With washing machines, it's not uncommon for items such as bra wires, zips, coins and other clothing items to become trapped between the inner and outer drum or in the drum itself. When you get something stuck in your washing machine's drum in this manner, it's important to know how to remove it to keep your appliance working and prevent damage. Otherwise, the item could end up perforating the drum, which can cause flooding and irreparable damage to your appliance. In this article, we're going to show you how to remove a stuck item from a washing machine drum to get your appliance working safely again.
How to know when something is trapped in your washing machine drum
When an item becomes stuck between the inner and outer drum of your washing machine, the obstruction will cause your washing machine to make a strange noise as the drum turns. However, since unusual noises in your washing machine can mean various things, you will also need to examine the drum to see if there are any trapped items. In this guide, we'll show you how to thoroughly inspect the drum so you can determine if a trapped item is the cause of the noise.
What you will need
Throughout this guide, there are a few potential tools you may or may not need, depending on where the obstruction is and how you may need to remove it. These items are:
- Screwdriver
- Torch
- Pliers
- Cable Tie
- Wooden Mallet
How to remove a stuck item from a washing machine drum
Let's dive right in! To learn how to remove something stuck from a washing machine drum, either watch the video or follow our step-by-step guide below.
Safety first
Remember, safety first! Always make sure your appliance is switched off and unplugged from the mains before carrying out any work.
How to examine the drum
As soon as you hear strange noises coming from your washer drum while it spins, you're going to want to grab a torch and examine the perforations inside the washing machine's drum. Slowly turn the drum while you inspect to try and identify where the noise might be coming from.
You may spot something like the end of a bra wire protruding up through one of the perforations, as pictured below.
Using either a pair of pliers or your fingers, pull the bra wire carefully and ease it out of the perforation. You may need to move the drum as you do this to help work the wire free.
How to remove clothing from between the inner and outer drum
Next, let's look at removing an item of clothing that may be trapped between the inner and outer drum. If you spin the drum by hand and feel a lot of resistance, making the drum difficult to turn, it may mean that there's something stuck between the inner drum and the outer drum.
With one hand, pull at the washing machine's seal (also known as the gasket) to create a small gap between the seal and the inner drum. Then turn the drum and look carefully at the gap as you do so. You may see the item of clothing that's trapped and causing resistance against the drum.
If you can't see anything, use a thin flexible probe such as a cable tie or a similar item, and work that into the gap between the gasket and the inner drum. Then work the probe all the way around to see if you can feel an object trapped anywhere between the inner and outer drum.
As you can see in the picture below, we've used the cable tie to locate a cloth trapped between the inner and outer drum.
If you can, pull the item out with your fingers. However, be careful, as this can cause items such as soft cloths to rip in half, leaving one half still stuck inside. One way to prevent this is to work a screwdriver between the inner and outer drum and push the screwdriver back slightly, expanding the gap between the inner and outer drum.
With the extra space, you should be able to carefully pull the trapped item out by hand.
Once you've removed the object, give the drum one more spin just to make sure the gap between the inner and outer drum isn't too large. This is because you don't want there to be an extra large gap that items could easily get stuck inside. If the gap is too large, you can use a tool such as a wooden mallet to knock the inner drum towards the seal from the inside, thus reducing the gap.
How to access the heater
If you haven't been able to find an object between the inner drum and the outer drum, the item could have slipped down beneath the drum. To access beneath the drum to find the item, you'll need to remove either the heater or the sump hose.
To access the heater to check for a trapped item, unscrew and remove the washing machine's back panel. Then disconnect the electrical connections, taking a photo first so you remember how to reconnect them later. With the connections disconnected, you can pull out the heater, which is located beneath the drum at the back of the machine.
As pictured below, items can sometimes get stuck on the heater and will need to be removed.
If there's no item on the heater, shine a torch inside the heater's housing and take a good look inside to see if there is an item still in there. If so, you'll need to remove it.
Whether or not you've found an item, you'll need to return the heater properly and securely. Make sure you push the heater back into the housing firmly, and that it engages with its bracket when you're refitting it.
Make sure you also reattach the electrical connections in the correct places before finishing with the heater too, using the photo you took earlier as guidance if necessary.
How to access the sump hose
If you haven't found any items on the heater or inside the heater housing, you'll next need to access the sump hose from the bottom of the machine. To do this, carefully lay the machine on its side and unscrew the bottom panel to access the inside of the appliance from the bottom. With the bottom panel removed, you will be able to see the sump hose.
Loosen the clip that keeps the sump hose attached to the outer drum, then pull the sump hose off the outer drum. You will then be able to see underneath the inner drum through the sump opening, which will allow you to look for any trapped items and remove them.
You can also tilt the machine back upright and use a torch to shine through the perforations. Then, if you see an object, you can push it through and access it via the sump opening.
Finally, on some washing machines, it is also possible to remove a drum paddle to access beneath the drum. This can also help you remove any trapped items from beneath the drum. You can find out how to remove this in our article, here.
If your washing machine has a trapped item but you've been unable to access it using any of these methods, you might have to dismantle the drum itself. You can learn how to do that as part of our washing machine bearings replacement guide.
And there you have it! How to remove something that's stuck in a washing machine drum. Hopefully, your appliance is now obstruction free and working safely once more! While you're here, why not make sure you're also using your washing machine as effectively as possible too? Our guide on washing machine settings will help you make the most out of your appliance and gain the best results for your laundry in a cost-effective manner.
Before you go, don't forget to also subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos on appliance maintenance, repair guides and all other things related to appliance care, spares and repairs.
Print this article