1. The Load Is Unbalanced

An unbalanced load is the single most common reason a washer shakes during spin. It happens when wet laundry bunches up on one side of the drum instead of spreading evenly around it. Heavy items like bathrobes, jeans, and bed sheets are the usual culprits. They hold lots of water and clump together easily.

Small loads cause the same problem. One or two items cannot spread around the drum, so their weight sits on one side. Even bulky items like bath mats can throw the drum off balance. A single comforter twisted into a wet ball does the same.

The fix takes two minutes. Pause the cycle and wait for the drum to stop fully. Then open the door, pull the clothes apart, and redistribute them evenly around the drum. Break up any twisted items — sheets and towels love to wrap into ropes. Close the door and restart the spin cycle.

For top-load washers without a center agitator, arrange items in a ring. Place them around the basket instead of dropping everything in the middle. For front-load washers, mix large and small items so heavy pieces cannot gather on one side.

If the same loads keep going off balance, wash heavy items with a few medium-weight pieces. The extra pieces help the load spread. Sheets wash better in pairs than as a single sheet. Two sheets are less likely to ball up into one twisted rope.

2. The Machine Is Not Level

If one corner of the washer sits even slightly higher than the others, the drum tilts. As it spins, the tilted drum knocks against the inside of the cabinet. This is one of the most common reasons a quiet washer suddenly starts shaking. The machine may have settled after a move, been nudged during cleaning, or vibrated into a new position.

Check level with a simple test. Push the top corners of the machine firmly — front-left, front-right, back-left, back-right. If any corner rocks or the machine shifts, check the feet. At least one leveling foot is not making solid contact with the floor. For a precise check, place a small bubble level on top of the washer, first front-to-back and then side-to-side.

Washers have adjustable leveling feet — threaded posts at each corner that screw in and out. Turn a foot clockwise to raise that corner, counterclockwise to lower it. Adjust until the machine sits flat, then push each corner again to confirm nothing rocks. Finish by tightening the lock nuts against the washer base so the feet cannot vibrate loose again.

Do not use shims, folded cardboard, or wood blocks under the feet as a permanent fix. Improvised shims can shift during spin, which makes the problem worse. The built-in feet are designed to carry the full weight of a spinning washer.

After leveling, also check that the washer is not touching the wall, a cabinet, or the dryer beside it. A machine that cannot vibrate freely will transmit shaking into whatever it touches. It can also pick up vibration from a neighboring appliance.

3. The Suspension Rods or Springs Are Worn Out

On most top-load washers, four suspension rods hang the wash basket from the cabinet corners. Each rod has a spring and damper assembly that absorbs the tub’s motion during spin. When these rods wear, the tub starts bouncing instead of gliding. Springs stretch, dampers lose their grip, or the rod mounts loosen.

The classic symptom is a tub that bounces freely with a loud bang during spin. This happens even with a perfectly balanced load. The shaking may appear gradually. The washer seems fine for weeks, then bangs once in a while, and finally bangs every cycle. That slow progression is a sign of parts wearing out, not a sudden load problem.

You can test the rods with the washer empty and powered off. Push the empty tub straight down firmly, then let go. A healthy suspension settles smoothly and stops. If the tub bounces up and down several times like a basketball, the damping is gone. The rods need attention.

Also look inside for visible damage. Watch for broken or stretched springs, rods hanging at odd angles, or grease on the inner cabinet walls. Any of these means the suspension is failing and will not get better on its own.

A confident DIYer can replace suspension rods. The job involves tipping or opening the cabinet, releasing the rod mounts, and installing a matched set. Replace all four at once, never just the worst one. Mixed old and new rods dampen unevenly, and the new ones will wear out fast trying to compensate. Because the job means disassembling the cabinet and handling the heavy tub, many homeowners hand it to a technician.

4. Shipping Bolts Were Never Removed

This one applies to new front-load washers. During shipping, the drum is locked rigid with long bolts. Called shipping bolts or transit bolts, they stop the drum from slamming around inside the cabinet in the truck. These bolts must be removed after installation, before the first wash.

If the bolts are still in, the drum cannot move on its suspension at all. Every bit of spin force transfers straight into the cabinet, and the washer shakes violently from the very first cycle. The machine may even walk several inches and make a harsh mechanical racket.

Checking is easy. Look at the back of the washer. Shipping bolts sit in large holes in the rear panel, usually three or four, often with bright plastic caps. If the bolts are still there, you have found your problem. Your owner’s manual shows their exact locations for your model.

Removing them takes about twenty minutes. Unplug the washer and remove each bolt with a wrench. Then push the plastic hole covers (supplied with the washer) into the empty holes. Keep the bolts in a labeled bag. You will need them again if the washer ever moves to a new home.

This also explains why a used washer can start shaking after a move. Anyone transporting a front-load washer should reinstall the shipping bolts for the trip and remove them afterward. Skip either step and the machine will shake — or worse, arrive with a damaged suspension.

5. The Washer Is Overloaded — or Washing One Heavy Item Alone

Cramming too much laundry into the drum does more than clean poorly — it makes violent shaking almost certain. An overstuffed drum has no room for clothes to spread out, so wet fabric clumps wherever it lands. Water adds even more weight, and the whole mass locks into one side of the drum.

The opposite extreme causes the same problem. Washing a single heavy item alone puts all the weight on one side of the drum. One bath mat, one pair of heavy jeans, or one bathrobe is enough to do it. There is nothing else in the load to balance it. Even a medium-size washer can shake itself across the floor spinning one heavy item.

The rule is simple: fill the drum about three-quarters full, leaving a hand’s width of space at the top. Clothes should tumble freely, not pack tight. For a lone heavy item, add a few medium-weight towels to balance the load. They give the drum counterweight without overloading it.

Watch for the overload error some modern washers display. High-efficiency models can sense excessive weight and either refuse to spin fast or add extra rinse cycles. If your washer frequently adds time to the cycle or ends with soaking-wet clothes, overloading is the likely reason.

Repeated overloading wears parts faster. The suspension works harder on every cycle, bearings take extra stress, and the machine’s lifespan shortens. Loading correctly is the cheapest maintenance a washer can get.

6. The Shock Absorbers Are Worn Out (Front-Load Washers)

Front-load washers do not use hanging suspension rods. Instead, shock absorbers connect the outer tub to the base frame. These small hydraulic dampers work like a car’s and soak up drum movement. After years of spin cycles, their seals wear and the damping fluid leaks out. The absorber becomes a loose metal stick that moves freely instead of resisting motion.

The telltale sign is a deep banging or thumping even with balanced loads. The washer may run quietly at low speeds, then start pounding when the spin ramps up. You might also notice a low humming or groaning as the tub sways. The machine may also rock more than it used to.

To inspect them, unplug the washer and remove the front or rear access panel (your manual shows how). The absorbers sit at the bottom of the tub, usually two or three of them. Push the tub down by hand. If it drops easily and bounces, or you see oil leaking from the absorbers, they are worn.

As with suspension rods, replace all the absorbers as a matched set. A single new absorber alongside worn ones creates uneven damping and wears out quickly. Access varies by model — some allow absorber swaps from the front panel, others require lifting the whole machine. The tub must be supported during the swap, and parts are model-specific. For both reasons, many Bend homeowners hand this repair to a professional.

7. The Floor or Pedestal Cannot Handle the Vibration

Sometimes the washer is fine and the floor is the problem. A washing machine needs a solid, rigid surface underneath it. If the floor flexes, even a balanced washer transfers its vibration into the floorboards. The floor then amplifies it into shaking that rattles the whole laundry room.

Concrete slab floors — common in Bend garages and ground-floor laundry rooms — are ideal. Wood subfloors, especially on second floors or over crawlspaces, flex under a spinning washer. If the whole room vibrates but the machine itself is not walking, the floor is absorbing and amplifying the motion.

Pedestals add another wrinkle. A washer on a tall storage pedestal shakes more than the same washer on the floor. The pedestal raises the center of gravity and adds flex points. If shaking started after adding a pedestal, try running the washer directly on the floor as a test.

Practical fixes start simple. Place the washer against a load-bearing wall where the floor joists are strongest. Anti-vibration pads under the feet help with minor floor flex, though they cannot fix a truly springy floor. For second-floor laundry rooms with serious flex, add a plywood reinforcement layer under the washer area. Moving the washer to the ground floor may be the long-term answer.

Also check the feet themselves. Worn or missing rubber foot pads let the metal feet slide on smooth floors. That turns mild vibration into full walking. Replacement pads are inexpensive and press or screw on in minutes.