Clothes Still Wet After the Spin Cycle? You Can Fix It

If your clothes are still wet after the washer finishes its spin cycle, the water isn’t draining as it should. Therefore, you need to check all the components that could be stopping the washer from draining correctly. Typically, this means checking the drain hose, drain pump, and any filters or coin traps that could be blocked. Other causes of clothes still being wet after the spin cycle include an unbalanced washer, using the wrong detergent, or a worn or loose drive belt.

Here’s how to diagnose and fix the issue.

1. Clogged or kinked drain hose

One of the first and easiest things to check if your clothes are still wet after the spin cycle finishes is the drain hose. The drain hose should connect to the back of the washer where it’s easy for it to kink or get crushed. If you see that the drain hose is neither kinked nor crushed, it may be a clog that’s causing the drainage issue.

Follow these steps to check the drain hose:

1. Make sure the drain hose isn’t kinked or crushed.
2. Disconnect the drain hose and clear it of any blockages. A drain snake tool or long, narrow brush can be used to clear the hose. Running warm water and white vinegar through the hose may also clear it of blockages.

2. Unbalanced load or overfilled washer

If the washer is unbalanced or overfilled, it may struggle to spin and cause the clothes to still be wet after the spin cycle. Removing some items from the washer or balancing the load in the tub should resolve this issue. Make sure you don’t overfill the washer and that the load is balanced to avoid the issue from recurring.

3. Drain hose not positioned correctly

Most washers require the standpipe or laundry tub that the drain hose drains into be at least 39 inches above the floor (96 inches maximum). If the drain hose is installed too low or too high, water can either be siphoned out of the washer or it may fail to drain and thus remain in the washer.

4. Unbalanced washer

For the washer to work properly, it must be level on the floor. If the washer isn’t balanced, it can slow down or restrict the spin cycle, leaving you with wet clothes even after the spin cycle has been completed.

Follow these steps to check if the washer is level:

1. Place a leveling tool on the washer and check if it’s level from front to back and left to right.
2. If the washer isn’t level, adjust its leveling legs until it’s balanced.

5. The wrong detergent

If your washer requires an HE (high efficiency) detergent, it’s important to use one. If you don’t use an HE detergent when you should, or if you use too much detergent, it can cause excess soap suds, which restricts the washer’s ability to spin the water out of the clothes. Make sure you’re using the correct detergent and not too much of it to stop the problem from recurring.

6. Clogged or defective drain pump

If the washer is spinning but the clothes are still wet at the end of the cycle the draining issue could be caused by a faulty drain pump or a drain pump blockage.

Most washers need to be disassembled to check the drain pump for the issues. Depending on the type of washer, you may need to put the washer on its back (top-loader) to access the pump underneath the tub or remove the washer’s front panel (front-loader) to locate the drain pump beneath the drum. Depending on the washer, removing the rear access panel may also provide access to the drain pump.

Follow these steps to check the drain pump:

1. Disconnect the power to the washer.
2. Turn off the water supply to the washer.
3. Locate and access the drain pump.
4. Check the pump for any blockages that are stopping it from working correctly.
5. Disconnect the hoses connected to the drain pump and make sure they aren’t clogged.
6. Check that any filters or coin traps aren’t clogged and causing a drainage issue.

If the steps above fail to diagnose and fix the issue, you should check that the drain pump isn’t defective by performing a continuity test with a multimeter. Note that this test is for electric drain pumps. If your washer has a direct drive pump that relies on the washer motor, you need to check that the motor is working properly.

Follow these steps to check the drain pump for continuity:

1. Remove the drain pump from the washer (make sure the washer power is disconnected).
2. Place each multimeter probe on each drain pump terminal and make sure the drain pump has continuity (a continuous electrical path). If the pump doesn’t have continuity, it has failed electrically and needs to be replaced.

7. Check the drive belt

If your washer uses a drive belt to drive the pump, a loose or worn drive belt may be restricting the washer’s ability to drain. Depending on the type of washer, you will likely need to put the washer on its back (top-loaders) or remove the rear access panel (front-loaders) to access the drive belt. Once you’ve located the drive belt, make sure it’s tight and properly secured around the pump and motor pulleys. If it’s loose or worn, you need to replace it.

8. Other potential causes

If the above issues aren’t causing the wet clothes after the spin cycle issue, you may have a problem with the washer’s control board or motor, or one of the suspension components may be defective and causing the washer not to spin correctly.