Washing Machine Making Noise? Local Repair Guide for GTA Residents

🕰 Grinding or Rumbling During Spin Act Soon

A deep grinding or rumbling that gets louder during the spin cycle almost always points to worn drum bearings. These are the bearings that allow the inner drum to rotate smoothly inside the outer tub. When they wear down — usually due to age, water seeping through a damaged seal, or heavy use — they create a grinding metal-on-metal sound that worsens over time.

You can often confirm this by opening the washer door and manually spinning the drum with your hand. If it feels rough, wobbly, or makes a scraping sound with no power on, the bearings are the issue.

Why act soon: If the bearings fail completely, the drum can drop or the outer tub can crack — turning a $300 bearing job into a much more expensive repair or a write-off.

💣 Banging During Spin Cycle Check First

A banging or thumping that happens mainly during spin can have two very different causes, so your first step is a simple check.

Unbalanced load: Open the washer and redistribute the clothes — especially if you washed one large item like a duvet or jeans. Restart the spin. If the banging stops, this was the issue and there is nothing to repair.

Suspension or shock absorbers: If banging persists with properly distributed loads, the suspension rods or shock absorbers have worn out. These components absorb the drum's movement during spin — when they fail, the drum bangs against the cabinet. On top-loaders, this is often suspension rods. On front-loaders, shock absorbers and drum paddles are the usual suspects.

Also check: coins, underwire bra wires, or other foreign objects can get caught between the drum and the outer tub, creating a rhythmic banging every revolution.

🏼 Squealing During Agitation or Spin Book Soon

A high-pitched squeal is most commonly caused by a worn or slipping drive belt on top-loading washers (front-loaders use a direct drive and do not have belts). The belt connects the motor to the drum — when it wears, stretches, or frays, friction creates a squealing sound.

On front-loaders, squealing can also come from the drum bearing in its early stages of wear — before the grinding phase develops. Catching bearing wear early (when it squeals rather than grinds) can reduce the repair cost.

Do not run the washer through multiple cycles if it squeals. A worn belt can snap unexpectedly, leaving you with a drum full of wet laundry and a locked door.

💧 Rattling or Clicking Low Urgency

A rattling or clicking that starts and stops or varies with drum rotation is usually a foreign object caught in the drum, drain pump filter, or between the inner and outer tub. Coins are the number-one culprit, followed by buttons, small buckles, and bra underwires.

The first thing to check: the drain pump filter. On most front-loaders, this is a small round cap accessible at the bottom front of the machine (often behind a kick panel). Place a towel down, open the cap slowly, and you will often find coins, lint, and small items that have been collecting there.

If the rattling comes from inside the drum walls rather than the filter area, an object may be stuck between the drum and the outer tub — this requires a technician to access and remove safely.