Things you should never put in the washing machine
About 8 minutes to read. Published . By the House & Hedge team.
A washing machine will take almost anything that fits, and that is the problem. Some things damage the machine, some damage the item and a few are a fire or fume hazard. The warnings below come from washer makers’ safety instructions, from manufacturers’ support pages and from the fire safety and care labeling sources named in each section.
One note on the sources. The most detailed safety list is from a washer use and care guide dated 2005, so some modern machines add or relax a rule. Read your own manual, which overrides any general list, this one included.
Clothes soaked with gasoline, solvents, oil or wax
The washer manual says: do not wash articles that have been previously cleaned, washed, soaked or spotted with gasoline, dry-cleaning solvents, oil, waxes, chemical solvents, alcohol, turpentine or other flammable or explosive materials, because these substances are retained in the articles and give off vapors that could ignite or explode. It also says not to add gasoline, dry-cleaning solvents or other flammable substances to the wash water. Its list of items includes acetone, denatured alcohol, kerosene, some liquid household cleaners, some spot removers, turpentine, and wax and wax removers.
The manual’s advice is to hand wash and line dry any items containing these substances. The National Fire Protection Association gives a different route for the dryer’s sake: clothes that have come into contact with flammable substances such as gasoline, paint thinner or similar solvents should be laid outside to dry, and can then be washed and dried as usual.
Do instead: lay the item outside to dry, as the fire protection association advises, and follow the manual for your own machine. While the item still smells of fuel, keep it out of the machine and the dryer.
Items soiled with cooking oil
The same manual says not to wash or dry items soiled with vegetable or cooking oil, because they may contain some oil after laundering, and that because of the remaining oil the fabric may smoke or catch fire by itself.
Do instead: keep oily items out of the machine and the dryer, and ask the maker of your own machine how it advises treating them, because other makers may give other advice.
Waterproof mats, seats and clothing
Samsung’s support page says: do not wash, spin or dry waterproof seats, mats or clothing. It also says not to wash thick, hard mats even if the washer mark is on the care label, because this may result in injury or damage to the washer, walls, floor or clothing due to abnormal vibrations. Its list of waterproof items to keep out of the machine includes wool bedding, snow pants, sleeping bags, shower curtains, and bike and car covers.
Do instead: wipe with a damp cloth or follow the item’s own cleaning instructions.
Rugs and rubber-backed bath mats
LG’s support page says that most rugs are not machine washable unless you buy one that is specifically advertised as such. It warns that a rug that is very heavy to lift when soaked will strain the motor inside the washer to the point of damaging it beyond repair, and that washing items not intended for a residential machine risks adverse effects on the item and on the machine. For a rug that is machine washable, LG suggests a Delicate cycle with cold water and HE detergent, and says to avoid using any bleach additive.
Do instead: check the label, and wash a machine-washable rug on its own.
Fiberglass
The washer manual says: do not machine wash fiberglass materials. Small particles can stick to fabrics washed in following loads and cause skin irritation.
Do instead: follow the maker’s cleaning instructions for the item, and keep it out of the machine.
Flame resistant finishes
The manual says that for flame resistant finishes you should follow the garment maker’s instructions carefully, because improper laundering could remove the finish. This applies to any garment sold with such a finish.
Do instead: use the exact wash instructions on the care label.
Garments labeled hand wash or dry clean
The federal care labeling rule, 16 CFR 423.6, says a care label must state what regular care is needed for ordinary use, and whether the product should be washed by hand or machine. If part of the washing procedure could harm the product or other items washed with it, the label must carry a warning. A label that says to hand wash is not a suggestion.
Wool is the common case. The Woolmark Company says that garments labeled as machine washable can be washed in a machine, on the wool setting, which is usually gentle action at 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). For hand washing it recommends clean, lukewarm water at about 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius).
Do instead: follow the label. When the label says dry clean, use a dry cleaner.
Chlorine bleach with ammonia or acids
The washer manual says not to use chlorine bleach and ammonia or acids, such as vinegar or rust remover, in the same wash, because hazardous fumes can form. The New Jersey Department of Health says bleach with vinegar “produces harmful vapors, including chlorine and chloramine, which can burn the eyes and lungs,” and that bleach with ammonia creates chloramine gases.
Do instead: one product per cycle. If you use bleach, use it alone, and run a rinse before any vinegar goes in. The pairings are set out in what never to mix when cleaning, and the machine’s own cleaning is in how to clean a washing machine.
More than the drum can handle
The manual says to put dry, unfolded clothes loosely in the tub, up to the top row of holes for a maximum load, not to wrap large items like sheets around the agitator, and to wash bulky items such as blankets separately. It says that items must circulate freely for best results.
For a down comforter, the guide here says that a top-loader with a central agitator can damage the baffles, and that a large front-loader is safer: how to wash a down comforter and pillows.
Do instead: wash bulky items alone, and take a very large item to a laundromat.
Too much detergent, or detergent in water that is too cold
The manual says to use the correct amount of detergent for the load size, soil level and water conditions, and notes that in wash water below 60 degrees Fahrenheit detergents do not dissolve well or clean well. It says to add the detergent to the tub before the load.
Do instead: measure the detergent, use the type the manual names, and use warmer water when the load is soiled. If the machine itself smells, the cleaning guide covers the drum, the drawer and the door seal.
What not to store beside it
The washer manual says to keep the area around and underneath the washer free from combustible materials, such as lint, paper, rags, gasoline and all other flammable vapors and liquids. The National Fire Protection Association says the same for the dryer: keep the area around it clear of things that can burn, like boxes, cleaning supplies and clothing. A laundry room is a convenient place to keep cleaning products, so it is worth a look at what is on the shelf next to the machine, and a check that bleach and acid cleaners are in their own labeled containers.
The manual also says to keep detergent, bleach and other laundry aids out of the reach of children, preferably in a locked cabinet, and to use them only as directed by the maker.
A check before an unusual item
Five questions catch most of the problems in this guide:
- Does the care label say that the item can be machine washed?
- Is the item waterproof, rubber-backed, thick and hard, or made of fiberglass?
- Does it smell of fuel, solvent or oil, or is it soiled with cooking oil?
- Is the load bigger than the maker’s maximum, which the top-loader manual here puts at the top row of holes in the tub, or is the item a bulky one that needs a machine of its own?
- Is bleach going into the drum, and has anything acidic or ammonia-based been in there already?
If the answer to any of the last four is yes, stop and check the manual before the cycle starts.
Before the next load
Check the care label and the manual before the first load of anything unusual. If the label is missing, treat the item as one to wash by hand, or ask the maker.
