The everyday item you should NEVER put in the washing machine – it could land you with a £200 bill

MANY of us throw the bath mat into the washing machine along with towels without a second thought.

But a home expert has warned against it as you could face a hefty repair bill.

Scott Flint, also known as Scott the Fix-It Guy, a professional US-based appliance repair technician with over 30 years of experience and said it could do more harm than good.

“I've seen too many front-loaded ruined because customers used them to wash bathroom mats,” he wrote onFamily Handyman.

Why? Well, it's all to do with how much water they absorb.

Bath mats are designed to soak up excess water when we step out of the bath or shower to prevent the floors from getting damaged.

But that means the water they absorb in the can weigh more than the machine can handle.

He said: “Modern washers have a much faster spin rate than washers of the past, up to 1,200 revolutions per minute during high-speed spins.

“These faster rates create large amounts of force with heavy items, and the increased weight tears the washer apart.”

The added that people who ignore his advice and use a washing machine to clean bathroom mats risk two often costly malfunctions.

The first is that washing a bath mat at home might ruin the machine's motor because the mat can disintegrate and clog the motor.

Scott estimated that a drain motor repair or replacement costs, on average, $240 (£183).

The second reason is that washing bath mats at home can cause a breakdown of the spin basket bearing, which allows the machine's basket to rotate during the spin cycle.

Scott warned that the spin basket bearing often suffers the most damage because the soaked bath mats are likely heavy to manoeuvre.

He added that the bracket holding up the spin bracket, which is called the spider bracket, also breaks due to added weight.

The damage is pricey to fix, approximately costing $500 (£381) for the bearing and $500 (£381) for the spider bracket repair, meaning a potential total sum of $1000 (£763).

Instead, he suggested heading to the laundrette to get bath mats clean.

The machines in stores are often more robust, so they can handle the weight and won't break down.