What am I doing wrong? Washing machines keep breaking.

[TellmeImOvereacting]

I've had to replace my last two washing machines after having each of them less than 5 years. I feel like it must be me breaking them as my mums has lasted over 10 years. Most people I have asked have had their machines a lot longer than 5 years.

The first machine I tried to replace but spent £250 for it to break 4 months later. My current machine has a fault which would cost more to repair than a replacement.

Please can someone tell me If these things could be damaging my machines?
• I live in a hard water area
• I usually fill the machine 3/4 of the way
• I use a mixture of pods and gels for different washing.
• I always do a 40 wash never higher
• I was at least a load a day

I was put off the extended warranties as I always calculated a new machine to be cheaper than years of payments.

I really liked my current machine too!

The cheaper machines are not up to heavy use and I think they are made more cheaply these days. My first hotpoint machine lasted 10 years pre kids. Since then I had a washer drier which was rubbish so I got rid of it. Then another hotpoint which we kept going for about 8 years replacing the brushes until finally something like the bearings went and it was cheaper to replace. I got another hotpoint and it died after a year and a half. I'm trying a slightly more expensive Samsung now to see if it's ant better. I just cannot bring myself to spend 1k on a washing machine but I suspect if I did it might last longer.

We just about always use a standard cotton cycle with the machine full, ie to the top, except room for a fist in the top.

Years ago I actually weighed the washing to check I wasn't putting too much in but what I thought was full was less than the weight capacity of the machine.

I think it’s luck of the draw has a Miele ( bought 2nd hand) that was a total of 4 years old and went bang
and curry’s own brand £249 had it 6 years working fine only got rid to get bigger drum

🎼 🎶 Washing machines live longer with Calgon. 🎶 🎵

Weee in a hard water area, wash at least daily and my Samsung is over ten years old. I always use powder, and run a hot empty was with bicarbonate and lemons in every couple of weeks.

OP, you need to descale your machine regularly. Stop using pods, replace with powder. You do t need a fancy one, Aldi powder is fab! Also, run a 90 wash once a week. I wash underwear, my DHs socks and the bedding on this temperature. It kills off any fungus (DH has ongoing fungal infections) and de gunks the machine thus preventing smells.

We have Aeg .

Only ever use bio powder.

All bedding goes on 60 so it gets hotter wash regularly.

Machine maintainence wash every few months. With descaler and it’s at 90 degrees.

Its 6 years old and has been used a lot

Don’t waste the energy running empty cycles - throw in your bedding or towels!

I can’t physically run an empty cycle, the machine adjusts the amount of water for the load. I think most modern machines are like that. But it’s easy enough to chuck in few towels.

Do descale
Do use powder
Do a hot wash once per week
Do less washes by doing full loads.

Fabric softener is bad for the machine. Try not to use it.

"I feel like it must be me breaking them as my mums has lasted over 10 years"

It's quite possible you do more washes in a machine that lasts 5 years than your mum does in 10.

I once costed up using Calgon in every wash and it worked out more expensive than replacing the machine a few years earlier! Bonkers.

Stop using gel and pods and throw a cup of soda crystals in every month and do a hot wash.

Cheaper brands (or models) still use motors with carbon brushes which are prone to ware, although the brushes can often be replaced which (rarely happens)

You many fine it more economical in the long term to buy a brand that uses brushless motors.

Personally I have found Miele to be significantly more reliable although your mileage may vary....(all Miele washing machines are brushless)

I live in a hard water area and my washing machine is over 15 years old.

A relative is a plumber and he advised me to put a tablespoon of soda crystals in every wash (in the detergent drawer), and once a month run empty on a delicate cycle with white vinegar in the drum (cupful).

Many years ago when my very expensive washing machine broke down the guy who came out said that with a large family and daily use I was wasting my money as even the expensive machines were now all plastic parts made near shore and not lovingly crafted in Germany.

His advice was to buy a cheap-mid range machine, use it to death for 3-5 years and then expect to replace it. That has been largely true - no benefit to buying expensive machines as the cheaper models lasted just as long. Not as many options on the dial but I never used most of them anyway.

I was told by the engineer to use powder as well.

I also run a Descaling wash at high temp about once a quarter.

Power. Descale. Buying the best quality machine with the biggest drum you can afford (bigger drum = less loads). That's an awful lot of washing, do you have a large family or are you one of those mumsnetters that changes towels and bedding daily? if the latter maybe stop.

Forget temperatures, limescale, loads and detergent. Motor failures aren't relevant to any of that unless you're consistently overloading.

Buy a Samsung or LG with digital inverter motor. They all have a 10 year guarantee on the motor. So much more reliable than the old brush type motors.

We've had Samsung ones with a 5 year parts and labour guarantee. The first one broke after 3 years and we got nearly all of the internal parts replaced totally free under the guarantee. It lasted another 5 years after that.

Other than that, use powder not gel and run an empty hot wash (95 degrees) every couple of months. Oh, and clean out the filter!

Following as we are the same, our machines only last 3-4 years, ours is currently broken, engineer coming today hopefully!

We are a large family (6 of us) and do approx 14 washes a week so heavy use. Run a maintenance wash once a month. Maybe this is just how it is!

Some makes are notoriously unreliable (Hotpoint for example).
I think most machines aren't as well made as previously, so even if you've had a particular make for 15 years it doesn't mean that the next one made by the same manufacturer will be as reliable.
Fwiw I had a series of unreliable ones when I had a combined washer dryer. Then a Bosch lasting about 12 years (heavy use). Now have a Miele which has so far been trouble free for about 8 years (heavy use until the last year).

I would suggest a boil wash every once in a while when you remember and have time to clear residue.
I bought a LG machine with a 5 year parts and labour guarantee as standard after a zanussi machine was uneconomic to repair after 18 months. The LG needed a major repair just before the warranty was up then was good for several more years after that. Prior to the dud zanussi I'd had a very clean and tidy secondhand zanussi I bought at auction which I must have had for 12 years without any trouble, saw me through 2 babies so took a hammering. We have an indesit now which my DH took out a maintenance contract/insurance on and they come and fix it when it goes wrong every few years. Probably had it 10 years now. I keep telling him to cancel the contract but he never does.

We use powder and wash at 30/40/60 degrees.

In my experience the cheaper machines only last 2 or 3 years. I'm in a hard water area which doesn't help.

Don't use gels, pods, or fabric softener. Always powder.

We live in a very hard water area and it is essential to use descaler. I make sure I do very hot washes with a drum full of soda crystals on a regular basis.