How to clean your washing machine filter without flooding the kitchen

Cleaning the filter is the most useful bit of washing machine maintenance there is. It clears the coins, hair grips and fluff that cause smells and stop a machine draining, and it costs you nothing but half an hour and a few towels. Here's how to do it without soaking the kitchen.

Where it is

On nearly every machine the filter sits behind a small flap or the kick panel at the bottom front, usually in a corner. If the flap's stiff, pop it with a flat screwdriver or a coin. Inside you'll find the round filter cap, and on most machines a short drain-down hose with its own cap next to it.

Doing it without a flood

Switch the machine off at the wall first. Then get the water out, because there's more in there than you'd think. If there's a drain-down hose, pull the cap off and let it run into something shallow. A roasting tin fits under the machine better than a bucket. No drain hose? Unscrew the filter itself slowly, a quarter turn at a time, and let the water weep out around the thread rather than come at you all at once. If it stopped on a hot wash, that water can still be hot.

Once it's empty, unscrew the filter fully and pull it out. Expect coins, buttons, hair grips and a grey mat of fluff. Rinse it under the tap and clear anything left in the housing. Reach in and turn the impeller, the little plastic fan at the back. It should spin freely. If it's seized or it grinds, something's jammed in the pump or the pump has failed.

Screw the filter back in firmly and check the seal is clean and sitting flat. A filter that isn't done up properly is a common cause of leaks. Do this every few months, and any time the machine starts to smell or drain slowly.

If it still won't drain

Clean filter and the drum's still full of water? The problem is further in, usually the drain pump, which is one of the parts we replace most. Our guide on a washing machine not draining covers what happens next. A drainage repair usually runs £75 to £160, with any part quoted separately.

Book a washing machine repair

If a clean filter doesn't fix the draining, book a washing machine repair or find your local washing machine engineer.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the filter on a washing machine?

Behind a small flap or the kick panel at the bottom front, usually in one corner. Most machines have a drain-down hose next to the filter cap.

How often should I clean it?

Every few months as a matter of course, and straight away if the machine starts to smell or drain slowly.

Why is there water in the filter housing?

That's normal. The filter sits at the low point of the drainage system. Drain it down with the drain-down hose, or unscrew the filter slowly, before you take it out fully.

The filter's clean but it still won't drain. Now what?

The fault's further in, most often the drain pump. That's an engineer's job, and a drainage repair usually runs £75 to £160 with any part quoted separately.