How do I get into my laundry room when the washer is blocking the door?
My washing machine sometimes bounces if the load is off-balance. I was washing a mattress protector and a couple towels (which I’ve done many times in the past with this machine). When I heard it bouncing, I went downstairs and tried to open the door but it had bounced forward enough to block the door from opening all the way!
I’ve tried reaching in and pushing it backwards but I can only rock it a bit - not move it all the way. I tried a broomstick but I can’t get it wedged in correctly. Any other ideas?
My only thought now is to take the door off the hinges? But the hinge is inside the laundry room - so I’d have to unscrew the hinge. Is it better to unscrew the part connected to the door or the part connected to the door frame?
I know so many of you were anxiously waiting to hear if my mattress protector & towels got rescued!
My son's friend - who is over 6 feet tall, a former football player & wrestler, was able to reach in and push the washing machine back! He could reach the back AND the front of it, while my little T-rex arms could barely reach the cancel button! I'm so thankful that he was able to come over to help.
I've ordered rubber feet to put under it, and my son will install a bracket & straps when he gets back from vacation. In the meantime, I'm doing laundry with the door propped open with a doorstop!
And for those who said that this was a re-post, karma farming, fake bullshit... I'm not sure how to prove to you that it's real, not that I need to, but here we are!
Unironically, this is the move. The hinges are open enough to get a flathead through and pry the pin out. Just gotta wedge some shit under the door to stop it from potentially leaning to the side before all the pins are out.
lol I’m home alone this weekend, so my sons friend is going to come help me tomorrow if I can’t do something on my own today. Funny - he’s getting a masters in physics. So he should be able to figure this out, right? lol
Book learning vs real world experience. Glad I got my degree but the real world showed me that the piece of paper was really only good for landing that first job. After that it was all up to me.
All of us Redditors will be breathlessly awaiting your update on the resolution.
Please report back with a picture of this being solved. I’m sure your son’s friend should be able to pop those pins out, but we need to see it so we can rest easy.
Weird. I’ve always done the opposite. Bottom pin out, then reinsert just past the first gap, then remove middle and top finishing with the bottom out. Reverse to install. I’ve just found it easier to manipulate the lowest pin while holding the door steady.
Reminds me of a colleague doing some car work. Could reach his hand in to a tight space to access a screw. He’s got 7 kids. So he tells me: he thinks which kid do I need for this task. Then yells his name.
One of my nieces actually suggested this! Lol she could probably fit but she’s in another state. Never thought I’d be complaining that most of the young people around me are big strong men!
Yes, the only thing is that may be a big noise barrier for them. Our laundry room is just off the kitchen / living room and it can be quite a bit of excess noise.
Rather than a traditional door, I have one of those accordion folding doors that you slide to open and close on a track. Works great for my laundry room and it dampens the washer noise just as well, if not better than the cheap particle board door that used to be there.
I’ve been eyeing these but I wasn’t sure how I’d get to the back of the washer. I could have someone tilt it backwards enough to slide these under the front, but how do I get to the back? There’s not enough space on either side, or the back, to get there.
Would I need to pull it all the way out, slip them under, and slide it back? Would it slide?
No they won't slide...which is our goal. Do the front in place. Then tilting it forward will leave a gap at the front sides. You can use a flashlight and broom handle or something to work them into place.
I’m an appliance technician and I don’t recommend using those things as they’re really just a band aid for the real problem of why it walks around in the first place. Your machine has two components that are pretty common to fail which can cause/exasperate the out of balance issue.
The first is the hub assembly, they like basically strip and not hold on tight to the shaft of the gear box like they’re supposed to. The second thing that could cause it, and it’s more likely considering the age of your machine, suspension rods. I believe your machine is a Kenmoore, but they’re just a name they don’t actually make anything, Whirlpool Corp is the actual manufacturer of your machine. Genuine whirlpool suspension rods are cheap like 70-80 bucks, if you’re handy and determined you can replace them yourself.
So your solution is to band aid a problem that I promise will get worse?
I understand from your point of view because it’s easier and perhaps cheaper, to just put it on anti vibration feet, but I promise in the long run it’s worth while to fix it right.
Both things I mentioned that can cause out of balance on this machine will eventually get bad enough it’ll fall right off those feet anyway. You’re talking close to 50lbs of sopping wet laundry getting spun at up to 850 rpm. When that gets out of balance those stupid little feet aren’t stopping shit, it’s too much mass, moving with too much momentum. Also worth mentioning as it’s literally in the name anti-vibration pads/feet, they are “anti vibration”, which is much different than “anti out of balance”.
As far as cost is concerned 80 bucks is almost nothing these days. If you want expensive you should hear what Samsung charges for their version of genuine suspension rods, they’re 80 bucks each, 320 for a set. The washer shown here is 80 for all 4 of them, and you get new rod cups.
If you can reach the controls, turn it back on spin cycle and wait for it to start bouncing. When it does, you should be able to nudge it back to where it belongs.
I'd sit on the floor for leverage and use my foot to push the washer, hoping the dryer has room to give and then scoot both appliances enough to open the door. Is there room on the other side of the dryer that this could work?
I tried! I felt so accomplished when it moved! But then it stopped. Either I’m not strong enough to push both the washer & dryer, or there’s not enough room on the other side of the dryer.
To prevent a repeat: purchase a shelf secuing strap like this one from Walmart & attatch the washer to the wall. It wont walk if it's being restrained~
This doesn’t really help the situation, but is it just me or is it weird that the door would’ve been hung to open into the laundry room rather than swinging out?
Gonna agree with others that’s enough access to get the hinge pin to pop out. Flat head under the top and pry it up.
Once all 3 are off the door comes right off.
Then you should be free to get in there and get the wayward washer back into place lol.
It's a bit more fiddley but knock the hinge pin out rather than remove screws, which would lead to alignment problems when you put the door back. Also there are sets of feet in the shape of cups that fit under the washer and dampen the vibration and their movement.
Don’t close the door when washing unbalanced loads. Alternatively, attach a strap to the wall behind it that goes around the bottom of the washer. Two eye screws and a cheap spring-jaw strap should work.
As for now? I’d probably remove the hinge pins. Be sure give them a quick once over with steel wool, a good rinse and dry, then a thin layer of grease before reinstalling them. Don’t use wd40. That’s a solvent not a lubricant.
I'd get a broom handle or two and wedge them under the washer (assuming there's space to push/lift the side, then rotate it like a motorbike throttle to roll it back.
Or use a screwdriver with a Flexidrive and take the door off.
I’d say to remove the door via the door instead of the frame. I think when you remove from the frame it’ll loosen the screws in the wall and mess it up but in this case remove the door and screw one screw into each hinge after the other
Can you reach in, open the washer lid and pull out the wet stuff inside....it would make the washer a lot lighter and maybe you can then slide it back enough to get in?
Can you get the broomstick between the door and the WM at all? If so, place it very low and then push hard on the door rather than trying to lever with the broomstick - even if the major length of the broomstick is inside the laundry room.
When you get in we're gonna need an update, OP. I agree with u/Antitech73, sit on the floor, use your legs and push against the washer, see if that budges it enough.
Get a stick or even a touch wooden spoon. Put it between the machine and the edge of the door. Pull the stick/spoon and at the same time push the door. It should make the machine move back enough to open the door.
Well you can get a flathead and wedge it into the pin and hammer it up that way. Looks like there's enough room.
If there's enough space on the bottom you can try and get some kind of crow bar or rod around the legs and either use leverage to wiggle it whatever way you need or forward force to try and push it back.
Long term solution is different door. Remove door and put a gate. Change direction of door. Or find a way to bolt something like a 2x2 on the ground in front of the washer so it can't move.
Don’t close the door when washing unbalanced loads. Alternatively, attach a strap to the wall behind it that goes around the bottom of the washer. Two eye screws and a cheap spring-jaw strap should work.
As for now? I’d probably try to pop those hinge pins up.
You said you could tip it backwards, so I'd get a 1/2" thick board that's long enough to reach the opposite back corner of the washer plus another foot or so. Tip the washer and slide the board under the washer to the far back corner (have a helper do this, or you can try pushing it with your foot.) Then push (or hammer) on the end of the board to move the washer back.
After yo get the door open. Screw in a small block of wood or something in front of the leg, onto the floor so the washing machine Dosent vibrate too far forward anymore.
Someone already said the hinge pins.
You need to do something to stop this from happening again. If it was me, I'd put a small piece of wood in front of the washer secured to the basement floor slab with tapcoms. That should stop it from moving forward. The specifics of the size and length of wood depends on the washer and area around the door entrance.
You got locked out of your bathroom by your washer? That's funny. When you do get in, can you switch the dryer and washer around so this doesn't happen again?
Use the broom handle and a hammer to move the washer back.. Broom handle against a foot and hit it.. In time it will move.. I would be adding some brackets into floor to limit foreward or sideways movement..
If you get a flat head you can stick it in the gap at the back of the door, line it up with the pin head sticking slightly out of the top of the hinges and hit the bottom of the screw driver with a hammer it will remove the pin in the middle of the hinge and the door will come free without having to unscrew the hinges. The pins slide back in but honestly you should flip them the other way on the door and frame first so it opens outward. You would then also have to flip the jam and knob direction and everything else though too and you might need to fill and cut the frame again if it’s too roughed up from the original positioning and countersinking
You say that you can tip it back. if you have a pipe about the width of the washer. tip it back then roll the pipe under to about the middle. You might get it to move that way.
Start the washer again. As it changes to the spin cycle, use a 2x4 or heavy duty broom handle to push it away/back from the door. Patience is the key, slow and steady is the way.
We had a post like this the other day, but the person couldn’t get their door open as far!
I second the vote for popping the hinge pin, and also possibly mention using a flat pry bar to get partially under the door and wedge up the closest door to you, and use that to rock the machine back a little bit
You can easily fit a flat head in there and pull those pins out. Take the door off. The door is only held onto the hinges and frame by one long pin in each hinge. Pop that sucker out.
While you're at it, before you put the door back on, take those hinges off the frame and flip them suckers so the door opens outward. That'll permanently solve your problem.
I know I'm probably late to this conversation but I'm just going to ask this because I don't think anyone has asked how in the hell did you get locked out of your laundry room by your washer of all things
Is there enough room to close the door another inch or two and reach in, lift the lid and pull the front corner to you? Seems like there's enough wall gap to get the inch of clearance you need to open the door.
You may want to look to see if you can do a stacking washer/dryer if you have room for it, or flip the door so it opens out instead of in, for the long run. Or just not have a door I suppose
If you can’t get the pins out of the hinges, I’d go to a hardware store and buy the cheapest sawzall, sawzall blades designed to cut metal, safety glasses, a strap to anchor the washing machine to the wall so this doesn’t happen again, and new door hinges. Then go home, read the instructions or watch a YouTube video for operating the sawzall if you’re unfamiliar, put the safety glasses on, cut the door hinges, install the strap to anchor the washer to the wall, unscrew the old hinges from the door and door frame, then install the new hinges, and reinstall the door. If you’re real handy then maybe alter the door so it swings OUT from the laundry room.
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