Your washing machine is probably the hardest working appliance in your house. It handles sweaty gym clothes, muddy jeans, bedsheets that haven’t been changed in… well, let’s not talk about that. But here’s the thing: most of us treat our washers like they can handle literally anything. Toss it in, add soap, press start. Easy, right?
Not so fast. There’s a long list of stuff that will wreck your machine, ruin your clothes, or both. Some of these might surprise you. Others are things you’ve probably been doing for years without thinking twice. I’ve been there. I once threw a pair of leather boots in the wash because I figured, hey, it’s just dirt. Those boots never looked the same, and my washer made a noise like a dying animal for a week.
Here’s what you need to stop putting in the washing machine today, before you’re staring at a repair bill or a pile of destroyed clothes.
Too Much Detergent (Yes, This Counts)
This is the one that gets people. You’d think more soap means cleaner clothes, but that’s completely wrong. Patric Richardson, a laundry expert known as “The Laundry Evangelist,” says overdoing detergent is the single worst thing people do to their machines. Detergent is oil-based, so the excess doesn’t just rinse away. It builds up inside the machine, coating hoses, gumming up seals, and creating blockages over time.
Richardson kept his own washer running for 19 years just by going easy on the soap. The appliance store couldn’t even believe it was still working. If you have a high-efficiency (HE) machine, you need even less detergent than you think. That little line inside the cap? Actually use it. If you’ve been heavy-handed, cut back and the buildup should gradually wash away, assuming you haven’t already fried the sensors.
Fabric Softener
I know, I know. Your mom used fabric softener. Your grandma used fabric softener. But Rich Handel, a laundry testing expert at Consumer Reports, says ditching fabric softener is his number one laundry tip. The stuff coats your clothes in a layer of chemical residue, makes your towels less absorbent, and gums up the machine’s sensors and hoses.
Instead, grab a set of wool dryer balls. You can get a pack of six on Amazon or at Walmart for about $10 to $15, and they last one to two years. They soften clothes by physically working out the stiffness as they tumble. If static is your problem, crumple up a three to four foot piece of aluminum foil into a smooth ball and toss it in the dryer. Works great, costs almost nothing. If your clothes still come out crunchy, hard water might be the real problem, not the absence of softener.
Coins, Keys, and Whatever Else Is in Your Pockets
Be honest. How often do you actually check pockets before tossing clothes in the washer? James Peters, a Kenmore Laundry Product Manager, says coins can damage the fins on the drain pump if they make it past the filter. Keys scratch up the inside of the drum and can get wedged in valves and filters. And if you’ve got a keyless entry fob or a car remote in there? Water and detergent will destroy the electronics. That’s a $200 to $400 replacement on top of any machine damage.
Pens are another one. A single ballpoint pen can leak ink all over an entire load. Paper clips, screws, nails, gum wrappers. Just make it a habit: check every pocket, every time. It takes 10 seconds and can save you hundreds.
Pet Hair Covered Clothes
If you have a dog or cat, you know the struggle. Pet hair gets on everything. But throwing those fur-covered clothes straight into the wash is a mistake. When pet hair gets wet, it clumps together and sticks to the sides of the drum. Those clumps can clog the filter, block the drain hose, and jam up the drain pump. The result? Leaks, poor drainage, and expensive repairs.
The fix is simple. Run a lint roller over clothes before they go in the washer. You can grab a multi-pack of lint rollers at Dollar Tree or Walmart for a few bucks. After washing a load that had any pet hair on it, wipe down the drum and run an empty rinse cycle to flush out any lingering fur. And whatever you do, don’t add extra detergent thinking it’ll help. It actually makes the clogging worse.
Leather, Suede, and Silk
Sarah Armstrong, a product brand manager at Maytag, is clear on this one: leather, suede, and silk should be dry-cleaned, period. The agitation and water will warp leather, strip the nap off suede, and leave silk looking like a sad tissue. Same goes for shoes made with these materials, plus anything with cork soles, velvet, or wool.
If you’ve got leather shoes or a suede bag that needs cleaning, spot-clean with a damp cloth and a brush made for that material. You can find suede cleaning kits at Target or DSW for around $8 to $12. For silk, take it to the dry cleaner or gently hand-wash in cold water. It’s not worth the risk.
Memory Foam Pillows
Memory foam has an open-cell structure, which means it soaks up water like a sponge and turns into a heavy, soggy brick. Jon Chan, a senior lab technician at Reviewed, says memory foam pillows may fall apart during the spin cycle. Even if they survive, they’ll never bounce back to their original shape.
Spot-clean memory foam only. If there’s a stain, dab it with a damp cloth and a tiny bit of mild dish soap. Let it air dry completely. Same goes for weighted blankets filled with sand, rice, or beans. The weight plus the water is a recipe for a broken machine.
Waterproof and Oversized Items
Raincoats, waterproof jackets, and similar gear are designed to repel water. So what happens when you put them in a machine full of water? They trap it. The water balloons up inside the garment, and during the spin cycle, it can burst like a water balloon, making a huge mess and potentially lodging torn pieces in filters or valves.
King-size comforters and blankets are another problem. Most home washing machines simply aren’t big enough. The comforter gets jammed in there, the drum can’t spin properly, and you end up straining belts, gears, and bearings. Kristin DiNicolantonio from the American Cleaning Institute recommends taking oversized bedding to a laundromat with commercial-sized machines. It costs a few bucks but saves you from a repair that could run $300 or more.
Bras with Underwire and Metal Hardware
Underwire bras are one of the most common causes of washing machine problems that people never think about. If a bra comes unhooked during the cycle, the wire can poke through the fabric and get caught in the drum’s cylinder. The hooks can snag other clothes, causing tears and rips. Belt buckles, open zippers, and metal buttons can scratch the drum and dent the interior.
The solution is a mesh laundry bag. You can buy a set at Walmart for $5 to $8. Put bras, delicates, and anything with metal hardware in the bag before washing. Also, always zip up zippers before they go in. An open zipper swirling around in the wash is a snag machine waiting to happen.
Clothes Stained with Gasoline, Cooking Oil, or Alcohol
This one is serious. Appliance maker LG warns that clothes covered in gasoline, dry-cleaning solvents, cooking oil, or other flammable substances should never go in the washing machine. Those substances give off vapors that could ignite. According to the National Fire Protection Association, washers and dryers cause nearly 16,000 fires a year. A Consumer Product Safety Commission study found that towels contaminated with just 20% vegetable oil could spontaneously combust even after being washed, dried, folded, and stacked.
If your clothes have been soaked in something flammable, let them air-dry outdoors first. Then treat the stain with liquid detergent by hand before running them through a wash cycle. And for the love of all things good, don’t spray vodka on clothes and throw them in the machine to “deodorize” them. Alcohol is flammable.
Tiny Items Without a Mesh Bag
Baby socks, nylon stockings, and other small items can get sucked into hoses and vents during the wash cycle. Once they’re in there, you’re looking at a potential clog that causes flooding or requires a service call. Tiny items should always go in a mesh laundry bag. This also goes for anything with delicate embellishments, beading, or sequins.
If you don’t have a mesh bag handy, a clean pillowcase tied shut works in a pinch. Just make sure small items aren’t floating around loose in the drum.
One More Thing: Stop Overloading
I get it. Nobody wants to do three loads when you can cram it all into one. But stuffing your washer to the brim is one of the top causes of machine breakdowns. Sears Home Services technicians say overloading damages the suspension and bearings, and your clothes don’t even get clean because there’s no room for them to move around. You end up running the load twice anyway, which defeats the purpose.
A good rule of thumb: fill the drum about three-quarters full. Your clothes need space to tumble. Your machine needs room to do its job. Treat it right and it’ll last a lot longer than the five to seven years most people get out of theirs. Run the clean cycle at least once a month, check those pockets, and stop using your washer like a garbage disposal. Your wallet will thank you.
