Appliances — these are the greatest inventions in domesticated life as they provide a myriad of conveniences. It’s hard to imagine not having them in our lives. But with great power comes great responsibility — the responsibility of cleaning and maintaining them. Make sure that your house equipment stays good for a long with time these helpful home appliance care tricks, from tips for cleaning microwave to appliance repair tips.
Don’t let wet clothes sit in the machine
It’s always good practice to remove loads of laundry as soon as they’re done. Letting damp clothes sit inside the washing machine for too long can damage the drum.
Run the self-clean cycle once a month
If you don’t have an automatic self-clean cycle on your washing machine, do it manually once a month. Run an empty load on the hottest cycle, with some extra rinse time.
De-scale by putting regular household items – such as vinegar, lemon juice, or a special descaling agent – into the powder dispenser compartment.
Give your fridge a pretend spring cleaning defrost
Remember when you had to defrost your fridge every so often when it turned into a winter wonderland?
Although modern fridges don’t need to be defrosted, it’s still important to give the appliance a full cleaning.
One of the good fridge cleaning hacks is to mix equal parts of vinegar and water and put it in a spritz bottle use this all-natural cleaning solution to clean your freezer. Rinse with water afterward.
Don’t forget to wipe away the dust bunnies in the back
When is the last time you looked at the back of your refrigerator? Cleaning all the dirt and dust off the coils on the back of the fridge can help it release heat more efficiently. No need to buy any fancy equipment – a vacuum will work nicely.
P.S. Make sure to unplug the fridge from the electrical socket beforehand.
Empty pants pockets before tossing them into the wash
Don’t let coins and pens spin around with your clothes! It’ll shorten the washing machine’s lifespan, and whatever pennies you find lying on the bottom of the metal drum won’t be enough to pay for repairs down the line.
Use detergents made for a washing machine only
Laundry detergents and softeners have special ingredients that help break down dirt and grime while it spins around with the help of heavy machinery.
Hand-washing soap, on the other hand, can foam up with too many suds and clog the pipes.
Don’t overfill your slow cooker
One way for how to clean a slow cooker is when you actually cook. When filling the crock, make sure all the ingredients stay below the max fill line so it has room to cook.
It’ll help keep messes under control and save the heating elements from getting damaged.
There is a right way to load the dishwasher
Placing dishes in the dishwasher upside down, instead of right side up, is actually how you’re supposed to do it. It’ll help prevent the dishwasher from getting water-logged.
Remove stickers on brand-new dishware
Peel stickers and labels off your brand-new cups and plates before you wash them. Otherwise, they can clog the filter.
Load cutlery like the dishwasher’s life depends on it
Place forks, knives, and spoons in the bin instead of loading it haphazardly on the shelf. Otherwise, it can drop down to the bottom and block the rotating parts.
Give your dishwasher a salt bath
Don’t forget to put a salt and rinse aid directly into the detergent tray.
It’ll help improve the efficiency and life of the dishwasher by preventing limescale and hard water buildup.
This is not the only way to clean your dishwasher. If you want to know a better way for how to clean a moldy dishwasher, you can use vinegar and baking soda.
You can also use these tips if you want to know how to clean a stinky dishwasher.
Don’t let the blender motor get wet
Wipe down and dry your blender with a cloth after every use to help protect the motor from water damage.
It goes without saying that you should never immerse the blender’s base (where the motor is located) in water.
Guard against power surges
Nothing can kill appliances faster than an unexpected electrical surge. Use a surge protector to prevent expensive units from getting fried.
Don’t operate a microwave with nothing inside of it
If you run a microwave on empty, it can overheat. Damage won’t occur immediately, but it can ruin the magnetron, which is the device that heats your food.
Don’t put anything too heavy inside the microwave
Believe it or not, microwaves actually have weight limits! Read the manual to find your appliance’s max weight capacity.
Tips for cleaning microwave: Don’t forget to clean the exterior vents
If your microwave oven sits above a stovetop, grease splatters from a frying pan can easily accumulate on the bottom vents. Clean it regularly to help prolong the unit’s life.
Clean the drip pans regularly
Be sure to remove crumbs and other particles from the drip pans on a weekly basis. Otherwise, exposing them to further heat can lead to smoke and fire.
Takeaway
Appliances provide us with a lot of conveniences so we can have more time to do the things we love while not skimping on the comfort, health, hygiene, and nourishment that we all deserve. Feel free to follow these tips for cleaning microwave and other appliances, and share them with friends!
Source: Bright Side, VAVA, Consumer Reports, GE, Quora, flickr