, and dark colors out and wash them separately.
  • Always use high-quality detergents, preferably those made to be used in cold water. When using the detergents, ensure you use the right amount. Remember, when you use too much of it, most of it will build up in the clothes leaving too little for cleaning.
  • Consider adding additives to the detergents to boost the cleaning power of the detergent.
  • Like when cleaning using hot or warm water, take care not to overload the washer. Loading the washer properly ensures that it optimally which not only saves you time, it also extends the life of the appliance.
  • Before you begin cleaning, search for stained and extra dirty pieces of clothing and pre-treat them.
  • If cleaning many too dirty items, you will find some of the clothes still dirty after running the cleaning cycle. Before you remove the clothes from the washing machine, inspect them and if still dirty, repeat the cleaning.
  • In winter, be ultra-cautious and ensure the water is not below 60f as the clothes won’t clean well at this temperature.
  • For clothes that are heavily soiled and grease-stained, clean them with warm or hot water.

When does it make sense to clean with cold water?

Dark clothes: Washing clothes in cold water is an excellent way of preserving color. Studies also show that dark clothes clean better in cold water. Killing two birds with one stone, you might say.

Delicates: Clothes made from lace or silk can easily get damaged by hot water, which makes it logical to clean them with hot water.

Clothes that wrinkle or shrink easily: Hot water is known to wrinkle and shrink clothes, which gives them a cheap look. If you have clothes where wrinkles could be a problem, you can solve the issue by washing using cold water.

Lack of care label: To avoid damaging your precious clothes, it’s recommended you look out for the care label that guides you on the best way to handle the clothes. If you are getting ready to wash the clothes, then you notice you are missing the care label, don’t fret. Clean them with cold water, and you won’t have to worry about causing damage.

Situations when it doesn’t make sense to clean using cold water

While cold water has its perks, there are several situations when it doesn’t make sense of cleaning with cold water. Some of these situations include:

When you need high levels of sanitation: Some of these situations include when you are washing undergarments, sheets, and sick person’s clothes. Although laundry detergent does a great job of cleaning the clothes, hot water works excellently at killing the germs.

When using powdered detergents: Powdered detergents don’t dissolve easily, and in most cases, you need hot water to dissolve them completely. Using cold water with powdered detergents causes streaks on the clothes, which gives the clothes a cheap, ugly look.

When using a cheap detergent: When you are looking to save on detergents, you are better off using hot water. According to appliance repair Northern VA professionals, cheap detergents don’t have enough cleaning power to properly clean the soil and grime. Hot water comes in handy at helping in getting rid of the dirt.

When you have lower groundwater temperatures: In areas such as Alaska and Maine, where the temperatures are usually too low, the cold water might be too cold for cleaning making, it sensible to use hot water.

Washer Repair: Washing Machine Dos And Don’ts

Despite washing machines being around for a long time, homeowners do things that put the machines at the risk of getting damaged. Washer repair experts recommend that you be cautious of the things you do to your washing appliance. Here are a few washing machine dos and don’ts you should be cautious about:

Do read the tags

Washing machines have technologically made great leaps over the years, and they make cleaning easy and efficient. Unfortunately, despite the advances, they still can’t read tags and choose the right settings—you have to help them.

Before you put clothes in the washing machine, check the manufacturer’s instructions on the right settings. Failing to read and follow the tag can cause the fabric colors to bleed, the fabric to shrink, or even damage your entire laundry.

Do learn how to operate the washing machine

There are all types of washing machines that have different settings and set up methods. To ensure you don’t damage your laundry, learn how to set your washing machine. This way, you will know how to choose the right settings for the specific clothes you are looking to wash.

The cool thing is that all the information is on the manufacturer’s manual. Don’t be like the other homeowners that throw away the manual as soon as they get the machine. Go through the manual and understand all the bells and whistles of the machine.

Do zip the zippers

When you are in a hurry stuffing clothes in the washing machine, it’s common to forget about the zippers on the jeans and hoodies. When you put the zipped clothes in the same load as the delicate clothing, the zip can snug on the threads and pull at them.

To avoid this, always take a double check on all the zipped clothes and leave the zippers unzipped.

While you are at it, also take a look at the pockets. Do they have coins, markers, or any other foreign objects? Remove them if present.

When the foreign objects fall out of the pockets, they end up clogging the washer’s drain. This not only brings about a lot of inconvenience, but it also requires you to hire an expensive washer appliance repair company to fix the problem.

Don’t overload the machine

It can be tempting to want to clean all the clothes in one washer cycle. While this is possible when you have a small load, you have to do two or more cycles when you have a lot of clothes to clean.

Don’t put too many clothes than the machine can handle. For the machine to optimally clean the clothes, water should get around all the clothes.

When you overload the machine, water doesn’t have enough room to get around, hence you don’t give the clothes the clean look they deserve.

Overloading also puts the machine at the risk of getting damaged. The practice makes the motor work much harder than it should, which increases its likelihood of blowing up.

To avoid this, always double-check the maximum capacity of the washing machine. You also should make a habit of weighing the laundry bag before you put the clothes in the machine. When in doubt, clean the clothes in multiple loads.

Do clean the washing machine

Since washing machines do the cleaning work they don’t need to be cleaned, right? Wrong! Just like any other appliance in your home, you need to clean the washing machine regularly to keep it functioning efficiently. The practice also ensures the machine lasts for a long time.

When cleaning the machine, you pick up even the minor issues and fix them before they get worse.

To keep the appliance in pristine shape, clean it once a month. Clean the machine thoroughly both on the inside and outside.

Do level the machine

Does your washing appliance shake and rattle, or even worse, “walk” forward while in use? It means it’s not sitting level. In addition to destroying the floor and walls, an unleveled appliance also damages the internal mechanisms.

You don’t need to hire an appliance repair Northern VA professional to level the machine for you. Simply adjust the legs until they are even with the floor. Once done, gently lean on the machine to confirm the legs aren’t shifting around.