On the other hand, using efficient washers may not be the walk in the park that most of us are expecting. Despite the efficiency of many washing machines, some of them might actually last as long if not treated correctly. Appliance repair is not as easy as it used to be. The modern parts and features of the new washers can cut the life span of many efficient washers.

Here are the top five contributors to washing machine damage and the solutions:

1. Using hot water

Hot water is pretty much indispensable to most of us when it comes to getting rid of the most stubborn dirt and grime in clothes and also in annihilating germs and bacteria.

But when hot water mixes with the minerals in tap water, lime can build up and damage the washer pump or cause clogging.

Also, hot water consumes a lot of energy. Heating and cooling devices tend to consume a lot of electricity.

The latest High Efficiency washers do not need hot water to remove stubborn stains, they can run on cold water cycles and allow the use of cold water laundry detergents. Just ensure that if you have a High Efficiency washer you use the laundry detergent marked with the HE symbol.

2. Skipping the maintenance

Most of us do not go the extra mile in maintaining our washers. Skipping the maintenance could be one of the things that can speed up the deterioration of your efficient washers.

Lime can also build up and lessen the efficiency of the machine by up to 12%. This can also cause the washer to break down in the middle of a cycle, thereby prompting the need to re-wash.

Many washers now come with a maintenance wash cycle where you can run the cycle with a cleaning tablet without any clothes inside and this removes any nasty lime build up, it also removes any odor causing bacteria!

3. Not unplugging the machine

We just rely on our circuit breaker. In fact, most of us just turn the washer off. But even appliances that are turned off can still consume electricity for as long as they are plugged in. In addition to that, this increases the risks of washer damage if a power surge or lightning storm causes abnormal spikes to be passed into the delicate washer electronics.

In the areas frequented by thunderstorms, it is ideal to unplug appliances to prevent them from being affected by the lightning and power cuts.

4. Not replacing the drain hose and the water hose

They get damaged easily. They usually last for about 2 years before some parts of the drain hose or the water hose require replacement. This can lead to a leaky washer problem.

5. Running small laundry loads frequently

While small laundry loads do not consume a lot of water, they still tend to consume a lot of energy. In fact, running small laundry loads generally consumes the same amount of energy as full laundry loads.

Also, running lots of small loads in the washer can be bad for the washer, it’s far better to fill your washer for each load, less laundry cycles equals less wear and tear on the mechanical components of your washer.

How To Maintain Your Washing Machine

Maintenance is the key in prolonging the life of your washer and making it perform better. The following are some of the maintenance tips you could try with your washer:

A. Run an empty hot water cycle once a week

Add a cup of distilled white vinegar. This will help descale the washer and get rid of molds as well. It will also make sure that your washer will smell great.

B. Try to put your small clothes in a mesh bag

This prevents them from getting stuck in the pump or clogging seals, etc. Also check the pockets of your clothes for loose objects such as coins and loose buttons.

C. Use only the right amount of detergent

Overuse of laundry detergent can be bad for the washer. This can confuse the functions of the machine because the extra foam and suds can damage the control board unit of the machine.

D. Unplug it when not in use

Unplugging your washer and dryer will eliminate phantom power loss and protect them during storms or power outages. Also turn the water source off to remove water pressure and prevent damage to the water hose.

This was a guest post by Zach Smith: Learn some tips on how to maintain your LG washer dryer combo. Get more insider tips on how to prolong your washer’s life at http://www.washingmachineadvisor.com.

We easily managed without the ice maker and water dispenser but we quickly realized that the clothes dryer was a fairly critical piece of what makes our lives tick by so smoothly. Without our clothes dryer the pile of dirty clothes quickly reached new heights and a pile of already washed rugs started to stink up the laundry room with a rather nasty “sour” smell…

Our Old Washer and Dryer (In a Messy Laundry Room!)

But as the saying goes, for every cloud there is a silver lining, and our silver lining was the chance to upgrade our out-dated washer and now broken clothes dryer. We went to our local Lowes store and spent about an hour checking out the new features and ratings for the “high efficiency” front loading washer and dryers.

We quickly found a washer and clothes dryer pair which fit both our budget and our desire to go green with energy star appliances. We ended up choosing a pair of Maytag appliances and together they cost about $1600 which was a lot but we managed to take advantage of a 0% for 12 months deal so the decision was easy (well fairly easy – big purchases always give me a cold sweat!)

We read that the new high efficiency front loading clothes washers can save anywhere from 20% to 66% of the amount of water an old top loading washer would use! Also, the tumbling motion of the front loader is less harsh on the fabrics being washed so our clothes should look good longer…

Our New High Efficiency Washer and Dryer Installed

An early Sunday morning delivery woke us up and got the dogs barking! It was all totally worth it, the new washer and dryer looked great. We had to run the dryer for 30 mins without any clothes to burn off any dust left over from the factory (the installation technician gave us lots of tips like that!).

One big change was that we had to switch to the new High Efficiency (HE) laundry detergent which forms less suds and helps wash clothes more efficiently. After our first load of washing through the high efficiency washer we noticed how dry the clothes are once the wash cycle has finished. The install technician explained that the spin cycle of the washer actually removes a lot of the water from the clothes which makes drying times even shorter.

Top Loading vs New High Efficiency Designs

The above diagram shows how the front loading high efficiency washer uses much less water than the traditional top loading washer.

We are going to monitor our electricity and water usage to try and figure out exactly how much the new washer and dryer are saving us, stay tuned for more updates next month!

Next on our hit list of high efficiency or energy star appliances is the fridge freezer, we will be getting a new energy star fridge freezer which should further improve our energy savings. Have you recently replaced some old energy hog appliances? Tell us your story by leaving a comment…