Immediate Steps to Take When Your Washing Machine Floods Your Laundry Room

 You pop into your laundry room to check the remaining time on your washer when you notice water seeping into your socks. A quick check shows that water is leaking out from your washing machine—and it’s still on. If this is your first time with a flooded laundry room, take a deep breath and follow the steps below that are recommended by residential plumbing services.

1. Turn off the washing machine’s water supply

End the flooding at its root and cut off the water supply, typically located behind the washer. Now your washer has a limited supply of water to flood out. Do not cancel the washing cycle or turn off the washer. This could trigger the rinse cycle, causing the remaining water to spill out. 

Instead, check if the washer’s plug is in a dry area. If so, unplug the washer and place the plug somewhere dry. If the power circuit is in standing water, go to your power circuit and turn it off. Otherwise it could cause electric shock. 

2. Empty the washer and remove standing water

Remove clothes from the washer, then mop or soak up standing water. Depending on how much water has flooded, you could use paper towels, bath towels, or a water vacuum. Then set up a floor dryer to whisk away moisture. Any moisture that lingers can cause lasting damage to your floors and walls, risking structural damage—if there isn’t already some.

3. Check your washing machine yourself or call in help

If your washer has flooded before, you might have an idea of what went wrong, such as loose connection for the hot and cold water tubes. Maybe you’ve been told that your water tubes are wearing down and could need replacement soon. Your washer could also be old and starting to fall apart, if it’s a decade or so old.

You could do your own investigation, or call in help to figure out if you need repairs or replacement. Residential plumbing services can help you whittle your options down to the best solution after a household plumbing inspection.

4. Fix the damaged areas

Before your residential plumber fixes your washer or installs a new washer, make sure you don’t have damaged floors, walls, or adjacent appliances. If it smells like wet dog for several days, even after airing out the laundry room, you possibly have lingering water creating long-term damage. Water could have soaked into your floors or behind your walls. In this case, you’ll need more than washer repair, and might have to call in a home renovation service.