Most washing machine failures don't happen overnight. They're the result of months — sometimes years — of small daily habits that add up. The good news: most of them are easy to fix once you know what they are.
These five things come up again and again across the appliance repair industry as the root cause — or at least a contributing factor — in washers that fail earlier than they should.
01 — Overloading
This is the biggest one by a wide margin. Overloading stresses the drum bearings, the motor, the suspension system, and the door seal (on front-loaders) simultaneously. Every load that's too heavy is a small withdrawal from the machine's lifespan account.
The rule of thumb: fill the drum about three-quarters full — enough that laundry can tumble freely. For front-loaders, you should be able to fit a hand in above the load. If you're regularly running loads that push the drum to its absolute limit, you're cutting years off the machine's life.
Premature bearing failure, spider arm cracks (front-loaders), drum seal damage, and in extreme cases, motor burnout. Bearing replacement is one of the most expensive washer repairs — and one of the most preventable.
02 — Using the Wrong Detergent or Too Much of It
Front-loading washers — and most modern high-efficiency top-loaders — require HE (high-efficiency) detergent. Regular detergent generates far more suds than these machines are designed to handle. The excess foam doesn't just leave residue on your clothes; it builds up inside the drum, in the bellows, in the pump, and in the drainage hose.
Even with HE detergent, most people use 2–3 times more than needed. A modern HE washer uses as little as 8 litres of water per cycle. That concentrated soap has nowhere to go. The residue hardens over time and causes mould, odours, and eventually blockages in the pump and drain.
Use HE detergent and cut the amount in half from what the packaging suggests. Your clothes will be just as clean. Your machine will thank you.
03 — Leaving Wet Laundry in the Drum
Everyone's done it — thrown in a load, forgotten about it, come back two hours later. Occasionally, no big deal. As a regular habit, it's hard on the machine.
Sitting moisture in a sealed drum creates the ideal environment for mould growth, particularly in the door seal gasket of front-loaders. Mould in the gasket doesn't just smell — it eventually degrades the rubber, and replacement is a repair that's easy to avoid entirely. The mould also spreads into the drum and the internal hoses, contaminating loads and causing persistent odour.
Leave the washer door ajar between loads. Takes two seconds. Significantly extends seal and drum life, and prevents the mould odour that's very difficult to fully eliminate once established.
04 — Not Cleaning the Machine
Washing machines need to be washed. Most people find this counterintuitive — it's a machine that runs hot water and soap through it constantly. But the soap residue, hard water mineral deposits, and fabric lint that build up inside the drum and pump over time are a real problem.
Mineral buildup (especially in Edmonton, where the water is moderately hard) coats the heating element in machines that have one, and reduces wash effectiveness over time. Lint and residue accumulate in the pump filter — which on many machines is never cleaned — until it restricts flow and causes the machine to stop mid-cycle or fail to drain.
What to do: Run an empty hot cycle with a cup of white vinegar once a month. Check and clean the pump filter (usually at the front bottom of front-loaders) every 3–6 months. Wipe down the door gasket weekly if you're a heavy user.
05 — Ignoring Small Problems
A washer that vibrates more than usual. A slight grinding noise on the spin cycle. A load that takes slightly longer to drain than it used to. These are the sounds and signals that most people tune out because the machine still technically works.
By the time a washer stops working entirely, what started as a smaller repair is often a much bigger repair — or a machine that isn't worth saving. A bearing that starts as a faint rumble and is caught early is a straightforward fix. The same bearing caught after it's destroyed the drum shaft is a different story.
If your washer sounds different than it did six months ago, or behaves differently — takes longer, drains slower, vibrates more — that's the right time to call. Not when it stops working entirely.
Bonus: Watch Your Laundry Room Floor
One thing that catches a lot of people off guard: slow, intermittent leaks from the fill hoses at the back of the washer. These hoses are under constant pressure when the machine is in use, and standard rubber hoses deteriorate over time. A pinhole leak that goes unnoticed for months can cause significant floor damage. Replace rubber fill hoses with braided stainless steel hoses — they cost about $25 and are far more reliable. It's one of the best $25 investments you can make in a laundry room.
The Short Version
- Don't overload. Three-quarters full, maximum.
- Use HE detergent and half as much as the bottle says.
- Leave the door open between loads.
- Clean the machine monthly and the pump filter every 3–6 months.
- Don't ignore unusual sounds or behaviour — catch it early.
None of these cost anything. Together, they can add years to a machine's life and save you from a repair bill that arrives at the worst possible time.
Washer Acting Up?
If it's already making noise or not draining right, catch it before it gets worse. Launching October 2026 in Edmonton.