Alright, so let me tell you about this washing machine drain situation I had going on. It was a mess, literally! The water was backing up, clothes weren't getting properly rinsed – you know the drill. I figured it was time to tackle that drain.

First things first, I unplugged the washing machine. Safety first, people! Then I grabbed a bucket and carefully disconnected the drain hose from the wall drain. Man, that water that came out was GROSS. Hairy, gunky, just plain nasty.

Next up, I went to the store and picked up some drain cleaner specifically designed for washing machines. I saw a few different kinds, but I went with the one that had good reviews online – the one that promised to dissolve hair and gunk without damaging the pipes. You gotta read the labels, folks!

Back home, I carefully followed the instructions on the drain cleaner bottle. Usually, it involves pouring the cleaner down the drain, letting it sit for a specific amount of time (usually like 30 minutes or so), and then flushing it with hot water. I made sure to wear gloves and eye protection, just in case.

Now, here's where things got a little... interesting. After letting the drain cleaner sit, I flushed the drain with hot water like the bottle said. But the water was STILL backing up! Ugh. I thought maybe the clog was just super stubborn, so I repeated the process – another dose of drain cleaner, another 30-minute wait, another hot water flush. Still no luck!

Okay, plan B. I figured maybe the clog wasn't just gunk, but something solid. So, I grabbed a drain snake (also known as a plumbing snake) from the hardware store. It's basically a long, flexible metal cable that you can snake down the drain to break up or pull out clogs.

I carefully fed the drain snake down the washing machine drain, twisting and turning as I went. After a while, I felt some resistance. I kept pushing and twisting, and then... SNAP! I felt the snake break through whatever was blocking the drain. I pulled the snake back out, and you wouldn't BELIEVE what came with it – a big wad of lint, hair, and some sort of small plastic toy! Mystery solved!

After removing the clog, I flushed the drain with hot water again, and this time, the water flowed freely. YES! I reconnected the drain hose to the wall drain, plugged the washing machine back in, and ran a test cycle. Everything worked perfectly! No more backing up, clothes were getting rinsed properly – success!

Here's the takeaway:

• Always try drain cleaner first, but don't be afraid to move on to a drain snake if it doesn't work.
• Read the instructions on the drain cleaner carefully.
• Wear gloves and eye protection when working with drain cleaner.
• Be patient and persistent – sometimes it takes a few tries to clear a stubborn clog.

And most importantly, clean out your washing machine's lint trap regularly to prevent future clogs! Trust me, it's worth it.

So yeah, that's the story of how I cleared my washing machine drain. It was a bit of a hassle, but totally worth it to have a functioning washing machine again. Hope this helps someone else out there!