10 Tips for Maintaining Your Home Appliances

All those devices we have in our home, and often use every day, are easy to take for granted. We can open the door to the refrigerator, or put a load of clothes in the washer, and never give thought to if they might have any possible problems. Too often, it just seems we wait until they breakdown to realize there is something that needed repair. That can be very costly, if the damage is the type that causes the appliance to be replaced. Avoiding those types of situations is something that really can save money. Here are ten suggestions for ways you can maintain your home appliances.

1. Inspection. Taking a few minutes once a month to examine your appliances will help to reveal any possible problems. Look at things such as the electrical cords to see if they have any cracks, and also check for any other obvious damage.
2. Batteries. If you have an appliance that runs off of batteries, such as small radios or the remote for your television, it would be helpful to keep some kind of list to let you know when you last replaced them. That will save you picking up the portable radio and finding out it needs new batteries.
3. Cleaning. It is so easy for dust and dirt to collect on appliances. Too much dust collecting on something like refrigerator coils can affect how well it works.
4. Replacing Filters. If you’re appliance has some kind of filter, then replacing them when needed can help them to function correctly. Like batteries, it is something helpful to have on a list.
5. Checking Surge Protectors. A surge protector is a wonderful option to use in order to help avoid the risk of a power surge affecting your appliance. This is very important when you are talking about things like televisions and computers. Checking them to make sure they are really working properly can spare you the loss of the appliance if a power surge happens.
6. Upgrades. Sometimes we rely upon an appliance that is outdated and consuming a great deal of energy. It can save us money on electrical bills by replacing them with a more efficient model.
7. Checking Outlets. It is a good idea to periodically test outlets to make sure they are working correctly. If one stops working or is faulty it can affect your appliance.
8. Turning Off Appliances. Making sure we turn off something, like a computer that is not in use, can save energy and cut down on possible problems from it being on for too long of a period, when not in use.
9. Read All The Manuals. This is often something we fail to do. We just plug in some appliance and don’t bother to read the instructions. It can lead to missing out on instructions that help to maintain the appliance properly.
10. Pick Appliances With Care. It is very important, especially with something like a washing machine, to pick one that fits your needs. Buying a washing machine that you can easily overload is likely to cause problems that can lead to it breaking down.

It is necessary to invest the time in maintaining your appliances to keep them running properly. It is easy to get out of that habit, and it can be costly when we do.

Taken From Compare Electricity Rates