A washer door boot being wiped dry with a cloth, the dispenser drawer pulled out beside it.

Keeping the washer out of trouble

Maintenance and prevention
guides.

The habits that head off most washer calls, from the door boot and the pump filter to the fill hoses, and how often each one is worth the effort.

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Three guides
Read before you book
Says where to stop

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Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 398-5711

Maintenance and prevention,
guide by guide.

Much of what brings us to a washer builds up quietly: detergent film in the tub, mildew in the folds of a door seal, grit on an inlet screen, a fill hose aging behind the machine. This section covers the upkeep that catches each of those before it turns into a service call.

All 18 guides

A front-load washer in a bright US home laundry room with its round door propped open and the gray rubber door seal folded back, a folded cloth and a pair of rubber gloves on top of the machine.

4-minute read

A washer cleaning routine that keeps odor away

What to do after every load, once a month and every few months, from the door seal to the dispenser drawer.

A white front-load washer in a US home laundry room with its detergent drawer pulled open and a measuring cap of blue liquid detergent resting on the lid.

5-minute read

HE detergent and dosing: why less works better

Too much soap is behind many wet loads, suds errors and musty drums; how to read the cap, pods and bulk dispensers.

The back of a white washer pulled a little away from the wall in a US laundry room, two new braided fill hoses running from the hot and cold supply valves to the washer's inlet ports.

5-minute read

Washer fill hoses: when and how to replace them

The two hoses behind the washer stay under pressure day and night; replace them every five years and inspect them in between.

Keeping the washer out of trouble.

Each guide says how often a job is worth doing and what it looks like on front-loaders and top-loaders. Where a maker publishes its own method, such as a bleach dilution for the door seal or a hose replacement interval, we follow it and link it.

Read these if your washer is new and you want it to stay trouble-free, or if it already smells, leaves residue or fills slowly.

Not sure where to start?

The short answerA washer cleaning routine that keeps odor away

A good washer cleaning routine has three layers: after every load, remove wet clothes and leave the door or lid open; once a month, run the Clean Washer cycle with a washer cleaner or liquid chlorine bleach and wipe the door seal; every few months, clean the dispenser, the pump filter and the inlet screens.

The short answerHE detergent and dosing: why less works better

HE detergent is a low-sudsing formula made for high-efficiency front-loaders and impeller top-loaders, which wash in much less water.

The short answerWasher fill hoses: when and how to replace them

Washer fill hoses connect the hot and cold supply valves to the back of the washer and stay under pressure all the time.

When reading
is not enough.

If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop.

What repairs cost

01Watch it run first
02You hear the cost first
03Parts on the van
04Fixed, then run

The problems
these answer.

Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking.

All 17 problems

A front-load washer in a US home laundry room with its door propped open and a hand pulling back the gray rubber door boot to reveal the fold beneath.

Problem

Washer Smells Musty

5 causes, cheapest first

A white T-shirt held up in front of an open front-load washer in a US home laundry room, a faint streak of detergent residue across the fabric.

Problem

Clothes Still Dirty After Washing

5 causes, cheapest first

A front-load washer in a US home laundry room with its small lower filter door open and a shallow pan and towel on the floor beneath it, cloudy water in the pan.

Problem

Washer Not Draining

5 causes, cheapest first

A front-load washer's display panel in a US home laundry room showing a blurred, unreadable glowing code, a hand holding a phone near it as if to look it up.

Problem

Washer Error Code

5 causes, cheapest first

A parent and a child loading towels into an open front-load washer together in a bright laundry room — For the heart of your home.

Questions about
maintenance and prevention.

How much time does washer upkeep take?

A few seconds after each load, a cleaning cycle once a month, and a short session every few months for the dispenser, the filter and a look at the hoses.

Will maintenance void anything or damage my washer?

Not when you follow the manual. The steps here stay outside the cabinet: cycles, wiping, owner-access filters and the hoses at the back.

What if maintenance does not fix the problem?

Then the cause is probably a part, not buildup. The common problems and troubleshooting sections help narrow it down before a visit.

The other
sections.

Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns.

All guides

A front-load washer door open on a load still sitting in grey water, a laundry basket on the floor in front of it.

Why the cycle ended like that

Back to your everyday

Let’s get your washer working again.

Three short steps online, or one call. Tell us what you are seeing and pick a window that works.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 398-5711

Maintenance and prevention
guides.

Maintenance and prevention,
guide by guide.

A washer cleaning routine that keeps odor away

HE detergent and dosing: why less works better

Washer fill hoses: when and how to replace them

Keeping the washer out of trouble.

The short answerA washer cleaning routine that keeps odor away

The short answerHE detergent and dosing: why less works better

The short answerWasher fill hoses: when and how to replace them

When reading
is not enough.