Washing machines have revolutionized the way modern humans do their laundry. They have taken us from a moderately smelly society that wore fairly soiled clothing to a society that thrives on being clean and well represented by our own individually chosen styles. But we don’t need to tell you that it’s not all great. These are the most annoying issues with washing machines and how to deal with them.
Washing machines are far from perfect. In fact, here are the 5 most annoying things about washing machines and how you can deal with them.
1. The spin cycle shaking the entire house
You are in your living room, getting ready to enjoy a glass of wine when the washing machine hits spin cycle. Within 30 seconds your house is vibrating right along with your washer, and your wine is sloshing around in the glass looking like it could spill at any second.
This is a fairly easy fix. Get a level and check the top of the washer. If it is unlevel, adjust the legs until it is. Then test it out. That should resolve the issue.
2. The terrible smells coming from the front load washer
Front-load machines can have gunk and detergent build up around the front of the drum. Cleaning the washer thoroughly every 4-6 months should help keep this from becoming much of a problem. Pro-tip: Use a magic eraser to remove any hard to scrub soiled areas on the rubber around the door of the unit.
3. Laundry still being dirty afterload is finished is one of the most annoying issues with a washing machine
This actually can be caused by a dirty machine or the machine being overloaded. If the machine is dirty, clean it and the problem will go away. If you are overfilling the washer, put in less laundry so the clothes can rinse properly.
4. Your whites are dull gray or yellow
This is a common problem caused by using too much detergent. If you use high efficiency (HE) washer, you only need 1-2 tablespoons of detergent to clean the clothes properly. Any more than that may not rinse properly, leaving the clothing dirty.
5. Washer isn’t draining properly: Most annoying issues with washing machines
When there is water left in your washer, you know your clothes aren’t clean. This can be caused by the drain hose becoming clogged. To clean it out, you can disconnect the drainpipe and pour hot water down it in an attempt to wash out the clog. If this doesn’t work, use a pipe snake and remove the blockage that way. Once the blockage is cleared, your washer should be able to drain properly, allowing your clothing to rinse thoroughly.
While these may not cover every issue you’ll encounter with your washer, hopefully they at least help with the major ones. Also, as a bonus fix, here’s how to keep your dryer clean and operating smoothly.
Clean the lint trap every time you do laundry. Once every month or so, use your vacuum to thoroughly clean the trap and remove as much lint as possible. It will ensure that your dryer not only dries more efficiently, it will also reduce the risk of a fire caused by the lint.