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These are fundamental mistakes that you should avoid when using your washing machine on a daily basis.
1. Leaving clothes in the washing machine overnight is a common and unexpected mistake that many households make.
These are fundamental mistakes that you should avoid when using your washing machine on a daily basis.
Incorrect use of laundry detergent
To save money, many people buy handwashing soap to use in the machine or buy detergent and water for the top loader to use in the front loader, which can affect the machine because handwashing soap or top loader detergent produces a lot of foam, which can overflow from the drum, damaging the machine's parts. When rinsing clothes, it uses more water because it has to rinse multiple times to remove all the foam.
Along with that is the practice of using too much detergent at once with the mentality that more is cleaner. In reality, this also makes the machine work harder and use more water to rinse thoroughly.
Suddenly opening the lid while the machine is running
Opening the lid while the washing drum is spinning is a forbidden act that can cause serious damage to the equipment as well as threaten the safety of the user. Opening the lid disrupts all activities, and the washing drum's rotation is thrown off. For safety, you need to press the Pause button before wanting to open the washing machine lid.
Forgetting metal objects in the laundry
Keys, lighters, nail clippers... if they pop out while the machine is running, they can get stuck in the gaps, causing sparks because the high-velocity washing machine suddenly stops. Or, less severely, these items can also scratch the washing drum, affecting the machine's lifespan.
Washing clothes with improper weight
Washing too many or too few clothes compared to the specified kilograms can cause issues not only for the washing machine but also affect the washing efficiency.
When overloaded, clothes will form a block, unable to agitate or shake vigorously with the drum's rotation, and the detergent won't circulate perfectly. As a result, clothes won't be completely cleaned, and stains may persist, making the owner quite uncomfortable.
For underloading, washed clothes may accumulate on one side of the drum, causing imbalance, resulting in strong jolts, impacts during spinning and drying.
Therefore, it's best to load the correct amount of clothes for one wash, equivalent to the washing machine's weight limit. (usually, the dry clothes volume can be estimated to be about 4/5 compared to the drum's height).
Neglecting washing machine hygiene
The washing drum area of the machine is full of bacteria, so maintaining machine hygiene to eliminate bacteria and residue is essential. You should let the machine run a few times a month with a no-clothes washing cycle (running empty) to clean the washing drum, and during this, use the hottest water setting. If the drum is dirty, you can wipe it with a soft, damp cloth or baking soda before operating the mentioned washing cycle.
Also, the detergent and fabric softener compartments need to be removed and cleaned regularly because most washing solutions will flow into the drum, but sometimes it can overflow, and without proper cleaning, it can lead to mold.
Leaving already washed clothes in the machine overnight
Many families wash clothes in the evening before bedtime to air them out the next morning. This is not advisable because damp clothes left in a sealed machine create a breeding ground for bacteria. Washed clothes should be aired out as early as possible, and the machine door should be left open for the inside drum to dry and ventilate.
To limit bacteria and unpleasant odors in the washing drum, you can also use a top-loading washing machine because this design prevents mold growth on the outside of the drum as well as its infiltration, causing unpleasant odors inside.
