What are vibration dampers?
Vibration dampers are rubber or plastic caps that you place under the legs of the washing machine. This reduces vibration, making the washing machine less likely to move from its place and less noisy. You always buy vibration isolators in a set of 4 pieces, so you can put one under each leg. They are universal, so you don’t need to buy special dampers for your specific washing machine. You can use them for your washing machine, dishwasher and dryer. Does your washing machine have a hard surface, such as a poured floor, tiles or a concrete floor?
But wooden floors, parquet, laminate or carpet do not qualify. These surfaces provide enough damping to reduce noise. Also, if the feet under your washer are rubber or your washer is in a drip pan, vibration dampers are not suitable.
The best vibration dampers
Are you looking for vibration dampers? The dampers you’ll find below reduce the noise your washing machine makes, and keep it in place. Note that they all come in a set of 4, so you only need to add one product to your cart.
Why washing machines vibrate
A washing machine that vibrates loudly can be very annoying. Nobody likes that noise, but it’s also no fun having to push the machine back in every time – it won’t do your floor much good either. Washing machines vibrate mainly during the spin cycle. This is because the drum spins at a high speed. The laundry in it builds up and creates an uneven weight distribution inside the machine. This causes the machine to vibrate harder and make more noise.
Shaking is perfectly normal, up to a point. Do you think your washing machine is doing this too violently? If so, read on.
How to make your washing machine make less noise?
There are several ways to dampen the noise and vibration of your washing machine. Go through them all and find out which solution is possible for you.
Level your washing machine
The most common cause of a vibrating washing machine, is the fact that it is not leveled properly. You can easily use a spirit level to check whether your washing machine is level or not. Is this not the case? Then you can turn the legs of your washing machine to level it.
Uneven loading of the washing machine
It may seem harmless to run a small load one time and then cram it full of loads the next – but nothing could be further from the truth. An empty washing machine can unbalance the appliance, while an overloaded drum can damage the washing machine – and cause vibrations in the long run. Therefore, try to stick to the fill weight (capacity) of your washing machine.
Set the washer clamp
If the washing machine has no room to move, it cannot vibrate. You can clamp the washing machine by placing your dryer on top of it or placing the washing machine in an alcove or cabinet.
Place vibration dampers
Finally, you can place vibration dampers under the washing machine. These will catch the vibrations and reduce the noise significantly. You can read all about dampers higher up in this article.