Using the Whirlpool front-load washer (CHW9150GW)

Check the washer, pay, then load. That way, if something is wrong, you find out before your clothes and soap are in the machine.

This page covers the white Whirlpool front-load washers with six buttons to the right of the display (models CHW9150GW0 and CHW9150GW1). A wash takes about 37 to 45 minutes.

1. Look first

Take 30 seconds before you pay. If anything below is off, use another washer and tell me (see If something goes wrong).

  • The display shows the price. It switches between the regular price and the higher Super Cycle price.

  • Nothing like OUT OF ORDER or an error code scrolls across the display, and no out-of-order sign is on the machine.

  • The door latch is in place and not broken. If the door can't lock, the wash can't start and your payment is lost.

  • It doesn't smell bad, and no water is standing in the drum.

  • Run your hand around the inside of the drum and look in the rubber bellows (the seal around the door opening). Both should be empty.

  • Turn the drum a little by hand. It should move with a bit of resistance. Spinning too freely can mean a broken belt. Hard to turn can mean something is stuck between the drum, the tub and the bellows.

  • Wipe it down first if it needs it.

2. Pay

Pay before you load. If the washer won't take your payment, nothing of yours is inside it yet.

  • Pay with quarters or the payment app posted in your laundry room. What's accepted varies by building.

  • The lower price is a regular wash. The higher price is a Super Cycle, which adds 3 minutes of washing and an extra rinse. Pay it up front, or upgrade when the washer offers it (step 6).

  • The washer is ready when the display flashes SELECT CYCLE.

  • Start your wash right after you pay. Credit left unused for 30 minutes is cleared.

  • If it took your money but doesn't show SELECT CYCLE, don't add more. Tell me.

3. Load

  • Empty pockets: coins, keys, pens, lighters, tissues. Zip zippers and shake each item out.

  • Bag the small stuff. If it would fit in a coffee cup (no-show socks, lingerie, masks), put it in a mesh laundry bag. Small items can get pulled into the drain pump.

  • Wash similar fabrics together so the load balances: towels with towels, not jeans with thin synthetic shirts. An unbalanced load can stop the spin and leave your clothes soaking wet.

  • Add your laundry a handful at a time. Stuffing it all in at once can pull the bellows off the front of the machine.

  • Fill the drum at least half full and no more than three-quarters full.

  • Tuck everything inside the bellows, then close the door gently but firmly until the latch clicks.

Keep out of the washer: sand, rubber-backed rugs, and anything with fuel, solvent or other chemicals on it. Never let children play on or in a washer.

4. Add soap

  • 2 tablespoons of HE detergent, liquid or powder. Never more than 1/4 cup. A full cap is several loads' worth.

  • HE detergent only. Look for "HE" on the label. Regular detergent, dish soap and hand soap make too many suds.

  • No pods.

  • Pour it into the labeled detergent compartment of the dispenser tray, the drawer at the top left.

  • Bleach: liquid chlorine bleach only, in the bleach compartment. Fabric softener: thin it with a little water first, then use the softener compartment. Thick softener builds up there.

  • Go easy on scent boosters. What doesn't dissolve is yours to clean out.

More on the Soap page.

5. Choose your wash

Press one button on the top row for the kind of wash, then one on the bottom row for the water temperature. There's no Start button: pressing both starts the wash, as step 6 describes.

Top row:

  • COTTON/WHITES: The most thorough. Towels, sheets, jeans, work clothes, heavy dirt.

  • PERM PRESS: Everyday clothes, synthetics and mixed loads.

  • COLORS/DELICATES: The gentlest. Delicate fabrics and colors you want to keep bright.

Bottom row:

  • HOT: Whites, towels, sheets and heavily soiled items, if the care label allows.

  • WARM: Most everyday loads.

  • COLD: Darks, bright colors, delicates and lightly soiled items.

Not sure? Check the care label inside the garment.

6. Watch it start

  • Paid the Super Cycle price? The wash starts right away.

  • Paid the regular price? The washer pauses for a moment and shows the upgrade price, such as 0.50. Add it and a Super Cycle starts right away. Don't want it? Press your selections again to skip the wait. Do nothing and a regular wash starts on its own.

  • Every wash starts the same way: the door locks, unlocks a moment later, then locks again. Forgot something? Open the door during that short unlock, add it, close the door and press your selections again. The display flashes RESELECT CYCLE until you do.

  • After the final lock, you'll hear water running into the dispenser tray, and the drum starts turning.

  • If water runs in but the drum never turns, the washer needs repair. See If something goes wrong.

  • A few minutes in, look through the door. You should see wet clothes tumbling with little or no foam. Suds mean too much soap; use less next time.

7. Come back before it ends

  • A wash takes about 37 to 45 minutes. The display counts down, and the door stays locked until the end.

  • The washer is yours only for the paid cycle. Laundry left after it ends may be moved by the next person (see Idle & Abandoned Stuff on the Policies page).

  • When you unload, turn the drum by hand and feel for anything you missed. Check the bellows, especially at the bottom where the door glass meets the seal; hair collects there.

  • Wipe out any leftover products, such as scent boosters.

  • Leave the door open a little so the inside can dry.

What the display means

  • A price, switching with a higher price: Ready. The higher price is the Super Cycle. Look first, then pay.

  • SELECT CYCLE (flashing): Paid. Load, add soap, choose your wash.

  • The upgrade price (such as 0.50) after you press your selections: You paid the regular price; the washer is offering a Super Cycle. Add it and a Super Cycle starts now. Or press your selections again to skip the wait.

  • RESELECT CYCLE (flashing): The door was opened as the wash started, or the power went out. Close the door and press your selections again.

  • Minutes counting down: Washing. Come back before it reaches 0.

  • SudS: Too much soap. The washer usually pauses until the suds go down. This message doesn't always appear. Wait for it to continue. Use less soap next time.

  • 0 MINUTES: The last wash finished. Open the door and the price comes back. Someone's laundry inside? See the Policies page.

  • lo h2O: Not enough water is reaching the washer. Don't use it. Tell me.

  • SYNC: The washer just got power. Wait about a minute.

  • OUT OF ORDER, an error code, or anything else: A fault. Don't use it. Tell me, with a photo of the display.

If something goes wrong

  • Stop using the washer and tell me. Don't force the door, unplug the machine or try a repair.

  • Clothes locked in? Wait 30 minutes. Most errors that lock the door clear themselves.

  • Power outage: the door unlocks about 2 minutes after the power goes out. When the power comes back, the display flashes RESELECT CYCLE. Press your selections again to restart the wash.

  • To reach me, text or email. My number and email are posted in your laundry room and printed on your move-in sheet, or use the contact form. Send your full name and unit, the laundry room and machine, the date and time, what happened, and a photo of the display. I reply within 1 to 3 business days.

  • Refunds: if the washer fails and it wasn't something you did, I'll refund you. Ask within 7 days. Too much soap and unbalanced loads aren't refundable. Details are on the Policies page.

  • Emergencies: water on the floor (more than a little), smoke or sparks. Get clear and tell building staff or someone nearby right away. For fire or injury, call 911. Then let me know.