If you’ve bought a washing machine – whether it is an integrated washing machine or a stand alone one – you need to make sure that it is properly maintained if you want it to last a long time. Of course the easiest way to do this is to hire a professional in to regularly check the machine for any signs of problems, and this will definitely provide you with the most reliable way of keeping your washing machine going. However not all of us have the money to do this regularly, so there are a few things you should keep in mind to help maintain your washing machine.

A common problem in washing machines is lime scale in the tube, and this is probably something that needs to be looked after by a professional as it can seriously affect the durability and lifetime of your washing machine. Always make sure that the drawer where you put in the detergent is also kept clean as otherwise mould may start to build up inside it which is obviously something you don’t want at any stage!

Regularly inspect the fittings in the machine as well as the hoses. You’re looking for cracks in them or even worse, water dripping. It’s often a good idea to replace the hoses every few years even if there aren’t problems just to be on the safe side.

We’ve all seen washing machines that walk around a lot and make a huge amount of noise, and this is often because they aren’t set level on the floor. If this happens it’s only a matter of time before it breaks, so make sure you properly level your integrated washing machine before it does some damage.

Other things to do are clean out the barrel of the washing machine. This is something that should be done by a professional every few months unless you know exactly how to do it.

Of course, there are plenty of other things that you should do to properly maintain your washing machine but these are a start. Always keep the outside clean too to make sure your machine stays new for as long as possible. Washing machines are things we use on an almost daily basis but often don’t take much time to care for. They are expensive pieces of kit, so do your best to keep them running for as long as you can!