Have you experienced your washing machine door locking, and you just can’t open it? It’s a frustrating reality many people have faced, and it’s particularly annoying when you have clothes in there that are getting damp and smelly.
There are a number of reasons the door might be stuck – from water not having drained properly in the machine, to a power failure. It can be tempting to get a crowbar and yank the door open, but there’s actually a much less destructive hack which will help you open it with ease using a ‘secret’ latch not many people know about.
Taking to TikTok, father and son duo Zachary and Jerry Pozniak, who own a textile after care brand called Jeeves NY, they shared: “You should know that there is a secret latch on your washing machine that will allow you to open the door at any time. This will also immediately end the wash cycle if it is running.”
They added: “To access it, open the bottom left lid and look for a small ring at the top corner. Grab a small tool and slide it from right to left. This is quite literally a string that opens the door.” This will immediately end the cycle, if it’s ongoing, and open the door. Under this latch is also a circular filter, which the experts say you should be “cleaning out every few months”.
However, they warn that this should “only be used in case of emergency or if your machine is malfunctioning and won’t release the door”. They continued: “For example, you loose power and do not want your clothing to get mouldy. Your clothing will likely be very wet so I recommend running a drain and spin cycle to extract the water.”
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Currys recommends you let your machine cool down before attempting to open a locked washing machine door. If you’ve already waited a couple of minutes and it won’t open, they recommend turning the machine off, leaving it for 10 minutes and then trying to open the door.
Other things you can try include running another spin/dry cycle, which might get rid of the extra water. Or you can try to “hit the door over the lock area” with your palm, which might release the mechanism.
However, if this doesn’t work, they recommend using the “hidden release tab with a screwdriver” which is “usually inside a removable flap under the door”.
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