Top 9 Washer And Dryer Maintenance Tips for Atlanta Homeowners

Your laundry appliances have one job: make your laundry routine as efficient and painless as possible. This chore can be a hassle even at the best of times, but having a well-functioning washing machine and clothes dryer can ensure everything gets properly cleaned in a timely manner, whether it’s a one-off load of clothes or you’re dealing with a mountain of laundry. That’s why it’s important to take proper care of these appliances with regular washer and dryer maintenance.

Our Atlanta appliance repair professionals at Mr. Appliance of Greater Atlanta have extensive experience dealing with various problems that plague laundry appliances and have been diagnosing their causes for over a decade. That’s why they’re sharing some of their top washer and dryer maintenance tips to help homeowners in the Atlanta region give their appliances the care they need to keep laundry day on track and moving along smoothly.

Why Is Washer And Dryer Maintenance Needed?

Like with all household appliances, your washing machine and clothes dryer won’t last forever. They have an expected lifespan of about 10 to 13 years, but without proper care, you’ll end up having to pay for costly repair services or premature replacements. Additionally, depending on what issues these laundry machines are experiencing, you may find yourself at risk of extensive property damage or personal injury due to water leaks or even house fires, compromising the safety and security of your home.

Whether it's a front-loading washer or a combination stack unit, proper washer and dryer maintenance can help prevent most major issues and keep your household safe. That’s because even minor washer and dryer maintenance tasks can help you ensure the optimal functionality of your laundry appliances and help you spot and deal with minor issues before they balloon into extensive washing machine repairs or dryer repairs. This in turn will help prolong your appliances’ lifespan, all because you took some time out of your busy schedule to perform some washer and dryer maintenance tasks.

Some of our recommended washer and dryer maintenance tips include:

Leave the Washer Door Open after Use

Your washing machine’s job is to wash your clothes, a task which involves a not insignificant amount of water. Even after you remove your laundry, there is bound to be some leftover moisture in the washer drum, and as we all know, damp, enclosed spaces are the perfect breeding grounds for mildew and mold. By leaving the washer door open, this washer and dryer maintenance allows for the washer basket, door gasket, and other interior components to air dry, helping eliminate the possibility for mildew to grow and unpleasant odors to set in. Additionally, this washer and dryer maintenance tip can also benefit your dryer, as you are not putting contaminated towels, clothes, or sheets in your dryer and getting it dirty.

Do Not Overload Your Laundry Machines

Large loads may seem like a more efficient way to clean your laundry, but it isn’t good in terms of washer and dryer maintenance. Overloading either machine may result in unbalanced loads, longer dry times, items not getting cleaned properly, and additional stress on the appliance, resulting in the need for dryer or washer repair services. To prevent these issues, as part of your regular washer and dryer maintenance, our team recommends that you do not fill either unit more than three-quarters full, to ensure proper movements, air flow, and water saturation for an efficient laundry day.

Empty Your Appliance after Use

While this washer and dryer maintenance tip revolves more around your washing machine, it also has applications for your tumble dryer. Basically, once the wash cycle is done, remove any wet clothes or laundry from the washing machine promptly and go to the appropriate drying place, whether this be the dryer or a clothes rack. Leaving wet items in an enclosed washer for too long can result in them getting stinky, and you need to rewash them. This can lead to longer laundry times or mildew growth in your appliance. 

If you absolutely can’t remove items from the washer, such as you’re waiting for the dryer to finish, a good washer and dryer maintenance tip is to open the washer door to ensure air flow to help prevent issues with mildew.

This type of washer and dryer maintenance also benefits your dryer, as not only are you not drying potentially smelly items, but you are also ensuring a more efficient laundry routine.

Use the Correct Detergent

Long gone are the days when any bit of soap will be used to clean your clothes. Now you have to take care of what you put in your machines, lest you need to undertake some extensive cleaning of your units and laundry room as part of your washer and dryer maintenance. Basically, this washer and dryer maintenance tip revolves around using the right type of laundry detergent for your machine. For instance, HE washers need high-efficiency detergent. Using regular detergent will result in too many soap suds, which, in addition to resulting in the need to wash your laundry load again, can reduce its performance, reduce stain-removing abilities, and ineffective rinse cycles with soapy water. It can also interfere with the tumbling or agitating action. So, as part of your washer and dryer maintenance, make sure the type of detergent you choose not only works according to your fabric care instructions but is also compatible with your machine.

Do Not Overuse Fabric Softener & Other Products

While everyone can appreciate the feel of a soft blanket that’s freshly laundered, overusing the products responsible for that feel is improper washer and dryer maintenance. Not only is using too much detergent, fabric softener, rinse-aid, dryer sheets, and other laundry products a waste of money, but they can also impact the performance of your laundry appliances. Detergent and fabric softener, for instance, can leave a residue that can build up in your dryer's lint screen if you use too much, and items like dryer sheets can result in reduced efficiency due to leftover residue if used too often. So to ensure proper washer and dryer maintenance, it’s best to use any extra products sparingly and ensure you do not use too much of any products for a load.

Do Regular Cleaning On Your Appliances

Cleaning your laundry appliance is probably the most crucial part of your regular washer and dryer maintenance. From running washing cycles with a couple of cups of white vinegar and hot water on your washing machine to wiping the rubber door gasket down with a clean, soft cloth to cleaning the dryer lint filter after every load to getting annual dryer vent air duct services, proper cleaning is necessary to maintain the performance of your machines. If you don’t include cleaning as part of your washer and dryer maintenance, you could bog up your machines with dirt, mildew, and residue from laundry soap and other products. This can also cause issues like rust, corrosion and other types of deterioration caused by a lack of washer and dryer maintenance.

Do A Level Check

While appliances are installed on a level, with the amount of movement and vibration they experience, you will have to check on a regular basis to ensure they continue to stay level as part of your washer and dryer maintenance. An unlevel appliance can put additional stress on a machine, resulting in components wearing out or breaking down more frequently. Your user manuals can instruct you on how to do a level check and adjust your appliances, but if you aren’t confident in doing it yourself, our Atlanta appliance experts can help you with this washer and dryer maintenance.

Check Components on Your Appliances

Taking the time to conduct regular inspections on different parts of your laundry appliance is a good way to ensure everything is in working order as part of your washer and dryer maintenance. Checking your machine for leaks and examining components such as door gaskets, switches, washing machine hoses, connections for water supply lines, detergent dispensers, filter screens, lint traps, and other crucial components for signs of deterioration on a monthly basis—or even a daily basis in some cases—can help you spot any signs of wear and tear or loose connections, allowing you to get these issues dealt with early on before they require expensive repair or replacement services.

Schedule Service for Appliance Repairs as needed

In addition to the tips listed above, one of the most important things you can do for your washer and dryer maintenance is to call an Atlanta appliance repair service with extensive experience in dealing with various broken appliance problems when you need appliance repair. The team of experts at Mr. Appliance of Greater Atlanta is ready to help you resolve your minor and major appliance issues, including for these common laundry appliance calls:

• Strange noises
• Water leaks or gas leaks
• Unpleasant odors, including gas odors
• Door issues, including broken lid switches or rubber seals
• Reduced efficiency
• Longer dry times
• Power issues
• Error codes
• Temperature inconsistencies
• Excessive vibration
• And more!

Whether it’s a minor repair or a complex part replacement, requesting service with our experienced team is a smart choice for washer and dryer maintenance. Our team will not only restore your units to their optimal functionality; we’ll also provide expert tips for your washer and dryer maintenance to help you get the most out of these home appliances. We can even conduct professional washer and dryer maintenance services for your convenience!

Give us a call today, or request service online for your next washer and dryer maintenance or repair service in Atlanta and the nearby areas of Brookhaven, Decatur, and Fair Oaks.