What To Put And Not Put In Washing Machine?

Have you ever taken a minute to think of the most important reason anyone would have to invest in a washer, even the one that costs a lot of money? The world is evolving and as time passes, people are consistently looking for new ways to have more comfort and convenience in their homes, hence why they will not mind spending hundreds of dollars on appliances that can help them achieve that. The washing machine has become an integral part of every modern home, especially for people who want to get things done as quickly as possible as this will also give them more room to focus on other pressing matters.

Fulfilling one’s domestic obligations has never been an easy thing to do. Think about taking care of the kids, doing the laundry, making sure the house is in order, and many other things. If you volunteer to do all these things manually, it’s only a matter of time before they all start taking a toll on you because you’ll be mostly stressed and not have time to focus on other things.

People invest heavily in major domestic appliances like the refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave oven, cooking range, and washing machines because these appliances make them fulfill their domestic obligations faster than if they were to get these things done by hand. The washing machine is a fantastic appliance to have in your laundry room if you want to save yourself a lot of time and stress. Thankfully, people don’t see washing machines as a luxury that can only be afforded by a few people, rather, a necessity that should be owned by every modern household.

Doing your laundry can be fun and eye-opening because you’ll make mistakes that will make you learn a lot about how your washing machine operates and what to avoid with the washer. You might have made a few of them in the past by putting the things you weren’t supposed to put in the washer, leading to the damage of your clothes, or even worse, which can be your washing machine getting damaged. If you’re new to how a washing machine operates, we want to ensure that you don’t learn on the job by clearly outlining what to put and not put in washing machine.

There are things you should never put in your washer unless you’re prepared to cut your losses and move on with a new washer which will require you to go deep into your pockets and spend a few hundreds of dollars. Let’s face it; nobody will deliberately put their washer in a dangerous state, or intentionally do things that will destroy their clothes. This is why you need to pay good attention to the dons and don’ts of washing machines by knowing the things you should never put in your washer to preserve its life as well as the quality of your clothes.

If you commit the blunder of putting the clothing you can’t wash in washing machine in your washer, you should be prepared to face one of these two consequences; damage to your clothes or damage to your washer, which is way worse. You may think using the washing machine is very simple, which, of course, anybody would think considering how easy it seems to operate the washer from the outside. If you play by the books and you take your time to check the user manual, you shouldn’t have any problems with these things because they’ve been stated what to put and not put in washing machine.

We know how daunting it can be to go over the user manual as some of them are not even comprehensive enough. This has caused people to ask questions like ‘can you wash pillows in the washing machine,’ ‘can you wash sneakers (shoes) in the washing machine,’ ‘can you put ugg slippers in the washing machine,’ ‘can you put crocs in the washing machine,’ ‘can you wash a hat in the washing machine,’ ‘can you wash silk in the washing machine,’ and ‘can you wash vans in the washing machine.’ Using your washing machine goes beyond throwing your messy clothes in the washer, adding your detergent, and starting the cycle.

Things You Shouldn’t Put In Your Washer

Flammable Items

Flammable items are the worst things you can put in your washing machine because the unexpected can happen. While filling up your gas, you may have spilled gasoline on your clothes, which is not abnormal considering the nature of gas and how it can mistakenly spill on us. The mistake you can make is to throw these gas-stained clothes in your washing machine trying to get rid of the strong smell or the stains.

Gasoline-stained items are not the only flammable things that can cause damage when you toss them in your washing machine. Other compounds like alcohol and even your cooking oil are not compatible with most washing machines, except ultrasonic cleaning machines which are more of the industrial washers than commercial. If you make the mistake of putting clothes stained by these compounds in your washer, you risk starting a house fire and that does not come without saying your washing machine will be badly damaged, which should be the least of your worries in the worst-case scenario.

Coins

Another mistake you can afford to make when putting things in your washing machine is putting clothes that have coins in their pockets in your washer. It’s not unusual to have your loose change or coins in your pocket and forget to get them out when it’s time to do your laundry. This is why we always advise people to check the pockets of their clothes properly before putting them in your washer because having coins in your washing machine can do a lot of damage to your washer.

If you notice your washer is making funny sounds and vibrating when it’s not even spinning, you should stop the cycle immediately and check the pockets of the clothes in the washer for coins or anything related to that. Coins may seem harmless to your washer, but leaving them in your washer can cause serious damage to some components in your washer such as the fins of the drain pump. We know people would not intentionally throw coins into their washer, but it’s very okay to double-check the pockets of your clothes for coins before tossing them into your washing machine.

Running Shoes

It’s not unusual to toss regular sneakers into your washing machine as you might have done a few times. However, if you’ve been thinking of doing the same with running shoes with leather material, you might just be making the biggest mistake you’ll ever make with your washer. Some washing machines are built to handle these running shoes without causing any damage to the shoes, but you need to know if it’s safe for you to do, both for the machine and the shoes.

One of the greatest mistakes you can make with these shoes is putting the ones with leather accents because you’ll lose the quality that comes with the shoes as the leather accents will be lost and get eventually peeled off. If you ever want to process running shoes in your washer, you should be sure that the washer is built to handle the material of the shoes or the shoes are built to be washed in the washer. Alternatively, you can just use an anti-grease detergent and a brush to get rid of the stubborn stains on your running shoes.

Bras

As much as this doesn’t sound like a problem, it’s something you need to avoid for the sake of the lingerie. Putting your underwire bras in the washing machine, alongside other garments, will only result in the hooks and wires getting stuck to the other clothes in the washer and tearing them apart in the process. If the hooks and wires also manage to get stuck to some parts of the washing machine, it could result in interior damage to the washing machine, which will cost you some money trying to repair it.

Even if you don’t consider the possibility of your washing machine getting damaged because the chances are low, you should seriously consider the quality of your lingerie before you decide to put them in your washer. It’s only a matter of time before they start losing elasticity because the materials they’re made of cannot cope with the heat. On the brighter side, some washing machines are built with the “delicate cycle” and that means they can efficiently clean your lingerie correctly without damaging them, although you have to read the user manual to know if your washer is up for the task.

Keys

Nobody intentionally puts keys in their washing machines, but that only shows how careful we need to be by always checking out for these things in our pockets before putting our clothes in the washer. We often forget keys in our pockets, especially our car and house keys. It’s also possible that you’ve found yourself getting keys out of your washer a few times because it’s not an unusual activity. Leaving keys in your washer while it’s working may leave scratches on the interior of the washer drum, or even cause more expensive damages if the keys eventually get stuck in one of the valves or filters.

As soon as you start hearing some funny sounds while the machine is in the middle of a wash, you need to stop the cycle, unplug the machine from a power source, and try to get the keys out. The best thing is to ensure that the keys don’t find their way into your washer in the first place. That way, you’ll be saving yourself a lot of stress, and maybe money too.

Embellished Garments

Remember that all that glitters is not gold? Or maybe they shouldn’t also go in your washing machine because they can cause more damage than you can imagine. The funny thing is that these are things we don’t pay attention to, but knowing how much harm they could cause is enough reason to avoid getting embellished garments in your washer in the first place.

Some of these embellished garments can be destroyed easily in the washer, and even the glued ones can be broken down by the intensity of the hot water. The safest way to take care of your embellished garments is to wash them with your hands. You will also be protecting the quality of the material like this.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can you wash curtains in the washing machine?

Not all curtains can be washed in the washing machines. Some have textures that can only be washed by industrial washers, but always make sure you read the manuals well to know if your curtains can be cleaned in your washer.

2. Can you wash backpacks in the washing machine?

It’s not safe to put backpacks in the washing machines, especially the ones that have metal zips in them. The safest way to clean your backpacks is to clean them with your hands.

3. Can you put car floor mats in the washing machine?

For the sake of your washer, this is something you shouldn’t try. Car floor mats should be washed when you’re washing your car, so if you’re not taking your car to the car wash, you should use your hands.

4. Can you wash plastic bags in the washing machine?

Plastic bags are not meant to be washed in the washing machine. Anything related to that texture should never be allowed to go in your washing machine because it’s not just ideal and it can cause your washer to be damaged.

5. Can you put a tent in the washing machine?

No, you can’t. There are better ways to wash a tent than tossing it into the washing and risking damaging your washing machine in the process.

6. Can you put a yoga mat in the washing machine?

The general rule of thumb is that anything mat should never go into residential washing machines unless these machines have special cycles for mats.

7. Can you wash a down comforter in washing machine?

If your washing machine is not built to handle comforters, you can’t put washers and them and expect the washer to get the job done. Some machines are built with the necessary components and capacities to handle comforters. Check here for a review of the best washing machines for comforters.

8. Can you wash bath mats in the washing machine?

You should not your mats in the washing machine. The best care you can give to your mats is to wash them with your hands.

9. Can you put a mousepad in the washing machine?

We’ve been discussing the things that shouldn’t go in your washer and we can confidently say that a mousepad is not one of them. According to Vispronet, cloth mouse pads can be cleaned in the washing machine or by hand. However, you should always choose the gentle cycle when washing the mousepad.

10. Can you wash a leather jacket in the washing machine?

It is not ideal to put a leather jacket or anything with the leather material in your washing machine. Doing this will result in the jacket drying out and cracking, or even getting a shrunk jacket at the end of the wash cycle.

11. Can you put boxing gloves in the washing machine?

Wiping down your boxing gloves is the easiest and best way to correctly clean your gloves. Putting them in the washing machine will wear and tear the foams inside the gloves, decreasing their lifespan in the process.

Conclusion

Doing your laundry can be fun, especially when you have a washer you can always trust to get things done for you efficiently. However, we must have learned in this article that there’s more to doing laundry than just putting clothes in the washer and getting the results. Some things are not just meant for the washer, so when you put them there, you should be prepared to face the consequences. In this article, we’ve discussed what to put and not put in washing machine as a precautionary guide to protect your items and your washer.