How to Care for Appliances to Make Them Last

I don’t know about you, but I have personally experienced an appliance fail that ruined my entire week… if not longer. Proper maintenance on your appliances can make them last even longer than normal. Need to know how to care for appliances to make them last? Here is how for all your major appliances.

How to Care for Appliances

We spend a lot of money on our appliances. Think of how much you spent the last time something needed to be replaced. I want a new refrigerator, but I cannot justify $2500 until the old one dies.

Speaking of my old refrigerator, it’s a hand-me-down from my husband’s Grandma. It’s still chugging along so far with minor issues. Based on my research, our fridge was manufactured in 1988 by GE. Have a GE appliance that you want to find out when it was made? Check it out here.

General maintenance on your appliances can make them last so much longer. Keeping up on it can help extend their lifetime and alleviate the stress of emergency replacements.

Refrigerator Care

The large, radiator-like element at the rear of your fridge is called the condenser coils. These remove heat from your refrigerator and freezer. Keeping these clean and free of dust and hair can keep your fridge running at maximum efficiency. This not only keeps repair costs down but helps lower your electric bill.

Make sure to double-check your appliance manual for how often to clean your coils. The clean, use the brush attachment on your vacuum to brush off dust and hair before they get a chance to build up.

Dishwasher Care

Chances are you are like me and keep glass jars. I know I love washing and reusing old spaghetti sauce jars. The adhesives from these beauties can wreak havoc on your filters and hoses. I like to hand wash my jars instead of running them through the dishwasher.

The same goes for gardening and painting supplies. I never run things through the dishwasher that are not dishwasher safe or have products on them that could harm us.

Checking your filter and drain in the dishwasher at least monthly can help make sure it is running smoothly and most efficiently. Consult the manufacturer’s instructions for where these are located and how often they should be cleaned.

Running a dishwasher cleaner through once a month can also help keep things clean and maintained. I like to use the OxiClean rinse aid with cleaner in it for more continual cleaning. I also wipe down the front seal with vinegar once a month to make sure leaks stay at bay.

Oven Care

Another key factor in how to care for your appliances is avoiding potentially damaging events. Prevention of catastrophes is key. One trick I like to use is keeping a large cookie sheet on the bottom rack in order to prevent any overflow on the floor of the oven.

If you do have an overflow, scrape it off while the oven is still warm if possible. If it’s a large spill, sprinkle it with salt and let sit until the oven cools. Also, running your self-clean cycle once a month can help clean out even things you cannot see like small grease spatters. These can build up over time.

When you clean your oven, make sure you remove your racks before running. Handwash these in hot soapy water. Use a scouring pad on baked-on messes. For especially stubborn spots, you may need to soak the racks in oven cleaner.

Microwave Oven

Ever looked in someone’s microwave and seen all the spills and splatters from foods exploding? It’s not only ugly but unsanitary. Cleaning up spills as soon as they happen can keep things under control.

Once a week, make sure you are wiping down the door seal, frame, and control panel. Grime and grease can get into filters and other vital parts of your appliance and shorten its lifespan considerably.

Does your over-the-range microwave have filters on the bottom? Mine does, and because of what I cook on the stove, these have a tendency to get dirty rather quickly. To clean these filters, pop them out. Boil a large pot of water and sprinkle in some baking soda. Just enough that the water fizzes but does not boil over. Place your filters into the water using a long pair of tongs. You should see the grease and grime boil to the surface.

Once they are clean, rinse well with clean hot water and allow them to dry completely before putting them back.

How to Care for Appliances: Is Repair Needed?

It amazes me how often someone replaces an appliance because it’s “broken” when it’s a simple fix. Did something go wrong with an appliance? Before you sell it or throw it out, head over to RepairClinic.com. Not only can they help you troubleshoot your problem, but they will show you how and what parts you need.

Learning how to care for your appliances can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. By properly caring for your appliances, you can extend their lifetime by decades.

Learning to Make Due instead of Buying New is a big deal in our home. I hope you learn to do this yourself too and teach this habit to your children. Learning how to care for your appliances properly can be a blessing not only to your budget but to your sanity. When you know you have to means to do something yourself it boosts your confidence and then you can conquer the world.