• Please make sure you follow these instructions fully. If you have any problems with carrying out this maintenance, please contact us.

    Washing machines are almost always supplied with ‘transit’, ‘shipping’ or ‘packaging’ bolts to help prevent any damage to the inside of the washing machine during transit to your home. Failure to remove all these bolts before use causes the washing machine to make excessive noise or vibrate abnormally when in use. In some instances, leaving the bolts in place can also cause damage to the washing machine. Removing the bolts should only take a few minutes (and you can keep the bolts in case you need to move house with the washing machine in the future). Check your user manual for the precise details for your machine.

    You can also see our ‘How to…’ videos, including help on this topic (double-click the video to view it ‘full screen’).

    WARNING: DO NOT attempt to use your washing machine without removing all the shipping bolts first. This can result in damaging your machine.
  • 1. The washing machine will often be supplied with a special spanner for removal of the bolts, this spanner can probably be found packed with the owner’s manual (and is likely to be in a packet inside the washing machine). If there is no spanner supplied, you will need to use a suitable tool to loosen the bolts without damaging them. The bolts will be seen at the back of the machine.
  • 2. Turn each bolt anti-clockwise to loosen it enough to be then turned by hand. There will often be four bolts (one in each corner), sometimes three or five, you should find details in the owner’s manual. If all the bolts aren’t immediately obvious to you, some may be slightly hidden by the drain hose or power cable, so just move them gently aside to show the bolt.
  • 3. Keep turning each bolt anti-clockwise by hand, or with the spanner, to unscrew each of the bolts and pull them out through the hole. Try not to drag the bolts along the metal frame of the washing machine because this could damage the bolt and the paint on the washing machine. Remove all the bolts.
  • 4. There will normally be plastic blanking-covers provided to place in each of the bolt holes once the bolts are removed. Gently press each cover in to the bolt-holes to make sure it is securely in place.
  • 5. The bolts have now been removed.
    Store the bolts in a sealable bag and label them. Keep the bag somewhere safe where you will be able to find it in the future if you need to move the machine.
  • If you have misplaced or lost your user manual, you can download a replacement manual (please have your model number to hand).