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When it comes to washing machines, the clue to its function is in the name. They’re designed to keep your clothes, sheets, and towels clean, fresh, and smelling good. If your washing machine is clogged up with mildew, debris, and other bits and bobs that have found their way into your cycle, that fresh scent and clean feeling is going to disappear quickly, leaving you with clothes that smell damp.

A clean washing machine equals a clean load, so what can you do to make sure your machine is working properly?

Check Your Pockets

How often do you throw a pair of jeans into the machine without checking the pockets first? Everything from spare coins to hair grips to old receipts are left in our pockets, and when the cycle starts they can cause big problems for your washing machine. Make a point of clearing out the pockets of all jeans and jackets before adding them to your wash and save your machine from damaging debris.

Check the Seal

No matter how diligent you think you’ve been with your pockets, checking the door seal of your washing machine should be your first step in cleaning. Spare change, paper clips, lint, or even misplaced jewellery can get caught in the door seal, and the longer it’s left, the longer it has to mold or grew mildew.

Use Bleach to Self-Clean

Most washing machines come with a self-cleaning option, but they’re not always as effective as they can be. If you’ve been running a self-clean on your machine but seeing no difference or improvement in the quality of your loads, add one cup of bleach to the detergent. The end result should be fresh loads with no lingering smells.

Clean the Filter

One of the most damaging things that can happen to your machine is debris bypassing the seal and becoming trapped in the filter. Once in the filter, items such as coins and clips mildew and mold until you remove them, and if they’re not removed, they can prevent your washer from draining water.

Luckily, it’s possible to clean the filter without the help of an expert, though it’s recommended that you check your factory manual before you start as instructions may vary depending on the brand and model of washer.

To clean your Maytag Front Load washing machine’s filter:

1. Disconnect power and unplug washer
2. Remove the toe (kick) panel and place panel on the floor, in front of washer, to serve as a catch tray for any water that may be left in the pump.
3. Check inside the washer to make sure there is no water before removing the pump filter.
4. The White pump as located on the Right Hand Side of the washer has a clean out filter, for removal of large objects that may have passed from the spin basket.
5. Unscrew pump filter and pull it out of pump, cleanout out pump filter and rubber seal
6. Replace the pump filter, the filter has a large keyed shape, moulded into the top, which fits into a corresponding shape in the filter housing helping to align the filter when reinstalled.

Air It Out

Most people automatically close the door or lid of their washer once they’ve removed their load, but this can lead to trapped humidity, which in turn encourages the growth of mold. To combat mold and lingering smells, leave the door of your washer open after your wash and allow it to air out and dry properly. In the long run, this will keep your machine fresh and clean.