New appliances can shoot a hole in your budget with their pricey tags. Most of all, the ninja attack on your budget strikes as a bolt from the blue, unknown and unforeseen. Most homeowners invest between $173 and $379 on their kitchen appliances. On top of that, the share of kitchen gadgets chips in 10% of the total cost of a kitchen remodeling project.
If you’re lucky, you may still resuscitate your appliance. Home Adviser points out that the average repair cost is $201 in the US. That’s the average though. The repair cost can spike to anywhere near $350, or it could cost $50 on the low end.
However, you wouldn’t have to meet these expenses if you took some appliance maintenance measures. Let’s walk you through some of the best maintenance tips for common household appliances. These will not only help you save money but also boost the efficiency of the gadget.
1. Clean the refrigerator’s coils and gasket
Let’s begin with your fridge, which is your lifeline in the summers. A vital trick to extend its life is to clean it. You need to focus on two areas namely the gasket and coils. Firstly, clean the gasket periodically. The gasket is the plastic seal that runs between the fridge and its doors.
This plastic seal is responsible for conserving the cool air inside the refrigerator. It also helps save energy. Wipe the gaskets thoroughly to maintain its elasticity. Once you remove all the residue, coat the sticking layer with Vaseline. Be sure to use only a thin film of the lubricant.
Secondly, dirty fridge coils can restrict the appliance’s airflow, encouraging it to overheat. Dirt or dust on the coils can also result in a breakdown of the device. Service experts claim that almost half of their repair calls occur due to dirty coils. Start by removing your fridge’s front grille. Next, clean the coils with the help of a handheld vacuum.
Other tips for maintaining the health of your refrigerator include:
- Clean your fridge completely at least once or twice in a year
- Don’t put hot dishes directly in your fridge
2. Clean the oven with the correct cleaner
Following in the footsteps of a refrigerator, ovens also don’t work well without a proper seal. In fact, a non-sticky gasket can result in the loss of close to 20% of the oven’s heat. In this regard, it is best to keep the seal clean.
However, you should inspect the seal from time to time to learn of its condition. If you notice that the gasket is not doing its job despite cleaning it properly, it’s time to replace it. It is budget-friendly to spend on a new seal than on a new oven.
What’s more is that cleaning the overall oven is essential. Most of us go wrong in selecting the cleaner, which can lead to damage. The ideal cleaner depends on the type of oven that you use. It’s best to inquire about this when you first purchase it.
Generally, vinegar or warm water is a good choice. Some pro cleaning tips for your range or oven include:
- Use soft cloths for cleaning
- Don’t use overly harsh chemicals for cleaning
- Apply the cleaner on the cloth before using it on the oven’s surface
- Don’t spray around the knobs as that can lead to a short
I have a pretty good way to clean you microwave also. I use vinegar, but steam from water also works.
3. Don’t over under load the washing machine
In most cases, we think that we can save some time by loading some extra laundry in the machine. However, overloading a dryer or washer can culminate in damage to its moving parts such as belts, motors, and more.
Some of these repairs can be so expensive that you would want to change the machine altogether. This does not mean that you choose to add only small loads to your laundry partner. Small loads can exert strain on the drive components of the appliance.
Small loads are also the recipe for energy and water wastage. Thus, the best call is to add a moderate load in your washer as well as dryer. Some other maintenance tips entail:
- Don’t put heavy objects on the washing machine
- Check all the pockets before putting clothes in the washer
- Use washing machine detergents instead of hand-washing detergents
4. Clean the dishwasher’s filter
Often a food-filled filter is a culprit behind a failing dishwasher. You need to pull out the lower rack to fix this. Then, remove the filter cover in the dishwasher and use a vacuum to clean the screen.
It is helpful to read the manual for correctly spotting the filter. Secondly, a clean gasket can be a problem here as well. Clean it regularly with water and soap for maintaining a watertight seal.
Lastly, don’t excessively pre-wash the dishes. Washed dishes are wet and a little soapy. This can cause the appliance to overseed and overflow. It can also leak on your kitchen floor. Hence, avoid over-washing the dishes in advance.
More dishwasher care tips include:
- Position dishes upside down only
- Clean the fat residues before loading them in a dishwasher
- Remove any stickers from your utensils to prevent the filter from clogging
5. Clean the lint trap in the dryer
We have already discussed that it is best not to overload the clothing dryer. Apart from this tip, clean the lint trap in the dryer. You need to do this after every load. Chances are that you already do it. But, if you don’t, it is high time that you start doing so to add years to the dryer’s life.
Besides, go to the back of your house and clean the air exits. This is crucial to ensure that the vent is not clogged with lint. Don’t add dry or almost-dry sheets to your dryer. This can increase the chemical residue on the sensors in a dryer, leading to excess strain. These moisture sensors stop the dryer from over-drying clothes.
However, if chemical residue collects on them, the dryer can get damaged in the long haul. It is wise to clean the moisture sensor occasionally. Some other maintenance tricks include:
- Remove the lint trap yearly and wash it
- Don’t slam the appliance’s door
- Use a vacuum to clean any stray lint on the floor and wall behind the dryer
Take home message
Despite these tips, you can still find yourself in a repair situation that may lead you to Dial an Appliance Man Edmonton. However, it is a better alternative than getting a new piece that can derail your budget for the month. It is best to follow these appliance maintenance tips though. Just a little care can go a long way in extending the performance and life of your everyday household appliances.