How to Maintain a KitchenAid Washing Machine

The schedule at a glance#

The monthly clean#

Run Clean Washer — or the hottest Normal cycle with Extra Rinse if your model lacks it — with an Affresh tablet (W10501250, the same tablet across every Whirlpool brand) dropped in the drum, not the dispenser. That clears detergent residue and biofilm from the satin-finish drum and outer tub where you will never see it.

Afterwards leave the door or lid open for several hours to dry, and on a front-loader the dispenser drawer ajar too. That habit prevents most odour complaints outright.

Dispenser and hoses#

Wash the dispenser drawer in hot soapy water fortnightly. On front-loaders press the centre release tab and pull it straight out; on top-loaders lift the agitator cap to reach the softener and bleach cups. Scrub the housing cavity with a bottle brush — mould favours the softener siphon area — and push a pipe cleaner through the narrow rinse-aid channel at the back. If softener is not dispensing at rinse, clean the siphon cap with vinegar.

Twice a year, shut both supply valves, disconnect the inlet hoses and draw the small mesh screens out of each port with needle-nose pliers. Rinse, brush off sediment and scale, refit. Inspect the hoses for bulging, cracking or blistering while they are off — rubber hoses get replaced every 5 years whatever they look like. Reconnect, open the valves, check for seepage, and wrap the threads with plumber's tape if needed.

Level, seal and filter#

Level the machine both ways, adjusting the legs at all four corners, then tighten the lock nuts so they cannot vibrate loose. Rock the top corners: it should feel solid. An out-of-level washer vibrates through every spin, accelerating bearing wear and tripping the out-of-balance sensor into repeated redistribution.

Peel the boot seal folds back on a front-loader and check the full circumference for tears, cracks, mould and trapped objects — coins, bobby pins and underwire start the tears that become leaks. Wipe the seal after every use. For mildew stains use a baking soda paste for 30 minutes then wipe; never bleach on rubber, which accelerates cracking. Check the spring-loaded retaining wire clamp is fully seated, pressing any popped section back with a finger or flat screwdriver.

The drain pump filter sits behind the small access door on the lower front panel of front-load models. Towels and a pan down, pull the drain hose plug to release residual water, then unscrew the filter counterclockwise. Clear the coins, hairpins and lint, and check the O-ring. Top-loaders have no accessible filter — the pump self-cleans — but slow draining means checking the pump intake screen in the tub.

While the machine is out, check the drain hose: it must rise to at least 30 inches and no more than 96 before the standpipe, and go no more than 8 inches into it, since deeper creates a siphon that drains the tub during fill. Straighten any kink behind it.

Suspension, twice a year#

On top-loaders, tilt the machine back and check the four suspension rods each have an intact damper cup at the top and spring at the bottom. Push the inner tub down and let go — one bounce and settle is right, several means a worn damper. On front-loaders, check the two rear springs (top panel off: three Phillips screws at the rear edge, slide back, lift) are evenly stretched, and the front shocks from underneath. A spring unhooked from its anchor pin causes violent spin vibration.

Mistakes that cost machines#

Too much detergent, which coats the sensor array and drum. Non-HE detergent, whose suds damage the pressure sensor. Leaving the door shut after cycles. Ignoring a slow drain. Running on worn suspension, which damages bearings, tub seal and electrical connections alike.

Rust stains on clothes, an oily smell from a failed tub bearing seal, a tripped breaker, or vibration surviving levelling and a suspension check all mean booking a repair.