Have you ever found yourself frantically pushing every button or tugging at the washing machine door repeatedly after a last minute realisation that your mobile phone’s been left in your jeans pocket, or a delicate item’s accidentally made its way into a hot-water wash? If so, you’ll agree that knowing how to stop your washing machine-mid cycle is well worth getting to grips with. Watch our video guide to find out how to safely stop your washing machine in an emergency, leaving you free to open the door and retrieve your items from the cycle.
There are a huge number of different washing machines available in today's market and they all work slightly differently, so a 'one size' fits all solution to manually stopping a cycle doesn't really exist. We definitely recommend consulting your user manual first, before taking any of the steps below to try and open the door. You may be able to find the manual online if you've lost your copy (if you’re struggling, the ESpares website is likely to have it) or you could even look up the manufacturer’s number and give them a call. If not, one of the three options outlined below is sure to work for most washing machine models.
Press the "Start/Pause" button on your washing machine and wait a few minutes for the washer to safely drain away water in the drum before it unlocks the door. Once this is done, you’ll be able to open the door and make any changes to the cycle. To resume the cycle, press the “Start/Pause” button again.
Turn the dial cycle to “0” or “OFF” to end of the current washing cycle. Wait a few minutes while the appliance drains away the water from the drum before unlocking the door. Once you’ve made changes to the cycle, it won’t automatically continue, so you’ll need to re-enter your washing instruction if you need to continue with your washing.
If there's a real emergency and nothing else is working, or the appliance is malfunctioning, you can pull the power plug out of the machine to stop the power. Please be careful if you do opt for this solution - the water may not have fully drained out yet. Put towels under the machine to soak up any water that may spill out when you open the door.