Forty percent of homeowners say they lack the skills to do any maintenance on their appliances, while half say that trying to repair the appliance would be too difficult or time-consuming to even attempt on their own. What many people don’t know is that you can reduce the odds of these breakdowns and extend the life of your appliances with a little proactive maintenance. Here are five appliance maintenance tips everyone should follow.
Clean Your Refrigerator Coils
The coils on your refrigerator vent heat from the inside of the fridge. If these are covered in dirt, dust or pet hair, they won’t get the airflow that they need to work efficiently. Clean the coils to remove this debris so that the refrigerator doesn’t have to work as hard to keep cool. You’ll extend the life of the compressors and other mechanical parts at the same time.
Check Your Oven Door
You should check the seal on your oven’s door. Any breaks, tears, or deformations in the seal will allow hot air to escape. This can cause the oven to cook unevenly or simply require more time to cook because the oven loses up to 20 percent of its heat through the leaking door. If you find anything wrong with the seal, replace it. Also take care not to slam the doors, since this can break the lid/door switch.
Clean the Filters in Your Appliances
There are many filters in your kitchen appliances, and all of them need to be cleaned or replaced periodically. If your range hood has a metal mesh grease filter, it should be washed by hand in soapy water if you’re not comfortable running it through the dishwasher. A charcoal or paper filter in the hood or vent should be replaced. You’re reducing the fire hazard this pose, and the entire kitchen will smell better for it. And if you burn your dinner, the fans won’t have to work as hard or as long to clear that odor.
If your refrigerator has a water filter, change the filter. The new filter will properly filter out any contaminants and impurities from your water, and you won’t have to wait as long for a full glass of water. Depending on how much water you use, this will need to be done every three to six months.
You can clean the filter in your dishwasher with a wet/dry vacuum cleaner. This is often the solution when the dishwasher fails to clean your plates.
If do it yourself solutions like these don’t work, then you should hire professionals like Service Force. They’re an Electrolux authorized repair partner, though they support a variety of appliance manufacturers’ products. They can troubleshoot why your dishwasher isn’t cleaning your dishes properly and why the clothes washer isn’t running. They use genuine manufacturer parts and send fully trained engineers to troubleshoot your problem. You can learn more about them and their services at serviceforce.co.uk.
Clean Your Air Conditioner’s Air Filters
While most of us aren’t qualified to repair our air conditioners, we can clean or replace the air filters ourselves. Reusable filters can be vacuumed to remove as much dust as possible, but you may need to replace it if this doesn’t get it clean enough for your comfort. They should be cleaned at least once a month. Disposable air filters in the air conditioner should simply be replaced. Clean air filters give your air conditioner unrestricted air flow, minimizing how hard the unit has to work to cool your air.
Don’t Overload
Don’t overload the washing machine; you’re not saving energy or water. You’re forcing the machine to work harder while getting clothes that aren’t as clean as they could be. Worse yet, you’re wearing out the motors. In the case of your dishwasher, try running a smaller load of dishes before you assume the unit needs to be serviced.
We live in fear of appliance breakdowns, whether it is the refrigerator breaking right after you stocked the freezer or the oven dying before you make a holiday meal. However, you can take steps today to minimize the odds of this happening.
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