WASHER & DRYER MAINTENANCE TIPS.
Washing Machine Maintenance Tips
Washers require little regular maintenance to ensure they operate properly and safely. Check the rubber hoses from time to time for any sign of wear and tear. Often, small blisters or cracks develop in the rubber, which can rupture and lead to flooding and severe water damage to your home. Most manufacturers recommend replacing the hoses every five years, whether it's needed or not. If your hoses are more than five years old, it's probably a good idea to call for an appliance technician to come and replace the hoses. You may want to consider switching to stainless steel clad fill hoses. They are a little more expensive, but provide long term peace of mind against failure and leakage.
Other washing machine maintenance will be repairs rather than preventative measures. Motors, switches, pulleys, timers, agitators, and a host of other parts will wear out over time. Calling for service to fix these washing machine failures is your best bet, especially if you need to get your washer up and running as quickly as possible.
If you have a front load washer that is located in a high humidity area, you might want to consider leaving the door open after the wash to let the machine dry and lesson the possibility of mold developing. Use the washers clean cycle every 60 days. See your use and care guide.
Gas and Electric Dryer Maintenance Tips
Dryers are not as mechanically complex as washers and need very little attention with one important exception. Lint is the dryer’s biggest enemy. Clean the lint filter after every load. It is better to use fabric softener in the washer than using softening sheets in the dryer. Some of these sheets will cause lint to stick to the openings of the lint filter restricting the free flow of air. Always install aluminum or metal venting hose, never plastic, to reduce the fire hazard. Clean your dryer vent hose once a year to remove lint buildup and inspect it for any tears, crushing, kinks, or loose fit to the dryer. Lint filters only capture about 80% of the lint leaving you dryer, so vent maintenance and inspection is important. If you have a gas dryer, inspect the gas flex for any kinks or sign of damage when you are checking the venting. Besides these basic maintenance tasks, there's not much you can do except call for service when more critical parts breakdown.