Check your washing machine regularly for:  

• Water overflowing, or leaks from hoses or washing machine
• Burning smells or strange noises

If you think anything is wrong turn off the electricity and water and ring for advice.

 
• Only operate the washing machine when you are home. You are not there to turn it off if something goes wrong. Washing machines may flood your laundry and the rest of your house causing a mess!

Wear rubber soled shoes when operating the washing machine.

Water and electricity do not mix. Have a safety switch installed in your house or buy one for the power outlet for the washing machine (Cost about $30 from Kmart or Mitre 10, etc.).

Fix water leaks in washing machines. The water increases the electrical hazards, rots the laundry floor, rusts the washing machine and can cause electrical components to fail.

More Hints for Using Washing Machines

• Turn off the taps when you have finished washing. Some Insurance companies will not pay water damage if your hose burst. Also the taps corrode up if not used and can be difficult to turn off.
• Remove coins and other small objects from pockets. They can block pumps.
• Be careful with plastic lids and tops. They are fragile and break easily. They are expensive to replace. Some solvents (i.e. turps) can damage the plastic.
• Do not push back the lid past its natural position. The plastic tag that operates the lid switch will break off stopping the washing machine.
• Do not wash sheep skins in washing machines. Clumps of wool comes off them and block the pump. The same applies to some cotton material that produce lots of fluff.
• Clean the control panel (Decal) with mild soap only. Do not use abrasive cleaners. The markings can come off.
• Do not soak clothes in washing machines. Soak them in a bucket or trough first. The seal on moving shaft are not as good as they used to be and water will leak past them in to bearings and gearboxes. Also most washing machines have aluminium casting inside the wash bowl and they corrode being in water for long times.
• Do not push the washing machine back hard against the wall. Leave space for the hoses. They can be damaged!
• If clothes wrap around the agitator, the machine has a fault. Get it fixed quickly.

Electronic controls

• Use cold or warm water only with washing machines with computer or electronic controls. The vapours from the hot water can effect the reliability of the electronic circuit
• Plastic sheets in front of switches can crack, water from damp fingers can get into the switches causing them to fail or major failures in the circuit board. Cover the cracked area with "clear contact".
• Turn off washing machine at power point. Some washing machines are still in "standby" mode and can be damaged by faults in the power system.

Clothes Dryers

• Check out side temperature of the cabinet. It should not be too hot to put your hand on. If the cabinet is too hot to touch something is wrong with the dryers and it should be fixed.
• Clean the lint filter after each load of clothes. Build up of lint in side the dryers can cause fires.
• Do not put dripping wet clothes in the dryers. They should be spanned dried in the washing machine first. Clothes that have got wet by rain on a clothes line should be returned to the washing machine to be spanned dried again before being put into the dryers.
• When the dryers drum starts making a metallic scraping sound, get it fixed immediately. Continued use will make the repair expensive or uneconomical.
• Turn clockworks timers clockwise (on) only. To stop or finish drying leave the door open or turn off at power point.

Do not overload washing machines and dryers. It shortens the life of the components and reduces efficiency. The clothes need to move freely in the machine when operating.

Bra wires can come adrift and cause damage to washing machines and clothes dryers. Use a washing bag.

Using washing machine water on your garden.
(Get approval for your system)

Do not connect a longer hose to the drain hose. It creates extra load on the drain pump shortening the its life. Instead pump the water into a drum outside the laundry window and use it from the drum.