Tips for Owning and Cleaning Your Washer and Dryer
Posted On December 19, 2019If you own a washer and dryer then there you probably dread the day when it’s time to do laundry and it just doesn’t work anymore. It may start making a sounder weirder than the sound it made when you bought it. Even if it hasn’t broken down yet, it may be running at less than optimal efficiency, which means that it’s likely to break down sooner rather than later. This would be a pretty bad thing for you. Eventually, you’ll have to face the facts that your washer and dryer will break down, and either has to be repaired or replaced. It won’t be a fun day, but you can delay having to search for appliance repair in Los Angeles. Here are some of the things you can do to improve their efficiency and how to clean your washer and dryer effectively so that your clothes stay like new.
We’ll do this in order of appearance and start where your clothes start, the washer. There are a few things you can do that will improve the efficiency of your washer and also help it last longer in the process.
Washer:
Cold is Better
Your washer is an energy-sucking machine and your electric bill shows as much. Well, whenever possible if you can run it cold you can cut down on its electrical consumption by as much as 90%. Most of the energy that the washer needs goes into heating the water for your warm or cold washes. Cold washes do just as well in most cases anyway. If you can run it more efficiently with minimal drawbacks then you probably should.
Full Load
Whenever you can, do a full load of laundry. if energy efficiency is your goal then doing more at once is certainly the way to go. It also helps your washer because it’s not having to run as many cycles, even though it’s less weight in clothes. Fewer cycles are less work, even if the amount per cycle is less.
Overwashing, Stop
Are your clothes dirty enough for the highest setting? Probably not in the majority of cases. Almost everything we’ll list here wraps back around to not doing more work for no reason. This is another case where you’re asking that your appliance do more without it actually needing to do more. If you don’t need the highest wash setting then don’t use it. Just know what you need before you start a cycle.
Dryer:
Clean Lint Trap
You should understand that you have to clean the lint trap before every use of the dryer. There’s nothing special about it, just make sure you do it. If you don’t then you’re greatly impacting the airflow inside the dryer. Due to which the airflow is hampered you run the chance of having to run the dryer for longer and hotter than you otherwise would have under ordinary circumstances. You may have to run your dryer for multiple, less than efficient cycles you’re going to waste energy and wear out the dryer faster than it otherwise would wear out. Always clean the lint filter before every cycle. It’ll help keep your dryer like new for longer.
Use Automatic Cycles
This is probably not possible for older models. The one I had growing up was just set on a timer. Newer models though have automatic cycles. They can sense the level of moisture that’s inside the drum and change the temperature accordingly. They can even stop when they sense that the clothes are completely dry. This feature is very useful when you’re trying to conserve energy. Saving energy can help the dryer last longer than it would if you weren’t running at optimal efficiency.
Dry Groups of Clothes Strategically
One of the best ways to stay efficient is to make sure you’re grouping certain clothes together and dying them at the same time. Basically, dry your towels with towels and sheets with sheets. Like everything else on this list, it’s a great way to make your dyer not work as hard. When you dry towels with sheets your dryer ends up having to work harder. This is because towels absorb more moisture than your sheets. So if your sheets are being dried with your towels then the dryer will have to work harder to dry the single towel in amongst the sheets. Separating them means that your dryer will only work as hard as it needs to work.
Cleaning
Now you’ve sent the clothes through the washer and dryer, they’re “folded” over there on the floor. (You know which pile is the dirties) It’s time to make sure the appliances are clean. If you want to keep them for any degree of time it’s incredibly important that you maintain them. Cleaning will also help make sure your clothes are always as clean as possible. You don’t need to use these tips and tricks after every load but every once in a while is a good thing.
Keeping the Washer Clean
There are a few things that you can do that will help keep the inside of your washer clean. The newer models have a rinse and wash feature for the washer themselves but for older ones among the best things you can do is to leave the door open after a wash. This will let the moisture out and help prevent mildew buildup inside the washer. Also, don’t leave wet clothes inside as it’s a breeding ground for mildew.
Keeping the Dryer Clean
Aside from changing the lint filter, cleaning the dryer requires a lot more work. Not doing this from time to time can cause fires though. You need to pull the dryer away from the wall and remove the discharge hose from the wall. You can use your vacuum to clean our this hose on both sides, the dryer and the wall. Lint will make its way through and build up on either side. This hampers airflow and can be dangerous. Then you can put it back together and put the dryer back in place.
Conclusion
All of these tips and tricks can help you get the most out of your expensive appliances. They’ll last longer and work more efficiently while you have them. In the end, it’ll save you time, money, and the headache of having to look for appliance repair in Los Angeles.