The One Thing You Should Be Cleaning for *Way* Better Laundry
Anyone who does their own laundry likely knows that dryers have lint traps that should be cleaned regularly (ideally, after each use). All this requires is peeling off the layer of purple-grey lint that has accumulated on the trap to prevent pesky pieces of lint from sticking to your freshly washed clothing. What you probably didn't know is that your washing machine has a filter that you should be cleaning, too. Don't feel bad if this is the first time you're hearing of this...I wasn't exactly aware of it until recently, either.
Pump filters provide a similar service to the lint trap in a dryer, collecting (you guessed it!) lint, in addition to stray hairs, crumbs, rogue clothing threads, and more. Sounds pretty gross, right? If you're anxious to start cleaning, there's a step before that! You first need to find where the washing machine filter is located! According to Readers' Digest, any owner's manual is your best bet for locating it, but if you've misplaced that (haven't we all!), there are a few likely places where you'll find the filter: in the front of the machine behind a small latch, at the very bottom of the drainage hose, or under the cover of the agitator (the tall spindle in the middle of the machine that helps to move your laundry through the soapy water).