How to winterize your washer

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Winterizing your washer can reduce the amount of energy used each week and might even make it last longer. If your washer is located in the garage, basement or other area of the house with limited heat, you will need to winterize the appliance so it can be used during colder temperatures. The process can even help you cut back on energy costs overall.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Large bucket
Gloves
Detergent
Non-poisonous Propylene Glycol

Step1

Put on gloves. Wearing gloves throughout the process will protect your hands and limits the risk of allergies or skin sensitivities from the chemical solutions you'll be handling.

Step2

Turn off the faucets. You'll need to stop the water supply during the winterizing process.

Step3

Turn the washer on for 10 to 15 seconds. Select the "warm rinse" cycle to run water into the washing machine. Then turn it off after some of the water has run through the machine.

Step4

Disconnect the water hoses. This prepares the appliance for the winterizing process.

Step5

Add the proplyene glycol solution. Pour one quart of the solution into the washer basket.

Step6

Run a drain and spin cycle. Turn on the washer for only a drain and spin to run the proplyene glycol solution through the system.

Step7

Clean the inlet screens. Remove the hoses from the main faucet and wipe out the inlet screens. This removes extra buildup and debris.

Step8

Connect the hoses to the faucets. Attach the hoses to the faucets but not the washer so they can be cleaned.

Step9

Run water through the hoses. Use the bucket to flush the hoses with water and clean them out thoroughly.

Step10

Reconnect the hoses. Put the hoses back onto the washer, draining pipes and faucets so the appliance is ready for use.

Step11

Run detergent through the system. Pour 1 to 1 1/2 cups of detergent through the empty washer to clean it out one more time. The washer is now ready for use!