It’s a stark reminder of their worth and the need to preserve them. On average, household appliances can last anywhere from 8 to 15 years; refrigerators last the longest, while dishwashers have a shorter lifespan. And these days, more modern energy-efficient models can cost big bucks to peace should your current appliances fail

With this in mind, there are some tips and tricks you can implement to help you preserve and extend the life of your appliances so you won’t have to worry about them failing on you, at least not in the near future.

Service Them

It can be a really good idea to have appliances serviced regularly, especially for more major appliances like an HVAC system. Regular servicing can evaluate each appliance and ensure that if wear and tear or faults are likely to develop, your engineer can identify them. This proactive approach can help you restore functionality and get the right repairs booked, avoiding further damage or complete system failure. Ultimately, regular servicing can extend the lifespan of your appliances and save you money in the long run.

Learn Basic Repairs

While you’re not expected to carry out extensive repairs to your appliances, learning how to do some basic fixes or rectify common issues can serve you well and avoid any major catastrophes. For instance, you can learn how to replace refrigerator shelving, seals, or gaskets using discount brand name appliance parts. These quick and easy fixes can restore full working order to your appliances and save you the cost of a professional repair.

Deep Clean

Deep cleaning is vital for maintaining the efficiency and lifespan of your appliances. This involves both internal and external cleaning. For instance, running a washing machine or dishwasher cleaner can help reduce buildup in pipes and on internal parts. Additionally, removing all parts that can be removed and giving them a thorough clean is recommended. It’s also important to flush the system to remove any stagnant water or dirt buildup in pipes. Pay attention to any spaces in appliances where dirt can build up, such as drawers, door seals, underneath the appliance, and the sides of appliances that aren’t fitted or freestanding stoves or washers.

Use Correctly

Hands up if you studied the manufacturer’s guide prior to your first use of the appliance. Not everyone does this, and if you don’t understand how your appliance works and how it’s recommended to be used, there is a high chance you’re not using it correctly. From using the wrong setting on your dishwasher to overloading your washing machine and using the wrong cleaners inside your oven or air fryer, you can do some severe damage if you’re unsure how to use certain appliances or you just “wing it”.

Always refer back to the manual. You can often find one online if you don’t have a physical copy to hand. This will ensure you are using it correctly and not causing any damage that can impact its efficiency or lifespan.

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Just like scheduling regular servicing for your car can extend its lifespan, there are a variety of techniques you can use to extend the lifespan of your home appliances. Below, we’ve listed five of our favourites, from performing regular maintenance to repairing instead of replacing.

Clean, Unplug and Store out of Harm’s Way

The first step in extending any appliance’s lifespan is to keep it as clean as possible. Over time, grease, stains and dust can take their toll on appliances, ranging from your oven to your fridge, food processor and more.

When you use an appliance, make sure you clean it right away when you’re finished. As well as your oven, stovetop and other obvious appliances, it’s also important to clean the coils on your fridge, as well as the inside of appliances like your washing machine, dryer and dishwasher.

Keep your Washing Machine Level

Generally, appliances that contain the most moving parts are the first to wear out. Your washing machine contains a drum and internal motor, both of which spend a lot of their functional life in a state of motion, increasing their rate of wear and tear.

To get the longest lifespan from your washing machine, it’s important to keep it leve. Use a spirit level to check your washing machine’s surface, then adjust the legs of the machine to keep it at a matching level with your flooring for improved performance and fewer breakdowns.

Avoid Using Firm Items in Your Food Processor

Your food processor can be a great tool for blending cooking ingredients, making smoothies and speeding up many kitchen tasks. However, it’s usually best not to use your food processor to cut firm, hard ingredients like coffee beans and certain nuts. Instead, use affordable coffee makers and take the time to learn more about turkish coffee vs espresso, you’ll be glad you did!

While these ingredient will usually blend, they can damage the blades of your food processor in the process. Instead of blending them whole, try cutting them into smaller piece before you put them in your food processor, or just use your food processor the way it was intended.

Pre-wash Dirty Dishes Before Putting them in the Dishwasher

Few appliances are as handy as your dishwasher, helping you save time and avoid the work of cleaning up after preparing a meal. However, without pre-washing, it’s possible for dirty dishes to do significant damage to your dishwasher.

When you don’t pre-wash firm, sticky food items, your dishwasher might fail to completely wash them off your dishes. To improve your results and reduce wear on your dishwasher, make sure you brush away anything hard, sticky or oily before adding dishes to your dishwasher.

Broken Appliance? Get it Fixed Instead of Replacing It

Even with proper care, it’s far from uncommon for appliances to break down over time. While it can be very tempting to throw away a non-working appliance and replace it with a new one, it’s usually a better deal to simply get your old appliance repaired.

Appliance repair services like Go Assist offer competitively priced, fast repair services for a wide range of different kitchen and home appliances. Often, it’s possible to bring a broken appliance back to life for a fraction of the price of a new one, saving you a significant amount of money.