Buying a new home appliance can be tricky. You have to research and nit-pick the kind of product you need and suit your requirements. But how do you ensure they stay long and healthy in your home?
Often, we hear people complaining about home appliances being a headache for them. "I was doing better when I was washing the clothes with my own hand," quipped one of our customers about the last brand of washing machine she was using. "I was taking it for service every two months and eventually, the service executives started making a joke about it," she says.
Buying a new electronic home or kitchen appliance is a tricky job. You must know your requirements, do enough research to ensure that you don't end up with the wrong product. You also rely on the brand's promises of a long warranty. Everything goes well until your appliance starts making a weird sound, leaking, or just doesn't work! Then you are left with a faulty appliance that you have to take back and forth to service centres and gets little work done.
While we admit that many times, the appliance itself might be faulty, there are many cases where such malfunction happens due to bad upkeep as well. Apart from doing the bare minimum when it comes to maintenance, there are a few hacks and tips you can execute to make your home appliances last longer without many complaints.
Why regular cleaning is important
While regular appliance maintenance may not be at the top of your priority list, you may not understand that cleaning your appliances has two benefits.
The main benefit of well-maintained equipment, whether it's a washing machine or a refrigerator, is that it will last longer without needing to be repaired or replaced. This is because a well-oiled machine nearly always operates more smoothly, which means your appliance's lifespan will be extended.
Cleaning more general appliances, such as dishwashers and washing machines, can go a long way toward making them more energy efficient (so you can save money on your utility bills), allowing them to wash items more effectively, and preventing issues like overflowing water, which can result in expensive restoration and cleanup charges.
Hot or warm water will become your best buddy while cleaning any appliance. Don't underestimate the power of plain water and a little elbow grease when it comes to gently cleaning appliances, especially stainless steel ones.
How to maintain:
Refrigerator
Inside and out, including the rubber seals, clean every nook and crevice of your refrigerator. To eliminate smells, use a mild cleaning such as baking soda and warm water, and soak any detachable shelves in hot/warm soapy water. A fridge coil brush is recommended for cleaning refrigerator coils, although any long soft bristle brush can suffice. Brush the debris away from your coils and vacuum the space behind or below your turned-off refrigerator.
Refrigerators fail when the doors do not close securely enough, requiring the motors to work overtime to keep the food cold. Close the door on a dollar bill to test your door seal: if the money slips, you have an issue that necessitates refrigerator maintenance.
Magnetic strips included in refrigerator door gaskets allow the doors to seal tightly, but they wear out with time and need to be changed or re-magnetized every couple of years. If you're handy, re-magnetizing is a do-it-yourself project: simply run a strong magnet 50 times down each side of the gasket in the same direction.
Washing machine
Because repairing or even replacing a washing machine or dryer isn't easy, you should endeavor to keep them in excellent working order to extend their lives. Set your washing machine to the hottest water cycle once a month, add 1/2 cup of baking soda, and wash as usual. Baking soda will deodorize and eliminate any scents in your washing machine, as well as clean it for future use.
Cleaning a top load washing machine differs from cleaning a front load washing machine in a few ways, with top loaders necessitating a few more processes. Consider adding a couple cups of bleach to your empty load before the baking soda rinse and soaking it for at least an hour.
Limit using dryer sheets and fabric softeners as they can leave residue on your dryer’s walls and clog the lint trap. Use a microfiber cloth or damp sponge with baking soda to wipe down the inside of your dryer and let air dry.
Oven
Ovens typically last between 13 and 15 years, however this might vary depending on how frequently they are used. Cleaning your oven as you go is the best way to proceed, especially if you see baked-on food grease or smoke. If your oven is used frequently, clean it once a month, or once in a while if it is largely off.
Consider your oven to be made up of three parts: oven racks, inner surfaces, and the oven door glass. Using a garbage bag or a bathtub to clean oven racks makes things simple. The answer is to soak your racks overnight in hot, soapy water, or spray them with a degreaser and tie them up in a garbage bag for a few hours. Simply wipe away the residue with a towel after soaking.
Dishwasher
Checking your dishwasher after each usage is the first step in cleaning it. Pull off the bottom rack after each dishwashing cycle and search for any little particles of food. You don't want stuck-on food to mould inside your dishwasher and create an unhygienic atmosphere. You should also clean your dishwasher with vinegar and baking soda at least once a month. To descale and unclog your machine, run separate, hot washes with a cup of each. If the dishwasher still won't drain after that, you could want to clean the filter. Remove the filter and place it under a hot tap to clean it. After that, gently remove any old residue with an old toothbrush or speciality brush.
Toaster
Darkly browned bread may cause your toaster to burn out two years sooner than lightly toasted bread. You'll get a few more years out of your toaster if you can live with mildly crisp rather than practically scorched toast.
Furnace/Stove
Depending on how properly you maintain your furnace, it may last anywhere from 15 to 25 years without breaking down. All you have to do is leave your furnace at the same temperature for at least 8 hours without altering it. You must also maintain the furnace clean since filthy air filters cause the furnace to work harder, reducing its lifespan. If the air filters aren't performing properly, they should be replaced.
It's also a good idea to clean the space surrounding the furnace. Remove anything that might obstruct the furnace's ventilation. An yearly inspection programme can also assist in keeping the furnace in good working order. Look for a professional that can also do preventative maintenance.