Some home appliances are more expensive than others but they all have two things in common. First, they are there to make your life easier. Sure, you can cook rice in a regular pot but doing so in a rice cooker is so much easier. You can also make coffee using a pot and a stove but the result probably won’t be nearly as impressive as doing so with a coffee maker. Second, whether or not you get the money out of the appliance mostly depends on how much you will use it and how long it will remain functional.
So, what affects the longevity of the home appliance. First of all, there’s the number of work hours. Having an appliance just sitting on your countertop and working it to death five times per day are not one and the same thing.
Does this mean that if unused an appliance will last forever? Of course not. Inactivity and dormancy play their own share in the decay of your electrical appliances. They even make them less safe to use. In other words, it’s not just about using or not using them.
With that in mind and without further ado, here are several tips to help you prolong the lifespan of appliances in your home.
Tips to help you prolong the lifespan of appliances in your home
Cleaning appliances properly
Keeping your appliances clean is about more than just hygiene. It actively contributes to the maintenance of your appliances. The perfect example of this can be seen in the energy-efficiency of your fridge. For instance, by just cleaning the coils on your refrigerator, you can save up to 30% of energy.
This means that your fridge will spend less power to achieve the same effect. Other than the fact that this can save you $500 over the course of 10-19 years, you should definitely do this from an eco-friendly perspective. In other words, this is a method that saves both money and the environment.
The hygiene of appliances is also in a direct correlation with the overall safety in your home. Grease causes fire; clogs cause malfunctions and food leftovers attract pests that chew through hoses and cables.
The biggest problem with this type of potential damage is that it happens overnight. It’s not necessarily that it will start gradually malfunctioning, which will eventually lead to symptoms that you can act up upon. Moreover, a dead rodent somewhere in the mechanism (which will happen if they get electrocuted), is an unsettling thought, on its own.
Wrap up: Keeping your appliances clean is about more than just appearance. It actively contributes to the functionality and longevity of your household appliances.
Use appliances carefully
This is the test that the majority of people fail. Every appliance comes with its set of recommendations. For instance, if we’re talking about air fryers, there’s a recommendation of how much food you should fry in it at one time.
If it’s about a washing machine, each has its own recommended load of laundry (usually expressed in laundry weight). This is why it’s crucial that you read the user’s manual before making an investment. It is also important that you understand that the manufacturer has tested the machine and that the number given there isn’t arbitrary.
Know more: Multiple Uses Revolving Around Display Fridge Along with Matching Advantages
Overloading it once may not cause problems, which is even worse. It convinces people that the number is arbitrary and that the appliance can handle a lot more. For instance, if a washing machine drum can take 6kg of laundry, you stuff in 8kg and nothing happens, you will be convinced that 6kg is an arbitrary number.
This will encourage this kind of misuse. Over the course of time, the machine will get worn out much quicker than it normally would. Moreover, it could just snap one day, since you have no insight into its current state, whatsoever.
Wrap up: Manufacturers are making these appliances to be used in a specific way. This means that when they promise certain performance or longevity, it’s under one condition – if used as stated in the manual.
DIY repair is not always the best idea
There’s no need to replace an appliance every time something malfunctions. Such a practice would be incredibly expensive and inconvenient. Above all, it’s completely unnecessary. More likely than not, it’s not the entire appliance that is broken but just a single part.
After repairing it, chances are that you would be able to use the appliances without any problems for years to come. Keep in mind that the sooner you get to it, the better. A single broken or malfunctioning piece may cause a butterfly effect which will cause the entire appliance to break down in the nearest future.
So, what should you do in this scenario, just roll up your sleeves and get to work? Well, not necessarily. You see, sometimes, starting a DIY repair may end up causing more damage. You might not reassemble the appliance correctly or you may damage something else in the process.
Remember, you’re doing this to save money so how much have you actually saved if you A) fail with the repair and B) cause even more damage (resulting in an even more expensive repair)? Instead, you should look for a reputable appliance repair service and reach out to them.
Wrap up: Saving money on DIY repair doesn’t always work out. Therefore, it’s the safest course of action to just reach out to professionals in order to get things done in the safest manner possible.
Appliance specific maintenance
While speaking of appliance maintenance may be done through some general tips, the fact is that every single appliance has its own repair and maintenance tips. For instance, when talking about AC maintenance, it’s important that you learn how to remove the dirt build-up from the exterior unit.
In the case of a fridge, you need to learn how to tend to the coils in just the right way. When speaking of dishwashers, you need to learn how to replace a filter and so on. In other words, appliance maintenance is just an umbrella term.
So, how do you handle this? There are two general tips that you can try out. First, you can find a specialist and entrust them with the repair. A specialist can quickly diagnose the problem and let you know exactly what went wrong. Whatever’s the matter with the appliance, they’ve seen it a hundred times.
This way, their rich previous experience will be at your disposal, which is a valuable asset. Next, you should read every manual and watch YouTube videos of this specific repair. Fortunately, there’s more material online than ever before and you should always look for a way to capitalize on it.
Wrap up: Every single appliance is a device of its own. In order to properly maintain it, you need to study the mechanical structure of each appliance and adjust your actions to it.
Get everyone on board
Sure, you might be the one who is most concerned with the proper use and maintenance of household appliances but you need to get your family on board, as well. You see, all your efforts will be null and void if everyone else in your home keeps doing what they were doing before.
The problem is that you can’t chaperone everyone all the time. You can’t look over their shoulders to see how much laundry they stuffed in the washing machine and you can’t inspect every appliance after use. So, you need to have a candid talk with your family/roommates and trust them.
This also helps teach a valuable lesson to your children. It helps prepare them for the future of independent home ownership. Once they’re out on their own, they’ll either have to learn all of this from the start or somehow adapt to it.
By teaching them what responsible home appliance maintenance consists of, from a young age, it can become their second nature by the time they are ready to start living independently. While this might not be the first thing to cross your mind when working on your appliances, it’s one more benefit of being vigilant.
Wrap up: The responsibility of taking proper care of household appliances should be a joint effort. Since the effect affects every inhabitant, they need to invest some personal effort in order to reap the benefits.
In conclusion
At the end of the day, it’s quite important for you to prolong the lifespan of your home appliances for three crucial reasons. First, it saves you quite a bit of money on being able to postpone the purchase of a new appliance. Second, it increases the overall quality of life within your household. A functional appliance can increase the reliability of your daily routine.
In a modern world, where every minute counts, this is a huge help. Lastly, a malfunctioning appliance can create life-threatening situations in your household (electrocution, fire, etc.). In other words, regardless of your stance, it’s always in your best interest to keep your appliances working and fully-functional.
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