Washing Machine Repair | Complete Appliance Repair and Service

It’s maddening and expensive if your washer is ruining your clothes or linens. When you load in dirty clothes, you expect them to come out clean, not more stained or even ripped. If your washing machine has begun damaging your laundry, check out the helpful hints below for some possible causes.

Too Much Washing, Drying and Detergent

It isn’t always the washer’s fault. You might be washing your clothes too often. Excessive amounts of time in the washer help to speed up the normal breakdown of fabric and fibers. Don’t automatically put clothes in the washer after a single wear. Instead, check them over for signs of dirt or odor. Many items can be rehung and worn again between washings.

If you must wash the item, you don’t necessarily need to wash it with hot water or put it in the dryer. Heat can shrink many fabrics and lead to more rapid fiber deterioration, especially with delicate items. The result is less elasticity and more fading. Consider air drying your clothes, especially dark colors and stretchy garments like leggings that have a good deal of elastic.

Don’t add too much detergent to your wash, as this can also lead to a faster breakdown of fabrics. Check the label on your clothes and your laundry detergent, and follow manufacturers’ recommendations. Finally, cut back on oxygen (oxy) products, as these seriously speed up deterioration, even in tough fabrics like denim.

Poorly Working Agitator

Older washing machine models may have agitators that no longer work properly.
If this happens, the laundry detergent doesn’t get mixed with water in the right balance and doesn’t deliver an even amount of cleaning power. This may result in incomplete rinsing, leaving soap behind in the clothes. This residue can break down fabrics and leave behind unsightly white stains. Call a repair person to check your agitator.

Tangled Clothes

If your clothes come out with rips, they are probably becoming tangled during the spin cycle. This is especially true for straps on bras and camisoles and strings on jackets and other tops. The best way to prevent this problem is to use the delicate cycle. Before adding these items to the machine, be sure to tie them to the garment or put them into a mesh bag for protection. Sew on loose buttons and repair small tears, especially those in seams, before washing. The washer can pull off buttons and cause further tears in the seams or other rips.

Snagging Causes Holes

Anything sharp can cause a hole in a garment. Check the pockets before putting clothes in the washer and remove the miscellaneous items that tend to collect there. Zip up all zippers and be sure to fasten hooks and snaps. Periodically run your hand along the inside of your washtub for signs of rough spots or chips. These can also lead to unexpected holes in your clothes. If you find any, contact a service technician to repair the basket.

The Causes of Stains and Spots

If you find spots or stains on your clothes that weren’t there before, check for these common causes:

Grease spots are often the result of softener or detergent that hasn’t dissolved thoroughly during the wash cycle. You can fix the problem by cleaning the machine’s automatic dispensers. Also, don’t pour detergent directly onto your clothes. Mix it with water before adding the clothes.
Rust spots are usually due to chips in the basket. A repair person can find any chips and fix them, as well as check for sources of rust on the exterior that might be staining your clothes.
Black spots typically occur due to mildew, caused by leaving damp clothes in the washer for extended periods. Be sure to take your clothes out promptly when the cycle ends. This also prevents odors. However, the black spots might also be caused the washer’s motor depositing grease on the clothes, a sure sign of impending machine failure. A service technician can open the back of the washer, troubleshoot the cause and repair it.

If your washer is ruining your clothes, contact Complete Appliance Repair, serving Woods Cross, Utah, and the surrounding communities. Their friendly and helpful technicians can identify the cause of the problem and fix it before you experience further damage. As northern Utah’s premier appliance sales, installation and repair specialists, Complete Appliance knows just what to do if your washer is ruining clothes.

Your appliances work hard for you and your family, but your washer and dryer might take the greatest beating over time. Gallons of water, all that spinning, not to mention the variety of soaps and rinses take their toll on the equipment after a few years. Return the love with a few simple tips for maintaining your washing machine, and you’ll find your calls to the appliance repair man few and far between.

Level Your Washer for Optimum Performance

A level washer is a happy washer. Leveling your washing machine will eliminate the “walking” that non-level machines tend to do during the spin cycle, especially if the load becomes unbalanced. This is particularly hard on the washer and may cause water hoses to disconnect, resulting in a huge, wet mess. Use a level and adjust the washer’s feet by loosening or tightening the screws on each of the four corners of the bottom. Don’t forget to check the level from front to back as well.

Washer Hose Inspection and Replacement

Much like your car, your washing machine hoses can fail over time. Look for cracks, hardening, or other wear in both the inlet hoses and those that carry the used water away to the sewer. Check the connections for tightness and leaks. Depending on where you live and where in the home your washer is located, you should replace all hoses and connectors every 2 to 5 years. Extremes in temperatures can degrade hoses and connectors more quickly, so make it closer to every 2 years if your machine lives outside

Cleaning Your Washing Machine

Your washer requires periodic cleaning, particularly the machine’s soap/softener dispensers and any filters inside the tub. Hot water is the best method for cleaning the dispensers. Add a bit of white vinegar if the machine is especially dirty or if you live in a humid part of the country. Run an extended wash cycle on hot (sans clothes of course) with 2 cups of white vinegar added to the tub after it fills with water (for top load models). Be sure to run one additional cycle using just water, to ensure that the vinegar is fully rinsed away.

Stackable Washer/Dryer Maintenance

Stackable washer and dryer maintenance is possibly even more important, based on the level of difficulty required to repair stacked washer units. These units are typically located in a small closet or other tight space, and mechanical controls are often harder to access. Give these little workhorses the love and attention they deserve.

Following these simple tips will help keep your washer working like new. Your local appliance repair service can also provide you with washer maintenance tips suited specifically to your machine, and can handle your periodic maintenance needs quickly, easily, and with minimal expense.

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