HE Washing Machine Care
No machine operates forever without maintenance, and even though your high efficiency washing machine may be new, it’s no different. Thoroughly read and understand your user manual to be sure you know how to properly operate your high efficiency washing machine, and don’t do anything damaging to it by mistake. After that, cleaning your machine and keeping your eye on a few other key things can help you keep your high efficiency washer working hard for you for years to come.
Keep things clean
It may seem cosmetic, but keeping the exterior of your high efficiency washing machine clean can extend its life. Wipe up spills promptly. Washer tops that are porcelain enamel can be damaged by acids in rust removers and long exposure to other chemicals. Synthetic enamels can be damaged quickly by ammonia, chlorine bleach, abrasives, and solvents.
The interior tub of your washer should get a service cleaning every month. Most stores now carry high efficiency washing machine cleaner in the same aisle as the laundry detergent. These cleaners can help remove odor causing residues, from laundry soils and water hardness minerals.
Finally, don’t forget to flush your bleach and fabric softener dispensers. Remove them if you can, and soak them in hot water. While they're soaking, clean out the gunk that collects around them. If you can’t remove the dispensers, pour hot water through them until they're clean.
Look around once in a while
Inspect the hoses and fittings on your machine. Make sure the hoses aren't cracked or blistered, and that the fittings aren't becoming corroded and no water is dripping. It's a good idea to replace the hoses and fittings as part of regular washing machine maintenance every three years or so, even if you don't see any problems, but replace any blistered hoses immediately as that is a sure sign they’re about to break.
Level your washing machine. Even the quietest high efficiency washer has a lot of action going on inside and can shift on its base over time. Use a carpenter's level and adjust the machine's feet until the bubble indicates the machine is level. Your washing machine should never bang or move around while doing a load. If it starts to, it needs to be leveled immediately before it breaks.
Last but not least, let a professional help you out. Put in a service call as part of your routine washing machine maintenance. The life of your machine may be extended if you occasionally have a service person professionally clean the inside of the washing machine.
Today’s high efficiency washing machines aren’t your grandmother’s electric washtub. They’re modern, sophisticated, expensive pieces of equipment that need proper care to run properly. Be good to your high efficiency washer and it will be good to you.
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Tips & Tricks
Many stains are more likely to be removed entirely if soaked in cold water before it has had time to set.
If in doubt, test your color garment for colorfastness – apply warm water to an inconspicuous part (inside of the hem, for instance), then press this part with a warm iron between two pieces of white cloth.
To protect your favorite garments, try turning them inside out before washing.
Use a partitioned laundry basket to sort your laundry as you remove it.
Overloading your washing machine could mean that your clothes don’t properly get clean.
White streaks of powder left behind on your clothes due to undissolved detergent are usually caused by overloading your machine, and can be removed with an additional rinse cycle.
Washing much smaller loads on non-cotton cycles to give more freedom of movement in the drum and result in better cleaning.
Using too little detergent can cause whites to become dingy as there are insufficient ingredients to hold soils in the water so they don’t redeposit on the garments.
Overdosing in a soft-water area can lead to “oversudsing” which, in extreme cases, can mean suds come out of the machine.
Always check the fabric care label for the manufacturer’s washing recommendations.
Some dyes will bleed even in very cold water, so always sort your washing into light colors, dark colors, whites, and delicates.
To compensate for washing at lower temperatures, try using a Cotton (most agitation) or Synthetic cycle, if the garment care label allows. There are also detergents specially designed to work in cold water.
Whenever possible, dry your clothes outside on a line; you could see significant energy savings.
Make sure to close all zippers, fasteners, and hooks to prevent and reduce abrasion of fabric and consider placing delicate items into mesh laundry bags.
To pre-treat stains, apply undiluted laundry detergent directly onto stained areas. For best results, allow product to sit on stain for a few minutes, scrub product into stain, then wash.
When adding chlorine bleach, always use the bleach dispenser on your washer to ensure that it is added at the right time in the wash cycle. If your machine does not have a dispenser, add chlorine bleach at the end of the wash cycle.
Check garment care labels for recommended wash temperature.
For all HE washers, make sure to use a low-sudsing HE detergent.
Use the right amount of detergent. Follow package directions carefully. For heavily soiled and/or large loads, use more detergent.
If you do not have a detergent dispenser on your machine, add the detergent while the washer fills with water, ensure the detergent has dissolved, then add the clothes.
Keep your washing machine free of residues by running a monthly wash cycle with Tide Washing Machine Cleaner.
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Learn more about the High Efficiency machines available today.
