On a home hospice stay the laundry does not wait for a free weekend. Bedding, towels, clothing and the family's own work clothes gather in a steady stream, and the washer and dryer end up running more than almost anything else in the house. They are also the appliances nobody looks at until one stops. This page is about keeping them working: who owns the machines, what gets checked and how often, and what the household does on the day something fails.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Name one owner for the machines
Several people can load a washer, but one person should own it. The owner checks the lint, the hoses and the vent, keeps the supplies in stock, keeps the repair notes, and makes the call when something is wrong. The person who loads may be someone else, and that works as long as the owner knows what the loader sees. Write the owner's name on the same sheet as the other house contacts, and tell the other adults that repair calls go to that person, not to whoever happens to be standing nearest the machine.
Check the dryer vent on a schedule
A clogged dryer exhaust is both a fire hazard and a common reason a dryer stops heating well. Clear the lint trap at every load. Now and then, go outside while the dryer runs and check whether the exhaust flap opens and air comes out with force. If the airflow is weak, or the flap does not move, the vent needs cleaning. Ask a dryer-vent service or the appliance company how often they recommend cleaning for a dryer that runs daily, and write that interval on the owner's list. Do not let the schedule rest on memory.
Check the washer hoses and the drain
Once a month, look behind the washer while it runs a cycle. Check the fill hoses where they meet the wall valves for drips, bulges, cracks and loose nuts. Check the drain hose where it sits in the standpipe or sink for kinks, and look under the machine for any wet spot after the spin. Replace any rubber hose that looks worn. Ask the appliance company whether they recommend replacing hoses on a schedule, because a failed fill hose can flood a floor overnight.
Keep the outlet and the floor area clear
Check that the washer and dryer are plugged directly into outlets and not sharing a power strip with a space heater or another high-draw device. If an outlet feels warm or a plug is loose, have an electrician look at it before the next load. Keep the area around the machines clear enough that a person can reach the water valves and the power cord without moving a basket first.
Keep a reserve of supplies and linens
The fastest way to turn a stopped washer into a crisis is to run out of detergent and clean sheets on the same day. Keep the supply shelf stocked and keep one spare set of bedding and towels out of the rotation, so there is always something clean for the bed. The owner sets the reorder point. Whoever buys groceries should know the laundry shelf is on their list too.
Ask the hospice team about soiled linens
Ask the hospice team what they want done with soiled linens, gloves, pads and other protective items in your house. Ask whether they want a particular wash setting for soiled linens and what should be kept apart from the rest of the wash. Follow their answer first, then the fabric label. If the label and their instruction seem to disagree, ask the team before you wash.
Decide the fallback before the washer stops
Write down the repair service's name and number, the model and serial numbers of each machine, and whether each one is still under warranty. Find out how soon the repair company can come and what a visit costs. Then choose a fallback you can actually reach: a laundromat open during the hours you need, a relative or neighbor with a machine who has agreed in advance, or a laundry service. Check whether the laundromat has machines large enough for a full load of bedding. Plan the fallback before the machine fails, not on the afternoon it does.
The monthly list
Put the checks on one short list the owner can read in under a minute: lint trap cleared at every load, exhaust flap checked on the schedule the owner set, hoses checked behind the washer, drain checked, outlets not warm, supply shelf above its reorder point, and the repair number and fallback written where the next adult can find them. A list taped inside a cabinet door is more useful than one stored in a folder nobody opens.
If the washer is the job the household keeps dropping, that is a sign the owner is carrying more than a machine. For outside help with household jobs, Local Help for Hospice Families is the place to look on this site. The laundry will still be there tomorrow, so decide now who keeps the machines going.