Has standing water inside your washer drum left you trying to find out how to clean a washing machine drain pipe? A persistent foul odor, leaking, or poor drainage indicate it’s time to clear the drain pipe on your device. It’s daunting to take apart your washer, but thankfully, removing the drain pipe is straightforward.
Like all household appliances, your washing machine performs better. It lasts longer if you conduct routine maintenance, including cleaning a washing machine drain pipe. Whenever you run a load of laundry, the grease, lint, and dirt from clothes, plus scum and excess soap and fabric conditioner, collect inside the washer drain hose. Left untended, this drainage hose clogs, making it impossible for water to pass out of your machine.
Explore ideas for how to rinse out a washing machine drain hose and stop this problem from happening at your house. Pass on expensive and dangerous caustic chemical drain cleaners. Clean your washer drain hose with handy hacks using everyday items.

- How to Rinse Out a Washing Machine Drain Hose
- What Is Your Washer Drain Pipe?
- Signs of a Clogged Washing Machine Drain
- Preparing to Clean a Washing Machine Pipe
- How to Clean a Washing Machine Drain Pipe
- How to Snake a Washer Drain Pipe
- White Vinegar Is a Drain Cleaner
- A Pressure Washer Cleans Your Drain Line
- Baking Soda Eliminates Laundry Drain Debris
- Clean Your Drain Tube With Chemical Drain Cleaner
- What Causes a Clogged Laundry Drain?
- Washing Machine Filter Cleaning
- Preventing Washer Hose Clogs
- Hire a Drain Cleaning Service
How to Rinse Out a Washing Machine Drain Hose
Your washing machine is an investment, and keeping it running ensures you have access to clean clothes. Learning how to clean a washing machine drain pipe is a crucial part of keeping your appliance in good order. Over time, a dirty drain hose reduces performance, creates musty smells in the washing machine and could lead to a total breakdown.
Discover everything about cleaning a washing machine drain pipe, including how to locate it, signs of an obstruction, and what causes blockages. Trust simple remedies with white vinegar, baking soda, a drain snake, hot water, a power washer, or a chemical cleaner to fix your washer hose quickly.
What Is Your Washer Drain Pipe?
The washing machine drain pipe is a flexible drainage line linking a machine to the building’s existing drainage. This pipe is one of several crucial washing machine components essential to the machine’s hygienic operation.
Upon completion of the washing cycle, the drain hose transfers wastewater from the washing machine into the septic or sewer system. All automated washing machine models use a drainage hose. The washing machine pipe attaches at one end to a tiny, projecting port on the machine’s back.
The hose’s other end is secured with a clamp or hung from a pipe or container connecting to the sewage network. The wastewater from the washer load is directed into the washing machine hose by a drain pump inside the machine, which transports it into the sewer system.
During the rinse cycles and following the last load cycle, automatic washing machines pump the wastewater via the drain line.
Signs of a Clogged Washing Machine Drain
Finding water within the appliance beyond the time the laundry cycle finishes is the primary indication your washing machine has a clogged drain. Water pours into the machine’s chamber during the wash, mixing with soap to clean your garments.
The wastewater should drain as the fabric spins, squeezing out liquid at the end of the cycle. If standing water is in the drum when you go to get your clothes, it’s because of clogging, and water is trapped in the drum and standpipe.
If your machine is draining correctly, you could still be on your way to a drain clog if your hose is dirty. A persistent moldy or mildew smell indicates a buildup somewhere in your machine. If repeated drum cleaning fails to resolve the problem, it’s worth investigating your drainage hose as another potential source.
Aside from blockages and issues, it’s prudent to clean your washer drain tubing annually to keep your appliance functioning and avoid expensive emergency plumbing bills.
Preparing to Clean a Washing Machine Pipe
Grab towels and a bucket, and turn off the water supply lines. There is a pair of red and white valves behind your washing machine that provide your washing machine with water. Turn the valves all the way clockwise to close them. You might need to pull the washer out from up against the wall to reach the supply lines.
Find your washing machine’s drain hose, a plastic pipe emerging from the back. Distinguish the drain from the hot and cold water pipes entering the washer. The hot and cold water lines are half the size of the drain pipe. They have valves, and the drain pipe does not.
Place the towels beneath the tube and position the bucket to catch leaking water. Use pliers to release the round clamp at the base of the hose where it attaches to the machine. Carefully remove the drain hose pipe by wriggling it free of the appliance. If the hose empties into a line rather than a sink, remove it from the wall.
How to Clean a Washing Machine Drain Pipe
Your first attempt at flushing a drain pipe in a washing machine is best made with only boiling water. Detach the discharge hose, boil a water kettle, and work outside or with a bucket to catch the excess.
Wear gloves or hold the pipe with tongs to protect yourself from burns. Slowly pour the entire kettle of hot water into one end of the tube, holding it vertically with the other end in a bucket to catch the water.
If your clog is caused by soap scum, the boiling water is enough to loosen and rinse it. Be conscious of any water back up which could spill onto your hands and burn.
Pour slowly and wait a few moments to check if the water is progressing down the hose before adding more. If the boiling water clears your drain, reattach the hose carefully and monitor the first load of laundry in case of leaks from incorrect reassembly.
How to Snake a Washer Drain Pipe
Scrubbing a washing machine drain hose is impossible, but a drain snake is the next best thing. A long, robust wire called a snake, or a drain auger clears clogged pipes. The coil rotates to remove obstructions using a handle at the end. Insert the coil’s end into the hose. Move the snake’s handles to expand the coil, and snake the drain hose to clear the obstruction.
Keep moving the handle to push the snake through the hose until you feel an obstruction. Give a few extra turns, and manually remove anything you catch on the snake by pulling out the coil.
Repeat until you encounter no resistance. It’s okay to use a little force if the obstruction is stubborn. Once the clog is gone, reattach the hose, then run a wash cycle to ensure the blockage is gone.
Follow these methods for other clogs drains in your house. When you notice bad smells coming from the shower drain, it’s a sign that the drain is clogged and needs to be snaked and cleared out.
White Vinegar Is a Drain Cleaner
If you’re searching for a cheap and natural drain cleaner that won’t expose you and your family’s clothes to harsh chemicals, distilled white vinegar is the premier option. Commonly used for canning and pickling, purchase distilled white vinegar in most supermarkets.
Despite being food-grade and safe, white vinegar breaks down tenacious deposits to restore the function of your drain pipe. Vinegar is acidic; acetic acid dissolves lint, soap scum, and other gunk to allow water to flow.
Pour the water and the distilled white vinegar into the pan and heat until boiling. Insert the funnel into one end of the drain hose, set the other in a bucket, and slowly pour the hot vinegar mixture. As the vinegar passes down the pipe, the acid destroys any barriers.
Run some water through your drain pipe to test the flow. Repeat the process with water and vinegar if you suspect some obstruction remains. Discard the used vinegar solution, rinse your washer hose, and refit it onto the back of your washing machine.
A Pressure Washer Cleans Your Drain Line
If you want to help your washer drain start flowing again, think about utilizing a pressure washer. The pressure washer uses high-pressure water to go through your pipes and dislodge deposits rather than pressurize them. It’s an inexpensive method of opening up the drain.
The sewage jet is a long, flexible tube with a jet nozzle attached to one end. The jet fires from the front and the back, and a connection for the pressure washer is on its opposite end. High-pressure water from the front-firing jets clears obstructions from the drain. The water is propelled into the hose by the backfiring jets, which also clean the pipes’ sides.
If you already have a pressure washer, employing a sewer jet attachment unclogs a drain faster, costs less, and is simpler to clean than a drain snake. Place the power washer’s nozzle inside the hose, begin with low pressure, and progressively increase. High-pressured water removes the obstruction and cleans the pipe walls while dislodging the particles.
Baking Soda Eliminates Laundry Drain Debris
A baking soda treatment is more effective than rinsing out a washing machine drain hose with water alone. If boiling water doesn’t release the grime inside your washing machine hose drain, rely on the cleaning power of baking soda.
Though it’s found in the baking aisle, baking soda is a potent cleaner and stain remover. This white powder is edible and safe, yet it makes quick work of fabric softener residue and soap scale to leave the interior of your washer hose spotless.
Set the pan over medium heat and add the white vinegar and water. While the liquid comes to a boil, place the end of the hose in the basin and use the funnel to pour the baking soda. Slowly pour the boiling liquids into the pipe.
Use gloves or tongs to avoid burning your fingers. The baking soda fizzes and reacts with the acidity in the vinegar to clear persistent blocks and leave your hose ready for reinstallation.
Clean Your Drain Tube With Chemical Drain Cleaner
Many commercial products are available for cleaning a washing machine drain pipe. These cleaners typically contain harsh, caustic chemicals that disintegrate scum and lint. As the substances in the cleaner encounter the clog, a reaction occurs, enabling them to deteriorate the matter rapidly, and it washes out of the hose.
Always check the safety guidelines on the drain pipe cleaner you select, and use it per the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep pets and children out of the laundry room as you work.
Use the product and rinse the hose thoroughly to avoid chemicals on your clothes. Limiting how often you use chemical treatments is wise; heavy-duty synthetic compounds degrade your hose over time and may eventually damage it.
What Causes a Clogged Laundry Drain?
Knowing the typical reasons for drain clogging before addressing a washing machine drain is a crucial first step in preventing overflows. It’s essential to clean out the debris in your washing machine drain. If you don’t, it piles up and causes serious plumbing issues and bad smells. Be sure to get rid of the smell from a laundry drain when these clogs happen. The typical cause of a blocked washer drain pipe is regular use.
It’s likely your washing machine’s drains have plugged up over time due to regular use if you observe persistent, pooled water in the unit following cycles. Acting early in these situations can minimize the number of waste items and washing machine clogs that harm your pipes, and make future drain cleaning easier.
Washing Machine Filter Cleaning
Save time by cleaning your washing machine’s filter while you work on the drain hose to help keep everything running smoothly. Move your washing machine from the wall and search the front and sides of the device for a panel. This panel houses the filter that prevents debris from entering the hose and the pump that forces water out via the hose.
Access the washer filter and the pump by prying the compartment apart. The filter container is inside the machine on some models. Regardless of the manufacturer or model, your appliance should have a substantial, rounded piece of mesh inside. Take it out of the washing machine and pull any debris from the mesh firmly.
To remove all the remaining gunk and particles, thoroughly rinse the filter under running water. Completely replace the filter if you prefer, but cleaning it is sufficient if it’s not damaged. Close the compartment after repositioning the filter over the pump. Run an empty wash cycle and, if necessary, reassemble the hose and drain.
Preventing Washer Hose Clogs
There are prevention techniques to keep the drain pipe for your washing machine clean. Use an appropriate amount of high-efficiency detergent to wash your clothes and reduce excess washing soda or fabric softener.
Many people tend to use larger quantities of detergent than required to clean their garments. Use only the amount of soap recommended to reduce slimy soap scum deposits in your washer hose. Employ a lint trap or lint bag if your machine doesn’t have one, and install it at the end of your washer drain pipe to prevent pipe clogs.
Check the laundry aisle of your local store for a lint bag, or purchase one online. The bag catches the particles that can cause clogs in your pipes. Replace the lint bag each month or more often if you do a lot of laundry.
Regularly cleaning your washer drain hose with the methods in this article keeps dirt and grime from accumulating into a full-scale blockage. Clean your washer drain hose at least once a year to disperse a troublesome blockage before it creates a significant problem.
Hire a Drain Cleaning Service
If you are uncomfortable working on appliances, or your DIY methods fail to stop the water accumulation, it might be time to contact a commercial plumbing service. Though appliance and water heater repair is expensive, it’s worth seeking professional assistance.
A clogged-up washer has the potential to back up and leak into your house, causing extensive water damage and loss. If you cleaned out your drainage hose and can’t solve the problem, get a quote from a reputable plumber to prevent major issues.
Do you know how to rinse out a washing machine drain hose now? We rely on our plumbing and our appliances. It’s challenging to run a household when something as vital as your washing machine is on the blink. It’s also distressing to find standing water in your device.
Don’t let the discomfort of the unknown keep you from maintaining your washing machine and having access to clean clothes. Use easy-to-follow hacks to clean your clogged drain hose and get back to doing laundry as usual.

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