So, you’ve discovered that your washing machine is leaking. Most people know that they should call someone to get the machine fixed. But many people don’t know that they should be doing something else, as well! And not doing this thing can often cost you a lot more money later. We’re here to shed light on what people often miss when it comes to what to do about a leaking washing machine.
We’re Cleaner Guys, a professional water damage cleanup and repair team. We have more than 20 years of experience dealing with water damage from leaks. We’ve dealt with many washing machine leaks! We’re here to give our professional advice on dealing with leaking washers, so that you don’t end up spending more money than you need to.
What to Do About a Leaking Washing Machine – First Steps
The very first thing you should do when you discover your washing machine is leaking is put a vessel under the leak and shut the water off! This will prevent more water from getting everywhere and potentially damaging your floors and walls.
The second thing you should do is to troubleshoot the source of the water. You’ll probably need to call either a plumber or the manufacturer to fix it. You will probably find many guides on the internet on how to fix a leaking washing machine on your own. However, our professional advice is to not try to do it on your own unless you have professional experience.
We advise against trying to fix your leaky washer yourself because often, the well-meaning fixes of people who aren’t professionals can unfortunately lead to more water damage later.
The Step People Usually Miss: Calling a Water Damage Remediation Company
Once people realize their washing machine is leaking, they will obviously get it fixed, either on their own or with a plumber. But what most people don’t think about is how the leaking water may have affected the floor and walls around their washing machine.
You don’t know how long that leak was going on for, or how much water may have soaked into the floor and walls in the meantime! Once water has soaked into the floor or behind the baseboard trim, you can’t see it anymore, but it’s still there. And water intrusion can cause mold growth in 48 hours or even less! Hidden mold growth can eventually cause mold sickness if not removed.
We know this may sound like “fear mongering”, but we’ve seen this exact cycle happen again and again in our line of work in professional water damage remediation!
A Real-Life Example of the Damage a Leak Can Cause
Below is an image of the damage a hidden leak can cause, from a real Cleaner Guys job site!
This image is from a home where both the kitchen sink and dishwasher were leaking, but the exact same thing can happen with a leaking washing machine. The longer the leak continues dripping, the more water soaks down into the floor, and up into the surrounding walls. This causes the wood under your floors to become soft, which makes it dangerous to step on, because your foot could go through! The excess water will also grow mold, as you can see in the image below. Mold can make you very sick.
The dishwasher and sink had been slowly leaking for a long time, and once the cabinets were removed, you could see how much water damage and mold there was!
THIS kind of damage is what water damage remediation professionals check for and fix. Plumbers can’t do that.
What a Water Damage Remediation Company Does
Water damage remediation professionals are the people you call in after the washing machine itself has been fixed, to determine if the water has intruded into your floors and walls, and needs to be dried out and cleaned. You can’t see how much water may be under your flooring. But a professional water damage remediation team will have tools that gauge how saturated a material is! This will tell them whether the flooring and walls around your washing machine are fine… or whether they really should be dried out to prevent mold.
You may not want to spend the extra money on hiring a water damage remediation company. But it will more than likely save you hundreds or thousands of dollars in damage repair later. We’ve seen it so many times. If you don’t make sure that there isn’t water intrusion and mold under your washing machine now, and there was, it will continue to spread until the damage is massive and you can’t ignore it. And it will cost way more to fix then.
Just take another look at the photo above, of the damage that a leak was causing behind those kitchen cabinets for months. You can avoid that level of damage by getting a water damage remediation in there to assess the damage early.
More Resources
➜ If you’re not sure how to find a good water damage remediation company near you, check out our guide to picking a good, trustworthy service company next!
➜ What if your washing machine leak is in an apartment? Who is responsible? Check out our guide to dealing with water damage in an apartment, as a tenant.
If you need water damage remediation in Western Washington state, Cleaner Guys is one of the best options around! We’re the only water damage remediation company around that boasts award-winning customer service, and a price-match guarantee! Call or message us today through the menu at the top of your screen.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. No part of this article is medical or legal advice, and may not be used as such. For all serious medical matters, consult your doctor. For all serious legal matters, consult your legal advisor. This article contains Cleaner Guys’ experience and opinions only.
