Washing machine filter drip trays with funnel, 3D printed in sakura pink, for catching water when cleaning the pump filter

Washing Machine Not Draining? How to Clean the Pump Filter

6 min read Updated October 4, 2026 By Kahaus · printed in Poland

In short

Washing machine not draining? Check the pump filter behind the small flap at the bottom front first: lint, coins and hair clips end up there.
Unplug the machine, let hot water cool, lay down a towel and put something flat under the flap before you unscrew the filter.
If the filter is clean and the water still stays in the drum, it is a job for a service technician, not for another round of cleaning.

Washing machine not draining and water standing in the drum? The first suspect is the pump filter behind a small flap at the bottom front. The catch: the moment you unscrew it, whatever is left in the drum and hose heads for the floor.

Below: how to clean the washing machine filter step by step without flooding the bathroom, what to put under the flap, and when a clean filter is not the answer. We print catch trays for this job, and they appear only in the step where they belong.

When to clean the pump filter

The pump filter catches whatever gets through the drum: lint, hair, coins, hair clips, buttons. When it clogs, water cannot flow to the drain pump properly. Typical signs:

Water stays in the drum after the programme ends, or the machine stops mid-cycle.
The machine does not spin, because many machines will not spin while there is still water inside.
A musty smell from the drum or the door seal, even straight after a wash.
An error on the display that your manual links to draining.

How to clean the filter step by step

Before you start: switch the machine off and unplug it. After a hot wash, wait until the water in the drum has cooled down, because it comes out at the temperature it was washed at. Never open the filter while a programme is running.

Switch off and unplug, and after a hot programme wait for the water to cool.
Lay a towel in front of the machine. Old towels, not the good ones.
Open the flap at the bottom front (on the Bosch, Siemens and Samsung machines our trays fit, it is at the bottom right) and put a flat tray under the filter outlet. This is the step that decides whether the floor stays dry.
Emergency drain hose first. If your model has a thin hose next to the filter, pull it out, take off the cap and let the water run into the tray. Close it, empty the tray, repeat.
Unscrew the filter slowly, a little at a time. Water starts coming out before the filter is loose. If the tray is filling up, tighten it again, empty the tray and carry on.
Pull the filter out and clean it: lint, coins, hair clips, buttons. Look into the opening too and remove anything you can reach by hand.
Rinse the filter under running water.
Screw it back in all the way, until it stops, then close the flap.
Check that it is tight: plug the machine back in, run a short rinse or drain programme and watch the flap and the floor.

An honest note: if the machine stopped with a full drum, there is far more water behind the filter than any flat tray can hold. Drain it in portions, closing the filter or hose in between.

What to catch the water with

The gap under the flap is too low for a bowl or bucket. A flat baking tray works in a pinch, but the stream easily misses it or splashes over. Our trays slide under the flap, and a shaped funnel or spout keeps the stream inside.

We make three versions. Brand names are given only to say what they fit: these are not original manufacturer parts.

Tray	Fits	Size	Choose it when
Low version, 3.5 cm	Bosch, Siemens, Neff, Constructa	18 × 20.5 × 3.5 cm	The gap from the floor to the bottom edge of the filter outlet is up to about 2 cm
Standard version, 4.5 cm	Bosch, Siemens, Neff, Constructa	18 × 20.5 × 4.5 cm	The gap is around 3 cm; larger capacity, fewer stops to empty it
Tray with spout, flat 4.5 cm	Samsung front loaders, WW and WD series, with the filter behind the bottom-right flap	15.8 × 12 × 6.5 cm with the spout; body 12 × 12 × 4.5 cm	You have a Samsung WW or WD; the spout cradle is shaped for an outlet of about 65 mm

Measure before you order: wrong height is the only reason the tray will not fit. The Samsung tray fits models such as WW80T534DAX/S7 and WW80T534AAX/S2.

Low 3.5 cm washing machine filter drip tray with funnel, 3D printed in sakura pink — Low version, 3.5 cm: for a gap of up to about 2 cm See the product →

Standard 4.5 cm washing machine filter drip tray with funnel, 3D printed in sakura pink — Standard version, 4.5 cm: for a gap of around 3 cm See the product →

All three are 3D printed from PLA in black, white, grey or sakura, and no part of the machine has to be removed to use them. For other brands we honestly have no tray shaped to fit: use a flat baking tray and towels.

Black flat washing machine filter drain tray with spout for Samsung WW and WD front loaders — Tray with spout for Samsung WW and WD, body 4.5 cm high See the product →

The filter is clean, but the machine still will not drain

A clean filter solves many cases, not all. If the water still stays in the drum, check the simple things: the drain hose behind the machine should not be kinked or squashed, and the drain or siphon it runs into should not be blocked.

If all of that is fine, the cause is most likely inside the machine, for example the drain pump itself. That is a job for a service technician, especially while the machine is under warranty. Opening the filter again and again will not fix it.

Other small helpers around the home

The trays live in our Practical Home collection, next to a few other small fixes for everyday annoyances:

Chair wheel stoppers, set of 5: each caster drops into a shaped pocket and the chair stays put. They fit typical casters up to about 5 cm wide.
Sheep toilet paper holder: turns a standard roll into a sheep about 14 cm tall that stands on its own, with nothing to drill.

If you would rather decorate than repair, have a look at Home Decor.

Questions about cleaning the washing machine filter

How often should I clean the pump filter?

The manual of your washing machine gives the interval for your model. Outside that routine, clean it whenever the machine stops draining, stops spinning or starts to smell.

Which tray fits my washing machine?

Bosch, Siemens, Neff or Constructa: measure the gap from the floor to the bottom edge of the filter outlet and pick the version from the table above. Samsung WW or WD with the filter behind the bottom-right flap: the tray with spout.