Pulling a washing machine out to clean behind it or move it elsewhere is not as easy as it may look. Many are very heavy, and most have no wheels. Two things need to be avoided, damage to the flooring – and damage to a person’s back.
Pulling out technique
The best way to pull a washing machine out, is to open the door and get hold of the door opening at the top of the door seal. Then lift the washing machine up and pull it forward on its back feet. But don’t rush in because there are potential complications you need to avoid. Read the full article first.
Don't attempt it if you have back trouble
Watch the flooring
The washing machine is most likely on some flooring. If the flooring goes all the way back underneath the washer you just need to worry about not damaging it with the washing machine feet. Place something down to protect the flooring or put something under the feet.
Tip:
Avoid damage to the flooring by placing an old towel (or towels) under the feet. This also helps the machine slide around easier.
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Free the feet first
Before pulling the washing machine forward you need to ensure the feet aren’t stuck to the floor. They usually are. It’s not so necessary on a hard floor, but if on something like lino or cushion floor, pulling the washing machine forward with the feet stuck will usually rip the flooring.
First lift it up at the front to free the front feet if they are stuck to the flooring. Lift the washing machine with the door open and with your hands at the top of the door opening. Then tip it forward to lift up the back feet to make sure they aren’t stuck or free them too.
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Does the flooring go all the way under the washer?
Often the floor covering stops just underneath the washing machine. This happens when the fitter can’t be bothered to fit it all the way under or if they just don’t realise it’s necessary. As most washing machines are underneath a worktop you may not know if the flooring goes all the way back or not. If it doesn’t, this means when you pull it forward, the rear feet will probably get caught on the flooring. If the flooring is tiles this can stop it coming out altogether (unless you can tilt the washer forward so that the feet lift at the back). If it’s a vinyl covering it can dig right into it and rip it badly.
Washing machine stuck?
If the feet are going underneath the floor covering, try tilting the machine forward onto its front feet or it will rip the floor covering. If this is happening, there are more tips in this article Appliance stuck behind a tiled floor
How to pull out if door won’t open
If the door wont open due to a fault, then you may be able to get some purchase by taking the soap drawer out and lifting via the drawer opening (not easy). Or by lifting from underneath the front of the machine and pulling it forward (even harder). Or with two people, using a combination of both.
Without access to the door opening it can be tricky – especially if the washer is also full of laundry and water. In this scenario, you need to try and get rid of the water to make it lighter. There are plenty of tips on doing that here – How to drain a washing machine full of water
Other things to consider
Make sure the mains cable, and fill and drain hoses are long enough to allow the washing machine to come out as sometimes they are very short. You may need to turn off the taps and disconnect hoses and cables to get it out.
Tips for pushing a washing machine back in place
Most washing machines have feet instead of wheels these days. Pushing a washing machine back in place can be easy, or very tricky depending on the floor surface. Walking the washing machine back by pushing one side a little then the other is the best way. Also, push as low down the front of the washing machine as you can.
Be careful, many washing machines have flimsy front panels that easily dent. Using knees to push a stubborn washing machine back can be effective, but it can also put dents in the washing machine front.
It might be tempting to put some lubricant under the feet if it’s hard to push back, but this can cause the washer to slide about a lot on spin afterwards.
Related articles
- If looking for the best way to move a washing machine transporting to another house or location try this article – transporting a washing machine
- Fitting floor tiles in front of appliances
- How to store a washing machine
Fred says
Mine seems stucked despite having moved fairly easily. Before pulling harder I was wondering whether the plug or pipes might actually be on the short side… I cannot see the back as it’s inserted in the kitchen cabinet.
I’d like to avoid flooding the kitchen… is there any risk of breaking pipes or so?
Thanks!
Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp) says
Hello Fred. Sorry for a late reply. Yes the main cause of a washing machine only pulling out so far then stopping is the pipes. The hoses and drain hose supplied are normally only just long enough to reach the taps and drain connection. There’s usually no way to pull a washing machine out without totally disconnecting all the hoses. If pulled hard the connection on the fill hoses could break and cause a flood. It can be very tricky to do and even trickier to get them back if the washing machine is under a worktop and you can’t get behind the washing machine.
Jo says
Hi, if I have to move mine I tilt the front up clear of the carpet and slide a thin plastic chopping board under each front foot. I can then simply open the door and pull from the top of the opening – the boards glide on the carpet and the washing machine slides out nicely
I also made sure I fitted a long water inlet hose so the machine will come all the way out from under the worktop without disconnecting anything :-)
JohnA says
Had to get my Bosch washing machine back in position and even though it is on tiles, because there is so little space either side to ‘walk’ it in, it would not budge. Eventually after trying different ways without success, I came up with this method. I got two pieces of hardboard about 6″ wide and about 6″ longer than the washer is deep, lifted the washer slightly each side and put the pieces of hardboard under the feet going front to back, polished side down. Once the washer was standing on the hardboard, I got a spade with the edge covered in a towel and placed it under the washer at the front so that when I pressed down on the handle it lifted the washer off the ground at the front very slightly. I then sat down opposite the washer with my feet on the bottom corners and using my hands to press down on the spade I lifted the washer and pushed it back into place with my feet. It was then easy enough to lift each side of the washer to pull the hardboard out from under the machine. However, levelling it using only the two front feet is a different story.
Brendan Stafford says
Just an idea for anyone with vinyl flooring in the kitchen or utility room where the washing machine is. Place a 60 cm x 60 cm square of the same vinyl flooring, only upside down. Position the machine square on top of the said piece of vinyl. This allows the vinyl to slide into the appropriate space where the washer goes. This works best for tight width kitchen work tops and side panels.
Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp) says
Thanks Brendon. Just bear in mind that anything that makes the washing machine slide nicely into place will cause the washing machine to slide around if left in position. You could try a smaller section that just fits under the front feet and slightly tip the washing machine forward whilst sliding it in (as long as there’s a small gap at the top of machine when sliding under). Then you can lift the front feet up and remove it when it’s in place.
Christopher Davies says
I needed to remove the washer for a repair to the suspension mountings and found the tiles stopped it . It made removal very difficult indeed but we did get it out eventually. Getting it out was a huge problem compared to the actual simply fixed fault with the shock absorber. To prevent this happening again, I tiled the area under the washer completely so that it wouldn’t get stuck again. It slid easily into place when the tiles’ cement was cleaned off and dry. It’s now become necessary to remove it again and the machine will not budge – it seems to be stuck at the side this time! Any advice welcomed – the feet are not stuck to the floor. The repair man told us he wouldn’t have an integrated washing machine given and this sort of thing happens all the time!
Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp) says
Hi Christopher. Yes it’s a problem people don’t foresee and I have 2 articles about it, Appliance stuck behind a tiled floor | Fitting floor tiles in front of appliances
I also don’t like built in washing machines much and have advice about them here – Integrated appliance or not
Linda Godfrey says
I can’t pull my washing machine out as there’s only a little bit of room from the top of the work top , it’s stuck so with the room I have and being stuck to the floor how on earth can you move it
Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp) says
Hello Linda. If the washing machine has a worktop right above it with no gap you won’t be able to lift it up to try and free the feet if they are a little stuck but you should be able to open the door and pull it forward. If there is any flooring in front of the washing machine meaning that the washing machine is trapped and will only come out of it can be lifted over the flooring – then it is well and truly stuck. There is no way it will come out without removing the flooring or removing the worktop. This is exactly what happened to my daughters dishwasher which is discussed here appliance stuck behind floor