Can I put a plastic Mat Under Washer?

This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.

Using a plastic floor mat under a washing machine on hardwood

The problem

The user wanted to protect hardwood flooring from a new washing machine and asked whether a plastic office chair mat could be placed underneath it.

Likely cause

No appliance fault was reported. The main concern discussed was that a smooth plastic mat for hard floors may move or slide during the washing machine's spin cycle.

What fixed it

The accepted advice was that a plastic office chair mat for hard floors should not harm the washer itself, but it may slide unless it is held securely in place. As an alternative, specially designed washing machine feet or vibration pads were suggested to protect the floor and reduce movement.

Checks to try

• Identify whether the mat is the hard-floor type rather than the spiked carpet type
• Consider whether the mat can be secured so it does not move during spin

Parts or tools mentioned

• Plastic office chair mat for hard floors
• Specially designed washing machine feet vibration pads
• Rubber or plastic cups for washing machine feet