How to remove water from washing machine
A washer that is not draining adequately is always trouble, Draining a washing machine is an essential step of maintaining the machine heath. In this article, we will discuss why you must drain your washer and how often it must be, most importantly how it can be done by using just a hose, bucket, and some towels. Let us get started!
Are you supposed to drain washing machine?

Yes! Although most of the time during laundry washing machines can carry out draining by themselves, there is another time when they need help to drain the water. In cases where the washer is being looked at for repair by a professional or when you are moving the washer to another location, you must take an extra effort to completely drain the machine.
To drain a washing machine you will need a drainage pipe or pump and a drain line. This way you will ensure that the washer does not carry water around in it and you can drain all the water from the drum.
How often should you drain your washing machine?
Advice from every professional is to do a complete cleaning of the drum once a month. More water content paves way for more bacterial and mold buildup.
You can use fill the drum with a hot water rinse cycle and drain the water fully and remove as much water content from the drum as possible once a month as a part of the cleaning cycle. Apart from this, after each wash cycle, you must check that the washer does not carry water post-wash. A proper water drain tub, floor drain, or water drainage system must be installed.
What causes a washing machine not to drain water?
The water outlet is as important as the water supply inlet. Any issue like residue buildup or clog in the drain tube, hose, pump, lid, or even the malfunctioning power button can be the reason why your machine is not draining properly.
If you have not identified the cause of the problem, always refer to the owner’s manual to have a full understanding of how to drain the washing machine you have correctly. If the owner’s manual also does not help, it is best advised to call a professional at the earliest to resolve the issue and made sure you help the washer drain properly.
Learn how to get the water out of washing machine that won’t drain [Simple and Effective Tips]

A washing machine that does not drain properly is going to cause laundry room troubles. You can make sure that you drain a washing machine even if it has trouble draining properly automatically. Here are a few effective tips to manually drain a washer.
To manually drain a top loading washing machine:
Before you begin to manually drain a top load washing machine, you must check if the lid is closed correctly. Some models of top-loading washing machines come with lids that click. When the lid of your top-loading machine is not closed properly, it might not begin to drain or even run its wash cycle. Therefore, you must ensure that the lid of the top-loading washing machines is closed well before you check on the drain pipe. If your top-load machine does not run despite this, then the following steps will help in draining a top-loading washing machine seamlessly.
Turn off the power outlet:
Make sure the power button and the power outlet are turned off and the machine is unplugged from the electrical circuit and then moved away from the wall. It will help if you move the machine away from the circuit to prevent spills or standing water.
Lay down old towels around the washer on the floor close to the water supply hoses. These old towels will help to catch spills as a precaution and prevent standing water from accumulating near the area.
Where is the drain hose in your top load washing machine?
Locate where the water supply hoses are in your top-loading washing machine. A washer will have 3 hoses; hot water in Red, cold water in Blue, and a drain hose in Gray. When you have located the drain hoses, turn off the water supply hoses. Now you can disconnect the drain hose from the drain pipe and hold it carefully over the top-loading machine to keep away spills.
Drain the water into the bucket:
You might want to keep an empty bucket handy to grab it immediately. Hold the bucket down and place the drain tube or drain hose over the bucket. This way you can make sure gravity works to drain the water from the drain tube effortlessly.
When you notice that the bucket is full you can empty the water into a sink or basin and repeat the process until the remaining water from the washer is removed. This is how you completely drain a top load washer.
To manually drain a front loading machine:
Draining front-loading machines is quite similar to draining a top load washer. Here is a quick set of steps to drain your front-loading machine.
Turn off power outlet:
Before you begin the process, turn off the power button and unplug your machine. Do not forget to disconnect the washer from the circuit. Keep the washer at a safe distance from the outlet and the wall and lay around old towels near the washer on the floor and the outlet. The towels will ensure that all spills are caught and the place is dry. You can layer up the towels if you want to be extra careful as a precaution in preventing spills.
Where is the drain hose?
Did you know that front-loading machines have just a single drain pump filter or a separate drain hose and a drain pump filter? Identify if your model has a separate drain hose and drain pump filter from the owner’s manual.
You will be able to locate these behind the access panel at the very bottom. Some models allow will require a screwdriver to open the area while in others you can directly open it.
Drain the water into the tub
To drain the water from a front loader that has only a drain pump filter, place a shallow tub against the washer directly under the drain pump. Gently unscrew the knob until you can see the water drain into the tub. Once the tub is full you can close the knob, empty all the water into a sink, and repeat until the remaining water is also removed.
For models that have a drain pump filter and tube, you can simply unclip the drain tube and unscrew the end cap. Once you have emptied all the water or as much water as you can into the tub, you can replace the end cap.
Clean the filter
To unclog a filter and remove a debris buildup in it you can use an old brush with soft-bristled and some warm water to scrub it gently. Once you’ve scrubbed the filter, rinse it again in warm water.
What happens if you don’t clean your washing machine?

Any problem with a machine where the water draining is affected will cause problems like a musty or bad smell, which can even seep into the clothes and laundry room. When you notice a problem in the floor drain, drain pipe, drain tube, other problems in the draining; make sure you act quickly to manually drain the water.
When more water is left unattended the situation will get worse. Before things get bad, you must learn to drain a washing machine correctly and invest time to clean it. Act on any leak or clog, be it in the filter or the hose. When you do not clean the machine or attend to its problems, you permit mold and bacterial buildup to grow and proliferate.
1. How do you know if your drain pump is clogged?
To know if there is a clog in your drain pump you have to watch the draining capacity of your machine. When there is difficulty draining a washing machine without assistance, it means that the drain pump is clogged. Sometimes, an issue with the draining might not be because of a clog, rather it could be due to an issue with the front panel or access panel, floor drain, filter, etc.
Any repair that you undertake to remove the blockage or clog can be done by placing the washer at floor level comfortably, moving it away from the wall, and using a hose and bucket to drain the water.
2. Is it worth fixing water pump on washing machine?
Yes. It is easy to replace the pump or pipe, rather than to spend on expensive repairs. Replacing or repairing this is a cheaper and better option.
3. How long can you leave water in washing machine?
It is understandable that wet clothes inside the washer cannot be removed immediately every single time after a wash cycle. An unexpected trip outdoors or power outage might leave your washer stuck with wet clothes inside.
However, you must note that water can be left inside a washer for a maximum of 8 to 12 hours alone. This length of time is expectedly long enough for power to resume.
4. How do you open a washing machine when the water is full?
Opening a washer that is still full of water is tricky, especially in front loaders. You can place a bucket or pan as soon as you open the door into the drum to fill it with the water still within the drum.
Wrapping Up
With this, we have reached the end of the article on how to drain a washing machine. We trust the article was of help and you could gather ideas that will be of use. Share with us your experiences on draining washers and the tips that helped you make the process easy.
About the Author

Neha Tiwari, Member at Homezilla.in
Neha is the one who is aware of current trends and best practices in our desi community. She also helps and educates people looking for a solution to their problems via online. Her work has been published on countless blogs and notable magazines.