How to Turn Off Laundry Room Water: Add a Quarter-Turn Valve

Close the hot and cold valves behind the washer to stop the water. If they are stuck or missing, a quarter-turn valve fixes that for good.

By Jamilur Rahman Updated November 5, 2026 · 6 min read

Time: 1 hour
Cost: $20-$50
Difficulty: Medium

Two wall shut-off valves with red and blue handles behind a washing machine, with braided hoses attached

In this guide

Quick answer
Free vs. permanent fix
What you'll need
Why it happens
Try this first (free)
When free fixes aren't enough
Buy the fix
Round knob or quarter-turn: how to tell
What to skip
FAQ
Related problems

Quick answer

How to turn off laundry room water: close the hot and cold valves behind the washer. Turn round knobs clockwise until they stop, or turn a lever so it sits across the pipe. If a valve will not move, leaks or is missing, shut off the main water and add a quarter-turn valve so you can stop the water in one second next time.

Free fix vs. permanent fix

Free fix · 5 minutes

Close the washer valves or the main

Find the hot (red) and cold (blue) valves behind the washer
Turn round knobs clockwise, or turn a lever across the pipe
Run the washer briefly to confirm no water comes in
If a valve will not budge, close the main shut-off instead

How long it lasts: It works every time if the valves still move. Old valves seize, drip at the stem or stop sealing, and a stuck valve fails on the day you need it.

Most readers choose Permanent fix

Illustration

A quarter-turn washing machine shut-off valve

Older multi-turn valves have washers inside that wear, stick and drip. A quarter-turn ball valve has a lever: in line with the pipe is open, across the pipe is closed, and you can see the state at a glance. You can shut the water off in a second, before a hose bursts.

What to get: Quarter-turn washing machine shut-off valve

How long it lasts: Many years, and it shuts fully in one quarter turn

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What you'll need

Flashlight

The valves hide behind the washer

You have it
Bucket and towels

A little water always comes out when a line is opened

You have it
Adjustable wrench

To loosen the old valve and snug the new one

You have it
Our pick
Illustration

Quarter-turn washing machine shut-off valve

Match the connection to your pipe type

Check price
Illustration

Braided stainless steel washing machine hoses

Swap old rubber hoses while the water is off

Check price
Illustration

PTFE plumber's tape

Seals threaded connections

Check price

Why it happens

Old multi-turn valves seize

Gate-style valves with round knobs have internal parts that corrode and stick. Mineral deposits can lock them open. Forcing one can snap the stem or start a leak.

Valves that no longer seal

A worn valve may turn fully closed and still let water dribble past. If the washer fills with the valve closed, the valve has failed.

No valves, or valves you cannot reach

Some laundry hookups were built without proper shut-offs, or the valves sit behind a cabinet or drywall. You then have only the main water shut-off.

Try this first (free)

Do these in order, starting with the simplest.

1. Find the valves
Tool used: Flashlight

Look behind the washer or in the wall box above it. There are two: hot, often marked red, and cold, often marked blue. Each feeds one of the hoses to the machine.
2. Close both valves

On a round knob, turn clockwise until it stops. On a lever, turn it a quarter turn so it sits across the pipe. Close them gently. Do not force a stuck handle.
3. Confirm the water is off

Start a fill cycle for about ten seconds. If no water enters the drum, the valves are sealing. If water still comes in, a valve has failed, so cancel the cycle and shut the main.
4. Know where the main shut-off is

It is usually where the water line enters the house, near the water heater or the meter. Turn a wheel handle clockwise, or turn a lever a quarter turn. Find it now, before you need it in a hurry.
5. Replace a failed valve with a quarter-turn valve
Tool used: Quarter-turn washing machine shut-off valve

Shut off the main, open a faucet low in the house to drain the line and set a bucket under the old valve. Fit the new valve with the connection that matches your pipe: push-fit, compression or soldered. Wrap threaded joints with three turns of tape. If you are not comfortable with the fitting on your pipes, have a plumber do it.

Illustration

Tool for this step

Quarter-turn washing machine shut-off valve · Match the connection to your pipe type

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6. Swap the hoses while the water is off
Tool used: Braided stainless steel washing machine hoses

Check the hoses for bulges, cracks or rust at the ends. Replace rubber hoses with braided stainless steel ones, and hand-tighten, then give each fitting a small extra turn with the wrench.

Illustration

Tool for this step

Braided stainless steel washing machine hoses · Swap old rubber hoses while the water is off

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When free fixes aren't enough

If a valve will not turn, leaks at the handle or still dribbles when closed, it will fail when you need it, so replace it. Fitting a new one means cutting into the supply line, and the right valve depends on your pipe: copper, PEX, CPVC or galvanized. If you are unsure which you have, or the pipe is old and corroded galvanized steel, call a plumber. If water is spraying and the valves will not stop it, shut the main right away.

Buy the fix

Still stuck after the free fixes? These are the products we would look at.

Our picks compared
Pick	Product	Fixes	Who it's for	Buy
Best pick	Illustration Quarter-turn washing machine shut-off valve	stuck, leaking or missing washer shut-offs	Anyone who cannot shut the washer water off right now, or has old round-knob valves.	Check price
Upgrade pick	Illustration Braided stainless steel washing machine hoses	the burst-hose risk on the washer side of the valve	Anyone whose washer hoses are rubber, bulging or more than a few years old.	Check price

Best pick

Illustration

Quarter-turn washing machine shut-off valve

Fixes: stuck, leaking or missing washer shut-offs

Look for: A brass body with a quarter-turn ball valve and lever handle; A connection that matches your pipe: push-fit, compression, sweat or PEX; A 3/4-inch garden-hose thread outlet for the washer hose.

Who it's for: Anyone who cannot shut the washer water off right now, or has old round-knob valves.
Honest downside: You are unsure of your pipe type, or the pipe is old galvanized steel. Get a plumber to look first.

Check price on Amazon

Upgrade pick

Illustration

Braided stainless steel washing machine hoses

Fixes: the burst-hose risk on the washer side of the valve

Look for: A stainless steel braid over a rubber core; 3/4-inch hose fittings with rubber washers included; A length that reaches without kinking, usually 4 to 6 feet.

Who it's for: Anyone whose washer hoses are rubber, bulging or more than a few years old.
Honest downside: Your hoses are braided and in good shape.

Check price on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We don't show prices because they change, so use the button to see today's price.

How we picked: How we picked: this page is based on plumbing guides on shut-off valves, installation notes from valve makers, and the problems and fixes people report in reviews. We do not test products by hand.

Round knob or quarter-turn: how to tell

Round knob or wheel: a gate valve. It needs many turns to close and is the type that tends to seize and drip.
Short lever: a quarter-turn ball valve. Lever in line with the pipe is open, across the pipe is closed.
Valves in a recessed wall box: the same two types sit inside. Look at the handle to tell which you have.

What to skip

Forcing a stuck valve, or trusting the washer to hold the water back

Cranking a seized valve with a long wrench can snap the stem and start the leak you wanted to avoid. Unplugging the washer does not help either. The hoses stay under full water pressure even when the machine is off.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the shut-off valve for the washing machine?

Behind the washer: two valves on the wall or in a recessed wall box, one for hot water and one for cold. Shine a flashlight behind the machine, or slide it out a few inches.

Should I turn off the water to my washer when I am not home?

Many plumbers and insurers suggest it, especially before a trip. A burst hose can flood a house in a short time. A quarter-turn valve makes this a two-second habit.

How do I turn off the water to the whole laundry room?

If the room has its own branch valve, look in a basement or crawl space for a valve on the pipes feeding it. If you cannot find one, close the main water shut-off for the house.

Which way do I turn the valve to shut it off?

Clockwise for a round knob. On a quarter-turn ball valve, turn the lever so it sits across the pipe. A lever in line with the pipe means the valve is open.

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Free fix vs. permanent fix

Close the washer valves or the main

A quarter-turn washing machine shut-off valve

What you'll need

Why it happens

Old multi-turn valves seize

Valves that no longer seal

No valves, or valves you cannot reach

Try this first (free)

1. Find the valves

2. Close both valves

3. Confirm the water is off

4. Know where the main shut-off is

5. Replace a failed valve with a quarter-turn valve

6. Swap the hoses while the water is off

When free fixes aren't enough

Buy the fix

Quarter-turn washing machine shut-off valve

Braided stainless steel washing machine hoses

Round knob or quarter-turn: how to tell

Forcing a stuck valve, or trusting the washer to hold the water back

Frequently asked questions

Related problems

Leaky Laundry Room Faucet? The Washer Swap That Stops the Drip

Laundry Room Drain Backing Up? Snake the Standpipe First

How to Keep Laundry Room Pipes From Freezing (Cheap Insulation)

Washing Machine Not Filling With Water? 4 Checks, Cheapest First