My front loading washing machine does not dispense detergent. After I wash a load of clothes, the HE detergent and fabric softener is still in the detergent drawer. The bleach also does not dispense correctly. Occasionally the detergent drawer is full of water with the detergent. What could be wrong and how do I prevent this from happening?
Washing Machine Not Dispensing Detergent Into Washer
Fix It Fast – Slide the detergent drawer out and clean it under warm water. Remove any clumped residue that may be clogging the small holes near the back of the drawer. Slide it back into the detergent housing and run test wash. Still an issue? See below…
Clogged Detergent Drawer
In most cases when the detergent is not dispensing into the washer, this indicates the detergent drawer needs to be cleaned. There is a blockage in the drawer preventing the detergent from dispensing. Try cleaning out the drawer to see if this fixes the issue. The cleaning procedure is the same for all front loader washers and the new style top loading washing machines. RELATED: How To Remove And Prevent Black Mold In Washing Machine Detergent Drawer
Clean Clogged Washing Machine Dispenser
Washer Is Not Level
The washer may be sitting at a slight tilt. Level the washing machine to avoid detergent siphoning issues and “washer walking” problems. Apply a bubble level to the top of the washer to be sure the machine is level. If the washer is not level, the detergent may not be able to siphon correctly.
This can cause the dispenser to be full of water and or the detergent does not siphon out. Turn the legs on the bottom of the washer to level it. Install the washing machine on a flat floor for best results. RELATED: How To Fix And Stabilize An Unbalanced Washing Machine
Washer Not Level – Turn Legs To Level The Washing Machine
Why Does The Detergent Not Dispense Into The Washer?
Over time the HE detergent leaves a small amount of soap residue in the detergent drawer. This leftover detergent residue will clog the outlet/siphon holes in the drawer and prevent the detergent from entering the washer. A simple cleaning should fix the problem.
How To Remove and Clean the Detergent Drawer?
1. Slide the detergent drawer out until it cannot go any further.
2. At the back of the drawer is a clip, push the clip and pull the drawer out.
3. Remove the plastic compartments from inside the drawer. (Detergent, Softener, Bleach)
4. Clean the detergent drawer and plastic compartments under warm soapy water.
5. Gently scrub to remove any globs of residue that may be causing a blockage.
6. Wipe out the detergent drawer housing to remove any residue or mold.
7. Once clean, slide the drawer back into the washing machine.
8. Fill the drawer with the correct HE detergent and run a test wash.
Detergent drawer still having a fault? See below…
Washer – Detergent Dispenser Maintenance
How To Prevent The Detergent Drawer From Clogging?
If the washer clogs on a normal basis, try distilled white vinegar. Pour it into the dispenser and run the washing machine on a regular cycle. The vinegar should remove clogs and any residue!
It is best to clean out the detergent drawer every month. This will prevent any clogs or residue from blocking the siphon holes in the detergent drawer.
How To Fix Washer Detergent Drawer Full Of Water?
1. Follow the cleaning steps above to fully clean out the drawer and drawer housing.
2. Check for any hard water deposits as these can clog the drawer and cause water to enter into it.
3. Be sure the drawer is closed securely as the detergent will not siphon out and the dispenser may fill with water.
What Causes The “Washer Does Not Dispense Detergent” Issue?
1. Too much detergent – Overfill can cause a blockage or siphoning problem.
2. The wrong type of detergent – Non HE detergent or powdered soap can cause a clog.
Always try to use liquid detergents, liquid fabric softener, and liquid bleach – If any detergent is too thick, dilute it with water to avoid clogging.
3. Issue with pump siphoning detergent – Other mechanical issue causing the problem. Water Inlet Valve or the Drawer Assembly itself may be faulty or clogged.
Washing Machine Dispenser Drawer Replacement
If the washing machine still does not siphon the detergent or the softener out, and the drawer is free of residue clogs, see below for how to fix.
Below is a video that shows disassembling a front load washer to fix the specific issue of detergent drawer not dispensing.
How to Diagnose Dispenser Drawer Problems
How to fix detergent, softener and bleach compartments
that are not dispensing into washer on wash or rinse cycle
If you have not solved the problem with your washing machine, please leave your washing machine fault below in the comments and we will get back to you with some tips to fix the no dispensing issue or water in dispenser problem.
Katie,
When your Hoover washing machine doesn’t switch from prewash to main wash and fails to dispense detergent, several issues could be at play.
We have created a post especially for you to help you diagnose your Hoover washer.
Click here to go to the page. Hoover Washer Troubleshooting Page
Let us know if this has helped you.
-RR
My Hoover Washing machine Model Number H3W 47TE/1-80 no longer switches from prewash to main wash and as a result it is not dispensing the detergent and conditioner.
I regularly clean the whole machine and have even individually cleaned each little jet as to rule out a blockage issue. I have a feeling there could be an inlet valve issue? However I’m not expert its just a guess. The troubleshooting page on the hoover website is shockingly awful…
Vilma R Velez,
Remove the detergent dispenser from the washer.
Soak it in hot water as the sticky detergents can clog up the small holes and not dispense.
-RR
My Kenmore elite is not dispensing detergent. Everything looks good and unclogged. It looks like the water is not flowing into the dispenser.
LG washer – Detergent not dispensing And dispenser full of water after wash might have the same solution. Turn off water supply. Take off 2 water inlet hoses at machine. Unplug machine. Look inside washer hose inlet and pull out filters. My owners manual for LG showed plastic barrel type filters, but each inlet had 2 different screen types filled with iron and rust.. replaced with new filters, connected hoses turned on water plugged I machine. This increased water pressure which cleaned out soap dispenser with no water left. This fixed my problem!
When I fill the laundry detergent on my washing machine, the laundry detergent is not coming out of the dispenser inside. How to fix this?
My five year old whirlpool washer the loading go is not working I’ve cleaned it out the best I can as there’s something in the machine that I can clean out or do I need to reset it somehow or another. My load and go is at the bottom of the machine.
I didn’t find the answer on here as to why my washing machine was not taking the powder from the drawer. I since figured it out and am posting here in case it’s useful to anyone else. Embarassingly simple, I noticed the little blue flap at the back of the compartment said something about liquid, so I removed it and now it takes the powder fine and no more water remaining in drawer. Looks like you only need it in for liquid detergent, but it didn’t appear to actually say that anywhere.
My Whirlpool load and go laundry detergent dispenser (blue removable container only fill up with water and doesn’t dispense detergent. I have cleaned it and still doesn’t work.
Hi Please help
my Samsung automatic pushes out water from the soap dispenser drawer , how do I fix this as I cleaned out the drawer and it still leaks out water during a wash cycle
After my washer has finished, water continues to drip from the outlet in the top of the door gasket for quite some time. My washer is a Samsung compact front loader.
My 24 year old Hoover HSW 150M has stopped taking powder from the drawer on Quick wash cycle. It works fine on Programme 4, that I also use. The drawer is clean and I have scrubbed around it too. Is this an electronic problem, pertaining to the Quick wash cycle, and time to renew the machine?
Hello,
The dispenser works only on liquid soap and the powder soap is left unused