Tips to Extend The Life of Household Appliances
If you want to extend the life of your household appliances, we have a series of useful tips to help you. We know that your essential household appliances are expensive to buy and therefore, they must be taken care of.
Among the appliances that we use the most are the refrigerator, the washing machine, the dishwasher, and the oven. They work hard every day, so we must take special care of them to prolong their useful life. Read on to find out how to care for them.
Tips to extend the life of household appliances
1. You should always read the instructions
If you’re someone who always reads the operating instructions, congratulations! You’re one of the few. The fact that we’re all guilty of taking our household appliances for granted often leads us to ignore the instruction manual. But, this is a big mistake. Each appliance has particular specifications depending on the brand, so we must read the manual to know how to operate and maintain it correctly.
The instructions not only include the installation and operation processes, but other information, such as the amount of energy your appliance must receive. The manual will also tell you about the maximum loads, in the case of washing machines and dishwashers. In the case of microwaves, there are specifications such as the types of materials and cooking containers that you should and shouldn’t use.
In fact, you can even find solutions to some simple troubleshooting. So don’t overlook the instruction manual.
2. Clean household appliances well and regularly
Yes, we usually clean household appliances, but not as thoroughly and regularly as we should. The truth is that if you want to extend the life of your household appliances you must clean them well and not just clean the surfaces.
Those appliances such as the washing machine and the dishwasher must be regularly cleaned on the inside with specific products. What’s more, if you practice reading the instruction manuals you can identify any self-cleaning functions and the specific cleaning products you should use.
3. Extend the life of household appliances by letting them rest
It’s a funny term, but some appliances do need to rest. For safety, it’s best to unplug certain household appliances when they’re not in use. That is the case with washing machines or televisions.
What’s more, as an extra tip, keep in mind that if any of your household appliances become significantly hot during use, they should be checked. So consider calling the technician for a routine check and service. Remember, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
4. Call the technician to check for possible damage
If your household appliances show any signs of damage that you can’t control, (even after reviewing the instruction manual), call the technician. It’s normal that you want to try and fix your appliance yourself, but it’s better not to improvise because you could cause even more damage.
This advice to prolong the life of your appliances is very important, especially when they still have their warranty in force. Taking into account that performing any maintenance that damages internal security seals may cause you to lose this grace period.
Extend the life of your household appliances
We’ve given you some general tips that apply to extending the life of most household appliances. But there are some tips that are specific to each specialized appliance, so keep reading.
The fridge
Clean the rubber seals on the refrigerator door with special care. These make sure that when the door is closed the temperature is conserved and the energy consumption is controlled. Use a little water and a sponge to clean them. If they’re worn, don’t ignore it; rather, seek out a replacement.
At least once a year, gently move the refrigerator to access and clean the back of it. Remove cobwebs and dust buildup, particularly on the motor and coils.
Extend the life of household appliances: your dishwasher
Before loading the dishes in the dishwasher, you should remove traces of food to avoid blockages or obstructions. As with the refrigerator, the rubber seals need to be cleaned regularly. Don’t forget to clean the filter once a month too, as well as the interior of this appliance.
Your washing-machine
Washing machines have a capacity load limit that’s measured in weight. Obviously this varies from appliance to appliance, but generally, it’s anywhere between 17 and 26 pounds. Reading the instruction manual will help you to calculate the specific load capacity of your appliance. Don’t forget that overloading the drum can damage your appliance.
Moreover, be particularly careful when washing your clothes. Don’t wash belts or metallic objects in your machine and check the pockets of clothes for coins or other loose objects that could damage your machine. Finally, regularly use anti-scale tablets to avoid damage to your pipes and filters.
As you can see, these tips are very simple and easy to apply. Follow them to keep your household appliances in good condition and in great working order, for a long time to come.