What do you do if the drain of your washing machine or washer dryer combination is blocked?

Written by Rowan

Edited on

10 January 2025

·

15:56

What do you do if the drain of your washing machine or washer dryer combination is blocked?

Your washing machine or washer dryer combination is clogged. With these tips, we'll explain how to unclog your drain. First, clean the trap and rinse the drain with boiling water and baking soda. Is that doesn't work, try our other tips. Read how to unclog a clogged drain here.

Solving a clogged drain

When your washing machine or washer dryer combination is clogged, you can easily unclog it with these tips:

  • Tip 1. Clean the trap.
  • Tip 2. Pour boiling water and baking soda down the drain.
  • Tip 3. Unclog it with a drain snake.
  • Tip 4. Use drain unblocker.
  • Tip 5. Rinse the drain with a high-pressure cleaner.
Solving a clogged drain
Clean the trap

Tip 1: clean the trap

You have to clean the trap first, which is attached to the drain.

  1. If you can't reach it properly, move the washing machine forward,
  2. Grab a bucket and place it under the trap.
  3. Open the seal on the bottom and catch the water and dirt in the bucket.
  4. Doesn't the trap have a seal? Unscrew it completely and rinse it under the faucet.
  5. Close the trap again and reconnect it to the drain.
Unblock washing machine drain with soda

Tip 2: pour boiling water and baking soda down the drain

Is the drain still clogged? That means that the blockage is deeper than the trap.

  1. Remove the hose from the drain.
  2. Fill a bucket with boiling water and a package of baking soda.
  3. Slowly pour the mixture down the drain with a funnel.
  4. Wait about 10 minutes.
  5. Pour water down the drain again to check whether water runs through properly.
Unblock washing machine drain with drain snake

Tip 3: unclog with a drain snake

Is your washing machine still clogged? Use a drain snake.

  1. First, remove the trap from the drain pipe.
  2. Slide the drain snake into the drain, until you can't push it any further.
  3. Rotate the drain snake a few times and move it up and down.
  4. If the drain is no longer clogged, you can place the trap on the drain pipe again.
Washing machine unblocker

Tip 4: use drain unblocker

Don't have a drain snake or isn't that working? Use drain unblocker.

  1. You can choose from 2 types of unblocker, granules or liquid unblocker.
  2. Read the packaging of the unblocker to find out whether it's suitable for your drain.
  3. Pour the unblocker down your drain and follow the steps on the packaging.
Unblock washing machine drain with high-pressure cleaner

Tip 5: rinse it with a high-pressure cleaner

If you have a high-pressure cleaner with a sewer hose, use it.

  1. Attach the sewer hose to your high-pressure cleaner.
  2. Push the hose down the drain.
  3. Spray water down the drain under high pressure.
Washing machine drain filter

Help, my drain is still clogged

It's possible that the problem isn't in the drain, but in the washing machine itself.

  1. Place a container in front of it and open the hatch at the bottom.
  2. Take out the drain filter.
  3. Collect the water and dirt in the container.
  4. Check if can find a stuck object, such as a button.

If nothing helps, you should contact a professional plumber. Ask your neighbors if they know someone, for example. Or, find an expert online and look at the reviews. Always ask what their services cost first, so you don't get any surprises.

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Article by Rowan

Washing Machine Expert.

Rowan