Last Updated on October 4, 2026 by Umar Farooq
Most washing machine noises are normal. Humming, clicking, sloshing and a rising whine at the start of spin are the machine working. The sounds worth acting on are grinding, squealing, repeated banging and a buzz that goes nowhere — and of those, grinding is the only one that means stop the cycle now.
Samsung says the same thing about its own machines, which is unusual candour from a manufacturer: they are “generally very quiet, and most noises are either normal or can be easily corrected” (Samsung washing machine is too loud).
Here is the thing every list of washer noises leaves out, though. The sound alone is a poor clue. When in the cycle you hear it is a much better one. A hum during drain and a hum during spin are two different faults with two different repairs, and describing both as “humming” gets you nowhere.
Is your washing machine making noise, or just working?
Start here, because there is a good chance you are troubleshooting a machine that is fine.
| Sound | When | Why it happens |
|---|---|---|
| Low hum or buzz | Fill, drain, whenever the motor or pump runs | A motor under load. Silence during drain is the worrying version |
| Clicking | Between stages, and at the start | The door lock engaging, or the drive shifting between wash and spin |
| Sloshing and whooshing | Fill, wash, drain | Water. That is all |
| A rising whine | As spin accelerates | Motor pitch climbing with drum speed. It should fall away as speed steadies |
| Gentle knocking early in a cycle | The first minutes | Load sensing. The drum is tumbling in short bursts to weigh what is inside |
| Occasional light clanking | Wash and spin | Zips, buckles and studs against the drum |
That last one has a limit. Occasional metallic ticks are laundry. A hard, repeated scrape is not, and it belongs in the next section.
The stage tells you more than the sound
This is the part worth internalising, because it turns a vague noise into a short list.
Maytag applies exactly this logic to its own machines, noting that a grinding or rubbing noise “occurs only in the agitation/wash or spin portions of the cycle” (grinding or rubbing noise). If you hear grinding during fill, you are not hearing grinding — you are hearing something else and mislabelling it.
So before anything else, run one cycle and note the stage. Two minutes of attention here is worth an hour of guessing.
Sound by sound, and where each one leads
| Sound | Most likely stage | Usually means | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grinding or scraping | Wash, spin | Hard contact. Object, or a failing bearing | grinding noise |
| Squealing | Spin, as speed rises | A slipping belt, or a bearing | squealing noise |
| Rumbling that grows over months | Spin | Tub bearing wear. The classic long fault | bearing noise |
| Repeated banging or thumping | Spin | A load the drum cannot balance | shakes during spin |
| Clicking that will not stop | Any | Something small in the drum or filter | clicking noise |
| Buzzing or humming, no water moving | Drain | A jammed pump impeller, not a dead pump | drain pump humming |
| A bang from the wall, not the machine | Fill | Plumbing, not the appliance | water hammer |
| Deep clunks with the drum moving loosely | Spin | Suspension rods or springs | suspension rods |
Two of those deserve flagging because people consistently get them the wrong way round. A humming pump is good news — the motor has power and is trying, which rules out the board and the wiring before you open anything. A silent drain attempt is the more serious one. And rumbling that has been slowly getting worse is not something to monitor; it is the one fault on this page that can end the machine.
The one noise worth stopping the cycle for
Grinding. Not squealing, not banging — grinding.
Grinding is the sound of two hard surfaces in contact that should not be touching. Every further revolution takes material off one or both of them, and if it is the tub bearing, the damage spreads to the outer tub and the drum. That turns a repair into a replacement.
Stop the cycle. Do not run it to the end to see whether it gets worse. Then check the drum and the pump filter for a trapped object, because a coin or an underwire produces exactly the same sound as a failing bearing and costs nothing to rule out.
Everything else on this page can finish its cycle safely while you work out what it is.
Noises that are no longer a DIY job
Observations, not a general caution. Any one of these means the DIY path has ended:
- Rumbling that is audible from another room and has been getting worse for weeks.
- The drum can be moved up and down by hand with obvious play at the shaft.
- Grinding that continues with the drum empty and the filter housing confirmed clear.
- Any noise accompanied by a burning smell — that is a stop-use at the breaker, not a noise problem. See washing machine burning smell.
- A noise that appeared immediately after the machine was moved, along with heavy vibration. Check the shipping bolts before paying anyone.
If it is a bearing and the machine is past eight years old, the arithmetic usually points at replacement rather than repair — a bearing job is one of the few washer repairs that can cost more than half a new machine.
FAQ
Is it normal for a washing machine to be loud during the spin cycle?
Louder, yes. Spin is the only stage that loads the motor, the bearings and the suspension at once. Loud but steady is normal; loud and rhythmic, or loud and getting worse, is not.
Why is my washing machine making noise but still working fine?
Because most noises are wear or load, not failure. A machine that completes cycles properly and only makes noise is telling you something is starting, not something has stopped.
What does a grinding washing machine mean?
Hard contact — usually a trapped object, sometimes a bearing. It is the one sound on this page that justifies stopping the cycle immediately.
My washer hums but does not drain. Is the pump dead?
Almost certainly not. A hum means the pump motor has power and is trying to turn, which points at something jamming the impeller rather than a failed pump.
Why is my washing machine suddenly noisier than it was?
Sudden changes point at something that arrived — an object in the drum or filter, a load that will not balance, or a machine knocked off level. Gradual changes point at wear.
Can I keep using a noisy washing machine?
For squealing, banging and clicking, yes, while you diagnose it. For grinding, no. For anything with a burning smell, no, and switch it off at the breaker.
