Appliance Repair Tips: How to Keep Your Washer and Dryer in Top-Notch Condition

A healthy washer and dryer makes a happy home. However, the health of your high-efficiency washer and dryer depends on how well you maintain the appliances. Improper care can lead to a number of malfunctions, and cost you a fortune in washer and dryer appliance repair. To help you keep your machines healthy and you happy, we’ve listed a number of maintenance tips below.

Front Load Washing Machine Tips

High-Efficiency Detergent

A high-efficiency washer does not use enough water to rinse away the suds produced by traditional detergent, and if you do choose to use regular soap in your machine you could end up with a number of problems. For starters, your washer could leak, which can cause serious damage to the machine’s electronic system. Mold growth is another issue that can occur when you use traditional detergent instead of high-efficiency detergent. Luckily, most name brand detergents now produce a high-efficiency soap making it less expensive and much easier to purchase the right detergent for your washing machine.

Hot Water

As you probably know, washing your clothes in cold water conserves energy, but what you may not realize is a hot water wash from time to time is also beneficial. Using hot water helps eliminate the soap residue and grime left over from previous wash cycles. However, some high-efficiency washers come equipped with a machine cleaning cycle. If yours has a cleaning cycle, use that instead of running a hot water wash. Both options can help prevent mold and mildew problems with your high-efficiency washing machine.

Leave the Door Open

The rubber seal around the door of your front loading washer is prone to mold, if you don’t allow it to dry properly. Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of closing their washer’s front loading door immediately after a cycle has ended and they’ve removed their clothing from the appliance. When this happens, moisture lingers, creating the perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. Simply keeping the door open and allowing the rubber seal to dry helps prevent this undesirable predicament from happening

Dispenser Drawer

The dispenser drawer on your high-efficiency washer is also a likely place for mold and mildew growth. Keeping the drawer open after you have finished washing your clothes allows the compartment to dry, which stops mold and mildew from invading your washing machine.

Clean The Water Filter

In a high-efficiency washer the dirt coming off your clothes during a wash cycle is more concentrated due to the machines minimal water use. Unfortunately, this can cause the water filter to become easily clogged. If you notice your clothes are not getting cleaned, a blocked filter could be your culprit. Although most water filters are located in a small door on the front of the washing machine, it’s wise to consult your washer’s appliance manual before attempting to clean the filter.

Dryer Tips

The Vent Pipe

While the length of your vent pipe ultimately depends on the brand and model of your dryer, it’s always important to remember, the longer the vent line, the less efficient your dryer will be. If you are installing your own appliance, be sure to consult your manual and don’t let the line get bent or tangled.

Clean Your Lint Trap

Although this step is obvious to many people, there are individuals who don’t clean their lint trap after using their dryer. Lint build-up is dangerous and can easily start a fire, which is why you should also check and clean your vent line; otherwise you could end up in a dire situation.

Don’t Overload Your Dryer

An over-packed dryer leads to increased dryer times. While this may not seem like a bad trade-off, it can actually wear down your dryer and cause it to prematurely deteriorate. Over-drying is also a mistake that not only ruins your clothing, but also lessens your dryer’s life expectancy.

If your high-efficiency washer or dryer is malfunctioning, please contact us today and we’ll be happy to diagnose and repair the issue.