How to make anti-vibration pads for a washing machine?

How to make anti-vibration pads for a washing machine To reduce vibration, special rubber or silicone pads are placed under the feet of washing machines. These can be purchased at any washing machine parts store, of which there are many in the city. But what about those living in remote areas who either have to travel specifically to buy the pads or order them by mail and wait a long time? It turns out there's a way to make your own anti-vibration pads.

A stand made from an old car mudguard

A mudguard is a plastic or rubber cover that extends over a car's wheel and prevents or minimizes mud splashing from the wheels. If you have an old, dismantled rubber mudguard, making a mudguard stand is a breeze.

You need to place the splash guard under the foot of the washing machine and trace its outline: you will get a small hexagon.
From the edges of the resulting figure, step back literally a couple of centimeters and draw another hexagon, with a larger diameter.
The small hexagon should be the niche for the SM leg, but cutting out the entire hole so the leg rests on the bare floor and is simply surrounded by rubber padding makes no sense. So let's start creating the niche.
Take a sharp knife or scissors and cut out the inner hexagon.
Now you need to cut it lengthwise, in half, as if cutting off its top part.
After this, all you have to do is insert the resulting cut hexagon into the large one, and your footrest is ready.

Important! If the rubber is soft, you can try to pry the hole out directly without cutting out the inner hexagon. But if that doesn't work, proceed directly to the method described above; it's quick and easy.

What else can you make coasters from?

As you've probably already realized, any washing machine foot rest should be made from high-quality rubber. Therefore, you can obtain it and make washing machine foot rests from more than just an old mudguard. Rubber is also used to make car mats, garden hoses, rubber boots, and even tires. Tires should be used with care and the wire should be removed from them beforehand.

As for the rubber thickness, it doesn't necessarily have to be impressive to begin with. Of course, if the rubber is thick to begin with, there'll be less work, but if you only have thin material on hand (like from boots), don't despair. Make several blanks and then glue them together with high-quality glue.

Do you need stands?

It's commonly believed that under ideal conditions, a washing machine doesn't require stands. If the floor is firm and level, vibrations will be minimized anyway, as the washing machine's internal components are already equipped with shock-absorbing devices.

But sometimes the washing machine makes a lot of noise and moves extremely vigorously during operation, especially during the spin cycle. This may be due to the following phenomena.

This is just your model. Narrower washing machines tend to be noisier and vibrate more. Some don't even have a balance control system. To reduce vibration, these models are equipped with additional weights, but they don't always work.
Bearing problems. The obvious solution would seem to be to replace the bearings, and you're done. The problem, however, is that replacing these components requires disassembling the entire vehicle, and besides purchasing new bearings, a mechanic's labor can be quite expensive. But there's no other choice; if repairs are needed, they can't be put off.
Failures in the shock absorption system. Over time, shock absorbers wear out and can no longer cope with their intended functions. It's best to repair them immediately and enjoy the normal operation of the unit.
There's a foreign object between the tank and the drum. This can be resolved by removing the obstruction through the hole in the heating element.

So, are footrests necessary for your washing machine? Of course, if your washing machine is quiet and barely vibrates, there's no point in bothering with footrests. However, if the vibration is strong, and you've checked all the possible causes and found no issues, then it's worth adding footrests.