Is Your Washer Leaving Clothes Too Wet? Here’s What Might Be Going Wrong, a Laundry Pro Says

It’s to be expected that clothes will be wet after you wash them, but they should not be soaking wet. If they are, there are several reasons that could be causing the problem. Today, a laundry pro weighs in on the topic and shares the five things you should avoid doing to ensure your load of laundry drains properly.

The reasons why clothes are dripping wet after a wash cycle have as much to do with the washing machine itself as it does with how you load it and the type of wash cycle and spin speed you select. Below, a laundry expert shares professional insight on why an overloaded and unbalanced washer, a blocked drainage hose, an incorrectly selected cycle, and a low spin speed can all leave your clothes soaking wet.

Overloading the Washer

It may seem like filling the drum with as many clothes as possible will save you time, but the opposite is actually true. If you overload the washing machine, clothes will end up being excessively wet and end up taking longer to dry.

“Overloading the washing machine can create an unbalanced load, potentially reducing the spin speed and resulting in excess water in the drum at the end of a cycle,” Morgan LaLonde, Whirlpool laundry brand manager, says.

To avoid this issue, the laundry pro recommends that you only fill the drum about halfway and distribute items in loose heaps.

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Incorrect Cycle Selection

According to LaLonde, another mistake that causes clothes to be soaking wet after washing is selecting the incorrect cycle. She explains that this means the wrong cycle has been selected for the type of fabric you are washing or the clothing’s soil level.

For example, a delicate cycle is well suited for delicate fabrics because it’s gentle on them and doesn’t involve as much agitation as some other cycles. However, there are some types of clothing—such as bulky sweatshirts—that do need a higher spin speed and level of agitation.

If you wash a large load of heavy clothing on a delicate cycle, the load will not drain sufficiently and the clothes will be left soaking wet.

Low Spin Speed

During a low spin speed cycle, there is less agitation, making it a gentle option for delicate fabrics. While it can help prevent wrinkles in clothes, LaLonde says it does not help with the drying process.

“Setting your washing machine to a low spin speed may cause it to remove less water than when the washing machine is set to high spin speeds,” LaLonde says.

This is where checking the clothing’s care tag is important, as it will tell you what temperature and cycle or spin speed to wash it on. Stick to the maker’s directions to avoid potential damage and overly wet clothes that have not been drained properly.

Blocked Drainage Hose

If there is a blocked drainage hose or the drainage hose has been installed poorly, LaLonde says it can leave clothes soaking wet at the end of a wash cycle. The drainage hose is the vessel through which water leaves the drum. If it is blocked, the water has no way to escape and stays inside the drum, leaving the washed clothes to soak in it.

If you notice that your clothes are consistently soaking wet after every wash, even though you have not overloaded the washer and have selected the correct cycle and spin speed, check the drainage hose, as it may be the culprit.

An Unbalanced Washer

In addition to overloading the washing machine, loading it in an unbalanced way can cause clothes to stay very wet. If there is a large clump of bulky clothing on one side of the drum and only a few small, delicate items on the other side, the washer will not be balanced.

“In the event that clothes are soaking wet after washing, try reloading the appliance with the proper amount of clothing, balancing the washer, and selecting the best cycle and spin speed options based on the current load,” LaLonde recommends.