We offer a simple tip for everything from home renovation to cleaning to home buying in this space every month.

Today’s tip: Clean your washing machine filter to maintain efficiency

Is your washing machine vibrating heavily? Does the water fail to drain properly? Are your clothes still wet after the final spin? If the answer is yes to any of the above, it’s time to change the filter. For those who didn’t even know their washing machine had a filter, Wikihow explains the process: 1) Unplug the washing machine. 2) Find the filter. (Look in the bottom right corner on the outside of a front-loading washing machine and under the agitator for most top-loading machines.) 3) Remove the cover, then the filter. (You’ll have to remove the agitator on some top-loading machines.) 4) Use a paper towel or old toothbrush to remove any lint. 5) Soak the filter’s screen in hot water for 10 minutes. 6) Replace filter and cover. 7) Run the machine empty to check for leaks; if you see them, that means the filter isn’t on correctly. 8) Don’t wait for problems to arise before doing this again. Rinse and repeat this process every 3 months to keep things running optimally.