Method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus is provided that may include a cabinet provided with an introduction port for introduction of laundry, a tub arranged in the cabinet to store washing water and provided with a tub introduction port that communicates with the introduction port, a drum rotatably provided in the tub and adapted to accommodate the laundry introduced through the tub introduction port, a detergent supply module positioned at a lower portion of the introduction port to store a liquid detergent and to provide the stored liquid detergent to the tub, and a water supply device to supply washing water to the tub and to rinse the detergent supply module using the washing water supplied to the tub.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus including a tub arranged in the cabinet to store washing water, a drum rotatably provided in the tub and adapted to accommodate laundry, at least one container to store a detergent, at least one detergent supply conduit that allows the at least one container to communicate with the tub therethrough, at least one detergent pump to pump the detergent in the at least one container to the at least one detergent supply conduit, and a water supply device to supply water to the at least one detergent supply conduit, the method comprising:
 supplying the detergent in the at least one container to the at least one tub using the at least one detergent pump; and   supplying the water to the at least one detergent supply conduit using the water supply device to rinse the at least one detergent supply conduit by moving any detergent remaining in the at least one detergent supply conduit to the tub.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising supplying the water supplied from the water supply device to the at least one container and rinsing an interior of the at least one container. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the supplying the water supplied from the water supply device to the at least one container and rinsing an interior of the at least one container comprises:
 supplying the water to the at least one detergent supply conduit through the water supply device;   supplying the water supplied to the at least one detergent supply conduit to the at least one container through the at least one detergent pump; and   discharging the water from the at least one container through the at least one detergent pump.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the supplying the at least one detergent in the at least one container to the tub through the at least one detergent pump is performed by rotating an impeller of the at least one detergent pump in a first direction, wherein the supplying the water supplied to the at least one detergent supply conduit to the at least one container through the at least one detergent pump is performed by rotating the impeller of the at least one detergent pump in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and wherein the discharging the water from the at least one container through the at least one detergent pump is performed by rotating the impeller of the at least one detergent pump in the first direction. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein, in the discharging the water from the at least one container through the at least one detergent pump, the water in the at least one container is discharged into the tub through the at least one detergent supply conduit. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein, in the discharging the water from the container through the at least one detergent pump, the water in the at least one container is discharged to an exterior of the cabinet through a branch channel branched from the at least one detergent supply conduit to allow the interior of the at least one container to communicate with the exterior of the cabinet. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the supplying the water to the at least one detergent supply conduit using the water supply device to rinse the at least one detergent supply conduit by moving any detergent remaining in the at least one detergent supply conduit to the tub is performed when the detergent supply step is performed a predetermined number of times.