Important Safety Checks For Your Washing Machine

Washing machines are an appliance we all rely on day to day, which is why it's important to make sure yours is operating safely. A safe and secure washing machine is far less likely to break down, need costly repairs or cause harm or damage in your home. That's why we're here to guide you through important safety checks for your washing machine.

Let's take a look! Simply watch the video or read the article below for our safety checklist for your washing machine.

While we always recommend repairing your appliances rather than replacing them whenever possible, sometimes needing to buy a new appliance cannot be avoided. If this is unfortunately the case, there are a couple of things to consider when buying a washing machine. First of all, make sure you're purchasing it from a reputable source. If you're buying a washing machine second hand, however, make sure you can see the British or European safety mark on the plug (pictured below). This means the appliance meets national or international quality standards.

Using your washing machine frequently or running cycles with large amounts of laundry can be hard work for your appliance, and can even cause premature damage and overheating. As such, you should make sure you have a washing machine that's capable of handling your household's laundry needs. If you regularly get through a lot of laundry, you should make sure your washing machine is large enough to handle the workload. If it isn't, you may potentially need to look into buying a larger one instead.

We also recommend taking bulkier items such as bedsheets, duvets and blankets to the dry cleaner whenever possible. This is because larger items can also take more of a toll on your washing machine, and can result in damage if your machine isn't able to handle the load.

This goes for many appliances, washing machines included. If you leave your washing machine on when you aren't at home, you won't be around to handle any faults that may occur such as leaks or even potential fires. As such, you should always make sure you are present when your washing machine is running a cycle.

However, if your washing machine does happen to be running while you're out of the house, making sure your home is safely equipped with working smoke alarms is an absolute necessity.

When washing a load, remove any items such as belts or metallic objects that could smash the door glass or cause other internal damage. You should also make sure you remove any items from pockets such as coins, hairpins and keys, as these can puncture the interior parts of your machine, cause blockages or even result in safety issues.

A washing machine filter is designed to catch small and potentially harmful objects. This helps to prevent damage and safety issues, so it's important to clean and change your filter when necessary. The filter can be found at the bottom of the washing machine and should be regularly checked to see if it needs cleaning. Alternatively, if you find that the filter is damaged, it will need replacing with a new one.

If you see that there are any foreign objects stuck in the drum inside your washing machine, remove them immediately. Otherwise, they could cause damage to the inside of your appliance and pose safety risks. You can check out our video on how to remove stuck items from a washing machine drum for further guidance.

If manufacturers discover safety risks or potentially dangerous faults with certain models of appliances, they will recall them. That's why it's important to know if your particular washing machine has been recalled or not. Otherwise, you may end up using an unsafe appliance without even knowing it.

Registering your appliance with the manufacturer is a quick and easy way to find out whether it has been recalled or not. If you are unsure whether or not your appliance is registered, simply check online. It only takes a quick internet search to find out if your appliance has been recalled, and it will save you from using a potentially dangerous appliance in your home.

This final piece of advice applies to all appliances. If there are any warning signs such as strange sounds, sparks, leaks or burning smells coming from your washing machine, they should be investigated immediately. Whatever the issue might be, it's better to be extra thorough rather than risking having an unsafe appliance being used in your household.

And there you have it! All of our important safety checks for your washing machine. Hopefully, you should now have peace of mind that your washing machine is safe and running properly.

While you're here, we'll just remind you that keeping your appliance safe isn't the only way to make the most out of it. By watching our video on energy savings tips for your washing machine, you can knock down your energy bill and use your appliance more effectively for less.

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