Washing Machine

Cleaning your washing machine will keep it working smoothly and can even make it last longer. It’s not just the drum that needs taking care of either; the drawers, filters, and seals can also get mucky, so they need regular maintenance too. We’ve put together a step-by-step guide on how to look after your appliance to make it gleam and run like a dream.

To disconnect your washing machine, find the pipe it’s connected to and turn the red or blue lever 90 degrees clockwise to cut off the water. Then you can disconnect the washing machine from the water pipe and carefully remove the hose from the drainage pipe, holding both upwards as much as possible to stop any residual water leaking out. It might be worth keeping an old towel close to mop up any little spills.

If you’re installing your washing machine yourself, there are a few things to consider first. Our guide on how to fit a washing machine can walk you through the process to make sure nothing’s missed. But if you don’t feel confident doing it yourself, we also offer a professional installation service on the day of delivery, so you can sit back and relax.

There’s a little panel on the front of your machine at the bottom. If you open this, you’ll find a small hose, gently pull this out and lean it into a small tray. Unscrew the cap and wait for the water to stop draining before covering it again and putting it back. If there isn’t a hose on your model, there should be a drain pump filter instead, place the tray beneath this and twist the cap off to let it drain.

Find a shallow tray for the water to drain into and place it beneath the panel on the front of your machine at the bottom. When you open the panel, you’ll see a round cap, gently twist this anti-clockwise and the filter should come out. Let any water drain out into the tray, then you can clean the filter with a damp cloth or by running it under warm water. Pop it back in and you’re good to go.

How much a washing machine costs to run depends on your energy tariff and the efficiency of your machine. When you’re shopping, you can look at the rating on each machine, most models are A-D with A being the most efficient. We also use the YourEko energy saving tool at AO, so you can type in your usage and find out how much each model will cost to run. It even tells you if there are other models at a similar price that may save you more money. How handy’s that?