I have an Ariston Magherita

Yo!

unplug machine from power.

pull the front panel off of the machine its at the bottom, kind of snaps off bottom first then top eases out, anyway becareful as it is pretty fragile plastic.

On right hand side unscrew filter cap - prepare for lots of water that really stinks to pour out. Cap can be a fiddle but does release after unscrewing anti clock wise.

Put fingers in and clear out any blockages you can see, mine was a 1 pence peice and a hair tie. Put back together and it should be ok.

I have an Ariston Margherita AL128 and the same problem happened. After skimming through the manual, it occurred to me that it could be the pump that's causing not to drain or spin anymore. Dislodge the white covering infront (just located at the bottom). Once opened, unscrew the black button at the right hand side. Once open, check for blockages like coins, loose items, even lint. This worked for me and saved me $$$!!!! Now my Ariston is back to its superb performance. Do read the manual once in a while, it does help! I lost mine but was able to download a copy from the net.