Technology plays an important role in modern homes. Home appliances help you to cook and clean, keep you entertained and even make your immediate environment more comfortable when the weather is too hot or too cold. They may also be some of the more expensive things you own. Proper maintenance can help your appliances stay usable for a long time, thus allowing you to maximise their utility and get the best return on your investment.
Maintenance also isn’t just for expensive items like air conditioning systems and TVs. Even simple kitchen appliances like a rice cooker or a microwave deserve proper care. Apart from ensuring that your appliances are at peak performance, maintenance helps to ensure user safety as these machines run on electricity. A faulty machine can be a fire and safety hazard.
Fortunately, home appliance maintenance is something you can mostly do on your own. Incorporate it into your chores schedule, or simply do a check-up when you clean up in particular areas. If you’ve never done it before and don’t know what to do, follow the tips below to get started.
Use Appliances Properly
The thrill of having something new can cause many people to start using an appliance without reading the instructions first. While many product designs are user-intuitive, even a single mistake can be very damaging to the machine. No one enjoys reading user manuals but doing so can save you from needing an expensive repair.
Knowing how to use the appliance correctly can prevent potentially damaging mistakes like overloading the washing machine or filling it with too much soap. It can also avoid inefficient use of the appliance, like cooling an almost empty freezer.
Keep Appliances Clean
Like everything else inside your home, home appliances get covered with dust. Smudged fingerprints are very noticeable on shiny surfaces like fridge doors and washing machines, while grime and food spills accumulate on stoves and microwave ovens. External dirt is usually easy to clean with a dry, soft cloth, but if the dirt is left for too long, a stain may set in and make it harder to remove later on.
More than preserving its outer appearance, keeping appliances clean can play a role in how well they function. A refrigerator that smells of old food may affect how food tastes and smells. Washing clothes in a machine with the chamber covered in lint seems counterintuitive. If your vacuum bag is full and the filter is covered in dust, it may not clean effectively. Additionally, these conditions can cause the machine to overheat and potentially damage its motor.
Just as you rely on home appliances to keep your home and your belongings clean, so should you ensure that you keep them clean as well. However, make sure to use the right kind of products so that they don’t damage finishes or any moving parts.
Regularly Replace Filters and Accessories
Some machines require filters and other special parts to run properly. These need to be replaced with new ones because filters are designed to catch the buildup of dirt and other particles. Dirty filters can cause motors to work harder but perform inefficiently. This can also mean that the appliance requires double the time it usually needs to complete the task, and the added effort can cause it to overheat.
When buying replacement accessories, do make sure to purchase the right ones from the same brand and style. Otherwise, even small differences between size and construction can negatively affect performance or even damage the appliance in the long run. Always use accessories recommended by the manufacturer and replace them according to the prescribed schedule.
Do Periodical Inspections
When was the last time you took a close look at your appliances? It’s a good idea to check them thoroughly at least once a year to make sure that all parts are complete, intact, and undamaged. Otherwise, you might miss small signs of breakage or wearing down and be caught off guard by a sudden breakdown. Additionally, cracks and loose wires can compromise your safety.
Appliances like refrigerators and washing machines also need to be checked if they are sealing properly. The rubber gasket on the door areas can loosen or get damaged over time. This can lead to cool air escaping from the fridge and water leaks from washing machines.
Have Appliances Professionally Serviced
Electronics repairs can be costly, but needing to replace a home appliance can require an even bigger budget. To prevent the latter situation, hire professionals to service your appliances for maintenance and repair. Unless you are a licensed technician, it’s not a good idea to try to fix things by yourself. Services like air conditioner cleaning or coolant refilling should also be handled by professionals who are aware of and adhere to current safety standards.
Having home appliances are worth investing in because they make life a lot easier and more comfortable. To protect these investments and help ensure that we continue to enjoy the convenience they provide, make it a habit to practice maintaining your appliances.
