Best results with your washing machine starts with proper loading.  This may seem like a simple matter.  In fact, you may be scratching your head right now wondering what the big deal is right?

Well, we have a lot of calls each year that are directly due to improper loading and even though you may be the master of everything clean in your household, you may find out something here that you didn’t know.

A good start is to make sure you add your clothes in the tub loosly, dry, and one at a time.  New washers force you to do this, but some of the golden oldies out there will allow you to start water fill first.  Adding your clothes to the washer while water is filling is the number one way to overload your washer.  This is because as the clothes absorb the water, they compress down with the weight, allowing you to add more than what the washer was designed to handle.  Do not dump a hamper of clothes in at once because clothes items can get caught in the tub ring and could get in between the inner wash basket and outer tub.  Keep like items together to ensure a balanced load.

How much clothes you can add vary from machine to machine, but the general rule is to stop with the tub looks 75 percent full or covered.  In a top load machine, you should still be able to see a couple inches of the inner wash basket.  On a front loader, the clothes should not be wanting to fall out of the front opening.

Checking pockets is important.  We find all kinds of things in washer drain pumps.  Legos, pins, pencils, nails, bobby pins, money (not enough to pay for the service call), among others.  This can cause damage to the pump or worse can tear a hole in the drain hose, causing water to gush out onto your floor.  Even if you tell your family to empty pockets before putting laundry in the hamper, you need to double check.  Remember that you are the last line of defense to keep your washer or your home from being damaged.