There’s nothing more annoying than seeing your household appliances give up their mechanical ghosts. Breakdowns can lead to unspeakable tragedies such as washing dishes by hand or taking your clothes to the laundromat. Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep them running for a long time.
Keep Your Appliance Parts Clean
And yes, this includes the appliance parts underneath the refrigerator. Despite what a lot of people think, you probably won’t find cockroaches. Cleaning the coils and the base grill underneath a refrigerator can improve airflow and cool the unit more efficiently. For your dishwasher, you should rinse out mineral deposits from hard water. This requires a dishwasher cleaning solution, but you can also clear out the spray jets themselves with a toothpick. As for your dryer, make sure that your exhaust vent is cleaned out at least once a year. You might get a little lint from the vent on your clothes, but it’s worth it to keep your dryer properly running.
Leave Your Door Open
On your washer, that is. You don’t want to leave the refrigerator door or freezer door open since that leads to replacing all your food. Once you’re finished doing your laundry, make sure that it gets out of your washer as quickly as possible. Leaving the door open for just a few minutes will allow the interior to properly air out, which can reduce the chances of mold or mildew growth in the machine.
Keep Your Dryer Level
Not only will an uneven dryer make a lot of noise, but all of that bumping and shaking can wear out the dryer’s parts. If you think your dryer’s uneven, then move it around or adjust its legs until the dryer’s level again. It only takes a couple of minutes.
Don’t go Overboard by Overloading
While it’s tempting to shove all of your laundry into the washer or dryer at once, it’s a bad idea in the long run. You should always follow your manufacturer’s instructions in regard to maximum capacity. Otherwise, the parts inside the machine can break down in a shorter amount of time than they otherwise would.
If you can adhere to all of these rules, you won’t have to worry about any of your appliances breaking down. Some of these guidelines may seem inconvenient, but broken appliances are both inconvenient and expensive to repair or replace. A little maintenance will save time and money later.