5 Ways To Unblock Washing Machine Drain Hose

A drain hose of the washing machine getting clogged hinders efficient laundering. But the good news is you can quickly unclog it with specific tools and materials readily available in your home. Let’s discuss this further in detail. 

You can unblock the drain hose using a plunger, wire hanger, drain snake, and vinegar. Maintaining a regular cleaning routine will help to keep the drain hose clear with smooth draining. 

In this article, you will learn five easy ways to unclog the washing machine’s drain hose with an understanding of common causes of clogs. 

Understanding the causes of a blocked washing machine drain hose

A blocked drain hose of the washing machine causes a slow draining issue in the washing machine. 

I have been in a situation where the washing machine’s drain hose is clogged, and I want to finish the laundry immediately.

I inspected my washing machine to find the cause of the clog, and it was due to soap residue accumulation in the drain hose. 

When I researched for a bit, I found that there are several other causes of blocks in the washing machine drain hose. 

Here are the common causes of clogs in the drain hose: 

Lint accumulation

 Lint particles like fibers and threads are detached from the clothes during the washing cycle and get trapped in the drain hose. 

In the long run, lint particles are clogged in the drain hose blocking the water flow. 

If you are not cleaning the drain hose, the clogs will become more robust, and it will cause slow draining in the washing machine. 

Mineral build-up

If you use hard water to wash clothes, there are chances of mineral build-up in the drain hose. 

Due to the frequent water flow, the mineral build causes clogs in the drain hose. 

You can avoid this by installing a softener in your water tank. 

Soap scum accumulation

Soapy water is released at the end of the washing cycle that flows through the drain hose to the drain. 

If not cleaned the drain hose, the soapy accumulation will cause a block in the drain hose. 

You can fix this issue by cleaning the drain hose regularly. 

Foreign objects stuck in the drain hose

If foreign objects like coins or hairpins are stuck in the clothes, they may get stuck in the drain hose. 

If these objects are stuck, they will block the water flow in the drain hose. 

You must remove these objects from the drain hose to facilitate the smooth water flow. 

Hair and debris accumulation

If hair and debris are stuck to the clothes at the end of the washing cycle, these particles will get stuck in the washing machine’s drain hose. 

You can avoid these by cleaning the drain hose regularly. 

Improper installation of the drain hose

If the drain hose fittings are loose and not properly installed, the drain hose can get kinked.

If the drain hose is kinked, it may get clogged due to debris accumulation. 

You can avoid this by properly installing the dose hose. 

Tools and equipment needed to unblock a washing machine drain hose

Before you start unblocking the drain hose, gather all the tools necessary to make the process easy. 

Here are the required tools to unblock the washing machine’s drain hose. 

• Pliers
• Snake drain
• Plunger
• Wire hanger
• Vacuum 
• Power auger
• Baking soda
• Vinegar. 

You may not need all these materials, but you require one or two materials based on the procedure you choose to unclog the washing machine’s drain hose. 

5 different ways to unblock the drain hose of your washing machine

Here are five ways to unclog the drain hose. 

1. How to use a plunger to unblock a washing machine drain hose

A plunger can be used to unblock the drain hose. 

Follow the steps below to unblock the washing machine’s drain hose using a plunger. 

• Turn off the water supply to the washing machine to avoid water flooding while unclogging. 
• Move the washing machine from its original position to access its backside. 
• Locate the drain hose of the washing machine at the back side of the washing machine. 
• Depending on the model of your washing machine, the drain hose may also be located underneath the machine. 
• Plunger is a tool that you can use to unclog the washing machine. Seal the opening of the hose with a plunger tool. Make sure you don’t leave any gap for the air to escape. 
• After sealing the plunger to the opening of the drain hose pipe, push it inside the hose slowly to clear the clogs. 
• Repeat until all the clogs in the drain hose have been cleared. You must push the plunger firmly to remove all the clogs for the smooth draining of water. 
• You must ensure you are not damaging the drain hose with too much pressure. 
• Turn on the water supply and plug the washing machine into the electric outlet. 
• Run the test washing cycle and check if the water drains well. 

2. How to use a wire hanger to clean a washing machine drain hose

Here are the steps to unclog the washing machine drain hose: 

• Turn off the water supply to the washing machine to avoid getting wet while working. 
• Move the washing machine away from the wall to access its back side. 
• The next step is to locate the washing machine drain pipe. You can find the drain pipe behind the washing machine. 
• Inspect the drain hose for any visible debris particles like hair. Run the hot water through the drain pipe to remove hair and other loose debris particles from the drain hose. 
• Now start straightening the wire hanger as much as possible. 
• Push the wire hanger into the drain [i[e as far as possible to remove clogs. 
• Push the wire hanger back and forth to remove all the clogs. Doing this will loosen the stubborn clogs in the drain hose. 
• After unclogging the drain hose with a wire hanger, pull it out and wash the wire hanger with water. 
• Run the hot water through the drain hose to remove the remaining debris particles. 
• Turn on the water supply and plug the washing machine into the electric outlet. 
• Run the test washing cycle and check if the draining is smooth at the end of the washing cycle. 

3. Using a wet/dry vacuum to unblock a washing machine drain hose

• Unplug the washing machine from the electric outlet and turn off the water supply to avoid flooding water while working. 
• Move the washing machine from the original position to access the backside of the washing machine. 
• Locate the drain pipe behind or underneath the washing machine. 
• Prepare the vacuum to unclog the drain hose. You can unclog the washing machine’s drain using a dry or wet vacuum. To fit tight, the vacuum hose must be equal in diameter to the drain hose. 
• Attach the vacuum pipe to the drain hose and seal it tight for efficient clogging. 
• Plug in the vacuum and turn it on. Start by turning on the wet cleaning and increasing the suction power to clog the drain hose. Increase the suction power more if the clog is stubborn. 
• While vacuuming, move the drain hose back and forth for efficient unclogging. 
• Sometimes, clogs may not clear in one go. Repeat vacuuming until the clog is completely cleared. 
• Once the clog is cleared, flush the hot water into the drain pipe to clean it thoroughly. 

Plug in the washing machine and turn on the water supply valve. Run the test washing cycle, and check if the draining issue is solved in your washing machine. 

4. How to use a drain snake or auger to unblock a washing machine drain hose

A drain snake is a tool you can buy from a local shop or order online to unclog the drain hose of your washing machine. 

It is an affordable yet effective way to clean the washing machine’s drain hose. 

Follow the steps below to unblock the drain hose using a drain snake: 

• Unplug the washing machine from the electric outlet and turn off the water supply. 
• locate the drain hose of your washing machine. 
• Remove the drain hose from the washing machine to unclog it with the drain snake. 
• You can follow the instructions in your user manual to remove the drain hose from the washing machine. 
• After removing the drain hose, pour the hot water into it to remove all the debris accumulated in a drain hose.
• Insert the drain snake into the drain hose, and twist and turn the drain snake into the drain hose until all the clogs are removed. 
• Move the drain hose back and forth to make it easy for the clogs to remove. 
• Once done, flush the hot water into the drain hose to clean it. 

Plug the washing machine and turn off the water supply to run a test cycle. 

Here are the easy steps to unblock the drain hose of your washing machine using a drain hose. 

The power auger is the most intensive technique to unclog the stubborn accumulation in the drain hose. 

Based on its power version, a power auger ranges from $300 to $4000. 

Compared to other techniques, it is an expensive repair but equally effective. 

• Unplug your washer and move it from its original position. 
• Spread the towel or place a blanket around the drain hose to collect standing water while removing it. 
• Disconnect the drain hose from the drain pipe. 
• Connect the power auger to the electric outlet and switch it on. 
• Now, you can begin to insert the wire cable into the drain hose. 
• You can find the pedal foot control in the power auger, making it easy to direct the power cable manually. 
• Set the power auger to turn both clockwise and anticlockwise. 
• Also, rotate the pedal foot control as necessary to remove all the stubborn clogs in the drain hose. 
• Once done, remove the cable from the drain hose and unplug the power auger from the electric outlet. 
• Pour hot water into the drain hose to flush all the remaining debris and greasy materials. 
• Thoroughly rinse the drain hose with hot water until there are no debris particles. 
• Finally, reattach the drain hose to the drain pipe and plug in the washing machine. 

Run the test wash cycle to check if your washing machine drains well.

5. Using baking soda and vinegar to clean a washing machine drain hose

Follow the steps to unblock the drain hose using vinegar and baking soda: 

• Locate the drain hose of the washing machine. 
• Remove the drain hose by following the instructions mentioned in the user manual of your washing machine. 
• Prepare a vinegar and Baking soda cleaning solution by mixing vinegar and baking soda in the water bowl. 
• Flush the drain hose with hot water to remove loose debris particles. 
• Run the vinegar and baking soda cleaning solution into the drain hose and let it soak for 3 to 5 hours. 
• After 5 hours, run the hot water into the drain hose to remove the residue from the drain hose. 
• See if the clog is cleared. If not, repeat the same process until all the clogs are cleared. 
• Reattach the drain hose to the washing machine and secure it. 

Plug in the washing machine and turn on the water supply. 

Run the test washing cycle, and check for smooth water flow in the drain hose. 

Removing the drain hose for cleaning and maintenance

When it comes to maintaining the drain hose or removing the clogs, you must disconnect the drain hose from the washing machine. 

Here is how you can remove the drain hose of the washing machine: 

• Unplug the washing machine from the electric outlet. 
• Turn off the water supply. 
• Gather necessary tools like pliers, screwdrivers, towels, and a bucket to make the job easy. 
• Move the washing machine from the original position to access the back side. 
• Refer to the user manual of your washing machine to know which screws you have to remove to disconnect the drain hose. 
• Remove all the screws holding the body of the washing machine using a screwdriver. 
• A drain hose will be attached with a clamp to the drain area of the washing machine. 
• Place a towel under the drain area to avoid water flooding. 
• Use a plier to remove the clamp from the drain hose by pushing a claim through the length of the drain hose.
• Detach the drain hose from the drain area of the washing machine. 
• Detach the drain hose from the drain pipe. 
• Now, the drain hose is free to clean or unclog. 

When to call a professional plumber to unblock a washing machine drain hose?

If you have followed all the steps and still can’t unclog the drain hose or the drain hose is damaged, you can schedule a professional cleaning service.

Unclogging the drain hose requires time and patience. 

If you are too busy to do this DIY project, you can seek professional help to clean the drain hose efficiently. 

Final thoughts

Cleaning and maintaining the drain hose regularly will prevent it from getting clogged. Slow draining and foul odors from the laundry room are common signs of a clogged drain hose. 

Suppose you have confirmed that your drain hose got clogged. In that case, you can unclog it using a plunger, wire hanger, snake drain, or vinegar and baking soda cleaning solution. You must be careful not to damage the drain hose while unclogging it using these materials. 

If your drain hose cracks due to stubborn clogs and mineral build-up, it is best to replace it. You can schedule a professional cleaning service to unclog the drain hose if you are uncomfortable doing the DIY.

Reference: Washing machine Wikipedia

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