Happy DIY Saturday!  Yesterday, on Olioboard Inspiration – you saw how to keep your laundry room organized.  Today, we ensure your washer and dryer stay working in their best order. Are you having problems with your washer or dryer?  Your washer has an odor, your washer rattles, or your dryer won’t dry!? Today’s DIY Saturday is for you. You will watch a video to show you how to determine what is wrong with your dryer and then read on to troubleshooting washer tips.

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Video: How to Troubleshoot a Clothes Dryer

Link to video –> How to Troubleshoot a Clothes Dryer

Of all the appliances in your home, your washer and dryer are two of the hardest working and most often used.  If they are not properly maintained, they can cause major damage to your home. Some of the greatest potentials for flood and fire comes from your washer and dryer.

If a pipe on your washer bursts, gallons of water will flood your laundry room, causing serious water damage. Likewise, if you let lint build up in your dryer vent, your dryer can catch on fire. However, if you keep your washer and dryer in good condition, you’ll save yourself loads of money.

Image via: Closet Storage

Here is a list of things that could go wrong with your washer or dryer as well as some helpful solutions:

1. Your washer rattles during the spin cycle.

It’s normal for a machine to jiggle a little, but if your machine shakes or rattles during the spin cycle, it may not be level.

Leveling Your Machine:

• Use a carpenter’s level to figure out whether the machine is shaking from side-to-side or front-to-back.
• With the help of someone else, tip the washer and place a block of wood under the corner for support. Use a wrench or pliers to adjust the foot.
• To adjust the other feet on the washer remove and reposition the block.
• After you’ve adjusted all feet, remove the block and check to see if the washer is level. Run a load of laundry to make sure it is level.

2. Your filter screens are clogged.

Debris and sediment can slow the flow of water into your washing machine.

Cleaning your filter screens:

• Check the filters
• Clean any build up with a bristle brush

3. Your washer’s water supply hoses are worn out.

The hoses that supply water to your washer can become brittle and possibly cause flooding.

            Preventing Supply Hose Disasters:

• Check your hoses once a year for cracks, brittleness, or stiffness.
• Replace old, worn-out hoses with stainless steel hoses.
• Keep your washer about four inches away from the wall so supply and drain hoses don’t get kinks in them

Image via: Houzz

4. You Dryer Takes Forever To Dry.

If your clothes aren’t drying well, you may have a blocked dryer vent, this could pose a serious fire risk.

            Cleaning A Dryer Vent:

• Every three to six months, disconnect and clear out any lint from the exhaust pipe.
• Run a dryer vent brush or a vacuum hose through the pipe to remove as much lint as possible.
• Make sure the outdoor area where the tube vent is is free of obstruction.

5. Your Washer Has An Odor.

Prevent odors caused by bacteria:

• Top-loader: Leave the lid open for a few hours so your washer can dry out after the previous wash.
• Front-loader: Towel-dry the washer drum after removing laundry. Leave the door open to give the washer time to dry out.

These preventive steps should help you make sure your washer and dryer are running as efficiently as possible.

Trisha Banks is a blogger for Dry Experts Water Restoration, a water removal company in Austin, Texas. Trisha just bought a new washer and dryer and wanted to learn about how to maintain them. 

For more DIY ideas on Stagetecture, & Stagetecture’s YouTube Channel, click here.

If you’re like most homeowners, you’ve never had any desire to learn the art of plumbing. And yet, when you’re scratching your head, mystified about the cause of your leaky faucet, your clogged toilet, or the water stain that seems to have appeared on your basement ceiling, you might wish you had picked up a home repair guide at some point and studied common plumbing issues. Luckily, it’s never too late to learn something new. And your ability to troubleshoot problems with your pipes could let you know when an issue is something that you can handle, thus saving money that you might have otherwise spent on a professional plumber, although you can also tell when you’re in over your head. So here are a few tips and tricks that should help you to get a handle on your home plumbing and troubleshoot any common issues that could arise.

Image via: FINNE

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Most common problems with plumbing

The first thing you’ll need to do is become aware of the most common problems you’re likely to face where your plumbing is concerned, and there are a few. For example, you may find that the toilets and drains in your home seem to get clogged frequently. Or you might suffer from leaky faucets. You could also have issues with the hot water in your home, as in it doesn’t get hot enough or it turns cold before you’ve finished a short shower. Leaky pipes and water stains are also a problem, especially in older homes. However, an awareness of common issues that could pop up will give you a starting point when it comes to learning to diagnose and perhaps even fix or prevent some problems on your own.

Fixing drains, clogged pipes , and toilets

As for what to do once you’ve discovered an issue, there are a couple of options. An old-school home repair guide may suit some homeowners just fine, but if you’re looking for a little help from modern sources, you can’t go wrong by hopping on the internet to troubleshoot and find instructions and video tutorials, often from professional plumbers, that will help you to figure out what’s causing the problem and find a solution. Clogged toilets and drains, for example, may need nothing more than a plunger or some Drano to fix. Then again, you may need to start flushing more frequently to prevent the toilet from backing up, or snaking the drains on a regular basis to remove hair clogs.

Image via: Schmitt Company

Leaky faucets are often a quick fix, as well, since the most common cause is a rubber ring that has deteriorated (they’re cheap and easy to replace in most cases). As for hot water issues, you might just need to turn up the temperature on your water heater (although you shouldn’t go above 120? Fahrenheit if you want to avoid scalding) or flush the tank to remove a buildup of debris. Of course, you could be facing more serious issues, in which case you might contact Aqua Plumbing & Air or another local vendor to provide you with a professional opinion and some expert assistance. But if you can troubleshoot a plumbing issue on your own you may find that you can also address it without too much fuss or expense. In the long run, this could save you a ton of money.

For more plumbing and maintenance tips on Stagetecture, click here.