Washing machine advice please

marisco_2

My previous washing machine lasted me 15 years before giving up the ghost. We got a new one last year and the guy that installed it couldn't believe how long the other had worked for. He told me not to expect the same with this one. Apparently things are not made to the same standards of even 16 years ago!

So I am left wondering if there is anything I can use to keep it clean and running well for as long as possible? I know there are such things for dishwashers but am very keen to know how to keep a washing machine in tip top condition. Any advice very welcomed

Own_My_Own

Most machines go wrong due to lime scale build up.
I live in a hard water area and add soda crystals to each wash. This helps soften the water and reduce lime scale.
You can also use less detergent if the water is soft.

Every month I put the machine on a boil wash to help clean the pipes.

HTH OMO xx

Seakay

I use vinegar in the conditioner section to remove soap residue from clothes and stop limescale build up in the machine.
I mix up a bottle of one quarter plain vinegar (distilled or malt) and three quarters tap water with a few drops of fragrance or essential oil. I use the mixture to put into the conditioner draw of the washing machine, about one cup
This mixture is also in place of conditioner

Slinky_Malinky

When I bought my last WM, I was advised to do an occasional boil wash with no laundry in the drum, not to over load it and to allow the motor time to cool between loads.

BitterAndTwisted

It's all the electronics in the new machines that go wrong. Components and circuit-boards which are either not economical to replace or not even possible. It's rarely the mechanics or actual moving parts. That's my experience.

I dunno if I'm living in cloud-cuckoo-land but limescale is most likely to build up on the element when you're heating the water but when you're doing that you've got the detergent in there anyway to prevent it happening. Those C@lg0n ads are very persuasive but I don't want to be taken in by them. I've never had a machine fail due to limescale build-up but have had many a sad loss due to the electronics.

j.e.j.

I think if you get a fairly decent make of machine it will last you a good few years. The cheaper ones may not last as long.

building_with_lego

Our washing machine guy ( who did an awful lot of work on our Hotpoint just after it was out of guarantee) recommends Miele and Bosch over any other brand- the thinking being that you pay more up front but don't need the repairs that the cheaper brands may need, and they'll last a lot longer.
Having said that, this Hotpoint has now lasted 9 years, about 6 years longer than I thought it would when it was three years old...

MadelinesMum

We have very hard water in our area and I use the soda crystals that have been recommended on here. I also do a empty hot wash once in a while. The machine is 3 years old and I use it once or twice a day. It is a washer drier but the drier packed up working about 3 mths ago. I have an insurance that covers it until it is 8 years old but I'll wait until the washer breaks down before I claim otherwise they will only fix the drier and knowing my luck the washer will then break.

Mistral001

The "problem" is that washing machines are relatively cheap compared with 30 or 40 years ago and if anything major goes wrong them these days is is usually more economical to replace them.

I remember fixing my mother's several times 20 or 30 years ago. The repairs ranged from simple loose connections in the wiring, clogged oulet pipes to replacing main bearings (bearings were in stock in local electrical shop at the time). BTW I am just an amateur when it comes to washing machines repairs.

I am not so sure it would be worth doing all that now.

However my latest machine has lasted at least 15 years without any repairs necessary, so it probably is not the machines that are getting worse - more likely the skills of some repair men.

tessasmum

Check the pockets of everything you wash and make sure you don't get any stray hairpins, nails, screws, etc in the wash. We have had to have a new drum fitted recently, and the engineer wasn't impressed to find multiple hairpins in the pump filter as well as in the drum section....I am now being fastidious about checking pockets, and telling the family to check their pockets before they put clothes in the wash.

Beckyy

I think making sure you don't overload it can really help. Our last washing machine broken mainly due to electrical fault. Our new one has a 'self-clean' programme, which is a long 90 wash (dread to think how uch electricity it will use though!), and recommends you use it every month or two.