How to Clean a Washing Machine Pump

How to Clean Your Washing Machine Pump

If you clean your washing machine pump regularly, this task can be completed in less than ten minutes. This extends the life of your washing machine and ensures your clothes come out clean.

1. Open the access panel to the drain pump. On most washing machines, this is located at the bottom front. On top-loaders, the pump may also be on the side or back. Since the pump is sealed by a panel, a screwdriver or a thin knife can help you open it carefully.
2. Some residual water may spill out of the pump. Be sure to have an absorbent cloth handy to catch the water. Carefully unscrew the pump element or strainer. 
3. Clean the filter with a brush. Be careful. Under no circumstances should holes form in the filter, as it protects the pump from lint or other small objects getting inside and damaging it.
4. Rinse the filter when you’re done. Also remove any dirt that has accumulated on the pump inside the washing machine. Use a flashlight to see the dirt more clearly.
5. Reinstall the filter and all other parts exactly as they were. Finally, close the pump cover.

That’s why cleaning is so important

Some people may wonder how cleaning the drain pump relates to the cleanliness of the laundry and why it’s so important to clean the pump and the washing machine regularly.

• The drain pump is designed to keep fibers, lint, and small objects that end up in the washing machine with the laundry away from the drain. This means that all the dirt washed out of the laundry also accumulates in the pump’s filter.
• If the pump isn’t cleaned over time, the strainer will become clogged, and the washing machine won’t be able to pump any water out of the drum at all.
• The dirt that accumulates on the pump or in the strainer also harbors germs and bacteria. If these organisms thrive and multiply, they cause a foul odor in the washing machine. This odor can even be detected in freshly washed laundry. The washing machine then starts to smell bad.