How to Clean a Washing Machine Filter
Drain stagnant water, remove lint and trapped debris, and scrub the front-load washing machine filter and housing to restore smooth drainage.
- Read the tools, materials, safety notes, and steps below for free.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Shallow collection tray or baking dish
- ✓ Old toothbrush or small soft brush
- ✓ Flathead screwdriver or coin
- ✓ Microfiber cloth
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ 2-3 thick absorbent towels
- ✓ Warm tap water
- ✓ Mild dish soap
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Unplug the washing machine from the wall outlet before starting to avoid electrical shock.
- • Ensure the machine has not just finished a hot wash cycle; water inside the pump housing may cause scalding.
- • Never force the plastic filter handle; cross-threading or snapping the plastic tabs will cause severe leaks.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Power Down and Lay Towels
Switch off and unplug the washing machine from the wall socket. Lay two thick towels flat on the floor directly beneath the lower front access flap to catch inevitable water spillage.
- • Power cord visibly disconnected from wall outlet.
- • Towels spread flat tight against the base of the machine.
- • Leaving the machine plugged in while handling internal drain components.
- • Using a single thin tea towel that quickly saturates.
Open Access Panel and Position Drain Tray
Locate the rectangular access door at the bottom front corner. Press the latch tab or gently pry the door open using a flathead screwdriver wrapped in a cloth, then place a shallow tray flat against the opening.
- • Access door flipped down or removed completely.
- • Shallow tray resting flat directly under the rubber drain tube and filter cap.
- • Prying aggressively with bare metal tools and cracking the plastic trim.
- • Using a container that is too tall to slide under the low drain outlet.
Empty the Emergency Drain Tube
Unclip the small black or grey rubber drain hose from its retaining bracket and pull it forward over the tray. Hold the hose firmly, pull the plastic stopper plug from the end, and allow all residual water to drain completely into the dish.
- • Hose pulled forward with plug removed.
- • Continuous stream of water tapering off to no drips entering the tray.
- • Pulling the stopper while the hose is aimed away from the collection vessel.
- • Allowing the dish to overflow without replugging the hose periodically.
Unscrew and Remove the Mesh Filter
Reinsert the drain tube plug firmly and tuck the hose aside. Grip the circular filter knob, turn it counter-clockwise 2-3 full turns until loose, and slide the cylindrical filter straight out while letting the final puddle flow onto the towel.
- • Filter cylinder completely extracted from the circular pump port.
- • Residual cavity water absorbed by the towels.
- • Yanking the filter horizontally before the threads are fully disengaged.
- • Removing the filter before emptying the drain tube, resulting in an uncontrollable flood.
Clean Filter and Clear Pump Chamber
Take the filter assembly to a sink and scrub the mesh and rubber gasket using warm water, mild soap, and a soft brush. Shine a light into the empty machine chamber, pick out foreign objects like coins or lint clumps, and wipe the interior housing clean with a damp cloth.
- • Filter mesh clean and translucent with no lint or slime deposits.
- • Chamber interior free of coins, hair, and grit, with impeller blades visible and clean.
- • Cleaning only the removable filter while leaving coins or hair tangled around the internal impeller.
- • Using harsh abrasive scouring pads that degrade the rubber sealing gasket.
Reinstall Filter, Secure Hose, and Close Door
Align the filter guide ribs with the grooves inside the chamber and insert it straight. Turn the handle clockwise firmly until the indicator marks align and it locks tightly, secure the drain tube plug into its clip, and snap the access door closed.
- • Filter cap sitting completely flush against the chamber lip, turned fully clockwise.
- • Drain hose seated tightly in its plastic retaining clamp with plug secured.
- • Access flap clicked shut flush with the machine body.
- • Cross-threading the filter cap by forcing it at an angle.
- • Leaving the drain tube dangling loose, preventing the access door from closing.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Samsung UK — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Shallow collection tray? Low-profile baking sheet or cut-down plastic milk jug
- No Old toothbrush? Nail brush or clean dishwashing brush