It’s no secret that problems can arise if an underwire comes loose from its bra housing in the washing machine. If you’re lucky enough to find this still in the drum, good going. However, more often than not when these come out they make their way between the inner drum and outer tub. Now, this can go unnoticed for quite some time and can also inevitably cause serious damage to the washing machine – especially if you consider that a lot of washing machines now have plastic outer tubs. It can puncture a hole in the outer tub, scrape the drum, pierce the sump hose causing a leak, catch and tear other items of clothing, or even find its way to the pump and physically jam the pump impellor.

Ideally bras should be hand washed (even those without underwires) as even the straps can catch on other clothes and interfere with the washing process.

Having just moved into a new place myself (with three lads) I’ve shamefully already had to break the news that one of my underwires is (ahem) missing……It’s partying in the washing machine as we speak. OK, so now I’ve picked up a delicates wash bag to prevent this from happening again. However, I need to get the current one out. Some tips for doing so:

• First, check that a small piece of the end of the wire isn’t poking through a hole in the drum.
• If there’s no sign of it, you’ll want to check if it’s in the sump hose. Unplug the washer from the mains, then remove the back panel. The sump hose is the black hose that goes from the bottom of the tub to the water pump. Take off this hose and pull away from the tub. Have an old towel ready to catch any water that might spill from the inside. Hopefully the wire will be in the top of the hose. If not, look carefully inside and feel through the hole in the bottom of the tub. The wire should be around here, possibly under the heating element.
• If you still can’t see it, try rocking the machine gently from side to side to allow the wire to drop through the sump hose.

If you still can’t find it after following the above steps……I’m afraid it’s time to call in the pros.

Hopefully by following the above steps you’ll be able to find the darn thing and your washing machine can resume its duties without the threat of being damaged!

Goodluck!

But how could such a harmless looking thing………

Uh oh…….

Tags: Washing Machine Sump Hose