Washer Appliance Repair for Front-Loading Washer Problems Can Be Avoided With Some Simple Tips

No doubt, if you own a front-loading washer, you’ve had a few problems here and there. Owners of a front-loading washer have experienced problems like a faulty motor, mold, a drain clog and noise. But, not to worry, there’s a silver lining in this cloud! By following just a few simple additional maintenance tips, you can use your washer without any trouble and avoid the dreaded—and sometimes expensive—washer appliance repair.

Always remove wet clothes immediately. Lots of people tend to “forget” their clothes in the washer. This is a bad idea as it leads to the washer getting an unpleasant musty and moldy smell. So be sure to get those clothes out the minute your front-loading washer goes off—and be sure to check the entire basket for every article of clothing. Things like socks love to play “hide and seek”! Then grab a clean towel and wipe the rubber gasket and washer drum. Make sure you leave the door to your front-loading washer open slightly—mold just loves to grow in those dark and moist places! Leaving the door open a bit will allow the air to circulate and opening the windows in your laundry room will also help keep that nasty smell away that these washers are known to have. Also, take out the dispenser drawer and let it dry; if this dispenser stays wet, you may find that mold will start growing on it.

Use a small amount of detergent. In a front-loading washing machine, water is soaked into clothes’ fibers and it makes the removal of stains a breeze. Because of this feature, you don’t need a lot of detergent; using too much detergent will cause suds to manifest on the inside of the washer and could cause errors. For getting rid of stains, perhaps try a stain remover, like Shout, and pre-treat the stained area or soak it in the stain remover overnight. Since we’re on the subject of detergent and washing, it’s also a good idea to wash items in hot water on occasion. While cold water washing is great for saving energy, it could aid in the residue build-up in different parts of your washing machine. Performing a hot water wash once in a while will shoot away some of the grime and leftover soap.

Add one cup of white vinegar and run an empty cycle. About once a month, you should set your washer to run a washing cycle without clothes in it, just add a cup of white vinegar. Doing this helps to break up any molds that have gathered on the inside of the washer as well as hard minerals. Running an empty cycle with white vinegar also prevents odor and drain-clogging problems.

Take off the shipping nuts and bolts. When your washer is shipped, it comes with nuts and bolts securing the drum; this is to protect it during travel. If you leave these nuts and bolts on, it will make your cleaning cycles much louder than they should be and could create problems with your washer. To prevent leakage, you also need to check that the hose is connected properly to the rear of your washer. It’s very important that the tightening of the connection to your water source is done right too; if it’s put on too tight, you could damage the rubber seal.

Use a high-efficiency detergent. Manufacturers always recommend using only this type of detergent with a front-loading washer. Using a regular detergent won’t destroy the washer but it will create a lot of suds and won’t clean your clothes properly. A high efficiency detergent is not only formulated for a front-loading washer, but it doesn’t make many soapsuds and it’s concentrated. The bottle will be marked with an “HE”—for high efficiency—and this type of detergent is a bit more expensive than regular detergents. Some examples of good high efficiency detergents are: Gain Original Fresh HE, All 2X with Oxy Active, Seventh Generation Natural Powdered HE and any Tide HE brand.

Reading the care and maintenance section in your user manual and following these simple extra tips should help keep your front-loading washer running in tip-top shape. Please contact us if you have any questions. We’re always here to help!