Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Works for Me Wednesday: Top Load Washer Maintenance

We had to replace our washer in December. We were having some issues with it-- nasty loud noises coming from the interior and the interior of the lid was rusting. Hubs repainted the lid a few times, but still I found some rust spots on clothing after they were washed and dried. While there was nothing that could have been done about the bearing that went out, I learned that there were some ways to avoid the rusting lid issue. Here's what Mom taught me and a couple of other maintenance tips to keep your washer smiling.

1. Leave the lid open after you are done using the machine. It needs to breathe, people! (And dry out.)
2. Wipe away any soap residue from the underside of the lid. We found that it collects in the lid, continues to get moist and just sits as a big ole moist globbin' mess until it eats away the finish and rusts the lid.
3. Wipe around the top of the drum. Make sure that there is no gunk stuck up there. Your washer will be happier.
4. After wrestling laundry into the washer that has fallen victim to someone with the stomach virus, run an empty, hot bleach load after. Those germie ermies can re-deposit on other laundry. (That's what I've read and it makes sense to me, though I understand where it doesn't make sense in relation to the use of soap.) I've always run an empty bleach load every few months just to keep the washer happy and de-gunked.

That's the stuff that works for me. I've got some laundering tips at previous WFMW post right here. I try to help keep the internet smelling fresh and clean, one post at a time. :)

Have a great week!

5 comments:

ChupieandJ'smama (Janeen) said...

I see you've been playing around with the blog look. Very nice!
I always close the lid to my washer. But what you say makes sense. I'll try that.
Oh and BTW, the dryer is still hanging in there. It sounds awful, but it's still alive. I'm whipping that poney till it's last breath :)

Rach said...

Nice Spring-y header. :o)

We have a front-loader and I leave the door open and wipe out the soap dispenser after each use.

Meanwhile, I'd never really given much thought to the whole stomach virus/load-free wash thing. Hm.

Jamie said...

Love the new header / look. Looks springy!

I always leave my washer open - I thought that was common sense!

Jennifer said...

If you don't like the idea of bleach (which we try to avoid) then you can run a cup of vinegar through with the empty load instead. Our repair man recommended it for 1 x/mth. It helps clean up any build up from too much soap or too much softener.

Cheers, Jennifer

Audra Krell said...

We have a top loader and it makes me crazy when people close the lid after it's been emptied. While we live in a dry climate here in AZ, the thing still needs to breathe, not breed mold!