4 Steps to Manually Drain a Washing Machine

Front-loading washing machines come with a whole heap of benefits, but one problem you might experience is the door locking up in the middle of an interrupted cycle. There are a few things that can cause your washing machine to halt mid-cycle, but it will usually keep both your clothes and all that soapy water stuck inside. At that point, you'll need to rescue them, so here's how to drain the machine by hand.  

1. Get Everything You Need

Draining a washing machine is pretty easy, but it's quite hard to stop the process once you've begun. That means you need to get everything together before you begin. Start by finding a bucket, one that's reasonably large but not big enough that it will be impossible to move when full of water. Next, get a few pieces of kitchen towel so you can mop up leakages quickly and stop yourself from slipping.  Finally, try finding another person! It's a much easier job when two are involved.

2. Unplug or Turn Off

You're now ready to begin, so start by making sure that the washing machine is unplugged. The plug might connect into the wall behind the machine, so inch it slowly forward, making sure to move steadily to prevent it tipping forward. If the machine cannot be unplugged, make sure that it is at least turned off at the power source.

3. Find the Drainage Pipe

You can now search for the drainage pipe. It will go up vertically into the washer, so look for an upright pipe; it will normally be either under the sink, if the sink is close by, or right next to the washer itself, but you will probably need to move the machine a little to find it. Again, go slowly and steadily.

4. Drain the Washer

Once you've found the pipe, pull the outlet hose out. The water will come out of here, so make sure you hold it upright to prevent water spraying over the floor. Instead, lower it into the bucket. Water should begin to flow out immediately.

Just remember to keep an eye on things; there might be more water to drain than the bucket can hold, so get someone to raise the hose again to let you empty and replace it. Continue until all the water is drained. At this point, your washing machine should register the lack of water and automatically open the door.

Seeing your clothes trapped in the washing machine can be pretty annoying, although forcing the door open and having the floor soaked with water is even worse. Just follow these steps for an easy manual drain, then call your local appliance repairs professional to ask whether the machine requires any further attention.