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Appliance Maintenance Tips

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1. Verify your oven door has a tight seal. Without a proper seal, your oven can lose more than 20 percent of its heat. The result is that food takes longer to cook or cooks unevenly. To check the seal’s condition, open the oven door and locate the rubber or fiberglass gasket around the perimeter of the door. Feel for any broken, torn, or deformed areas, and close the door to see if you can find any leaks. If you do, replace the seal.

2. Clean or replace dirty range hood or downdraft vent filters. Wash metal-mesh grease filters by hand in soapy water, or run them through the dishwasher. Charcoal or paper filters should not be washed. Replace them instead.

3. Clean stovetop drip bowls. Remove drip bowls from underneath your burner elements and presoak them in a cleaning solution for five minutes. Then hand wash and replace. Remember to clean drip bowls immediately after spills. If spills burn into the bowls, you might need to replace them.

4. Clean coils in your refrigerator. Dirt, dust, and pet hair can clog up refrigerator coils, restricting air flow and causing the refrigerator to work harder to keep cool. Once or twice a year, use a handheld vacuum to clean the coils and suck up any loose particles. The location of refrigerator coils varies by model, but most can be found either behind the kick plate (the front panel near the floor) or at the rear of the fridge.

5. Change your refrigerator water filter. Filters that don’t efficiently remove contaminants and impurities could expose you to harmful water. Instructions for changing the filter vary by model, but most are as easy as turning the filter a quarter inch and popping it out or locking it in place. Perform this simple task every three to six months, depending on water usage.

6. Fix rusty dish rack tines. Rust on the tines of your dishwasher racks can adhere to and ruin your dishes and silverware. To solve this issue, purchase a tine repair kit, and use a sealant to adhere the replacement tips over any rusty or chipped tines. Let dry for at least 24 hours before running the dishwasher.

7. Clean and deodorize your garbage disposal. Turn the disposal off and look down the drain for any large, stuck items. Use tongs or another tool—not your hands—to remove blockages. Pour a mixture of ice cubes and salt, or vinegar down the drain. Run cold water over it for 10 seconds, and turn on the unit. To remove odors, place a handful of citrus peels in the disposal, run cold water, and turn it on.

8. Clean your dryer exhaust. Lint in the dryer exhaust not only reduces appliance efficiency, it is a fire hazard. To clean, loosen the clamp and pull the exhaust off the back of the dryer. Remove large clumps of lint from the tubing and the hole in the back with your hands, or if you can’t reach, gently scrape with a straightened coat hanger. Vacuum and reattach.

9. Inspect washing machine hoses. Most washing machine floods are caused by leaks in the hose. Check the hoses that connect to the back panel on your washing machine for any cracks, leaks, or weak spots on the hoses. If you find any deformities, replace the hose. And at minimum, replace the hoses every five years.

10. Clean your air conditioner filter. Clogged or dirty filters restrict air flow, reducing energy efficiency as well as the appliance’s lifespan. As a result, filters should be cleaned every two to four weeks. To clean the filter, remove the front panel of the unit. If a reusable filter is in place, vacuum it to remove as much dirt as possible. Disposable filters can simply be replaced.

Home Appliances Maintenance Tips

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Your household appliances represent a significant investment, usually totaling thousands of dollars in money spent for the appliances you need. Appliances don’t just cost money to buy, either – it also takes big bucks to use them day after day to wash clothes, cook food and keep your home comfortably warm or cool.

With five home appliance maintenance tips, you can keep your appliances in tip-top condition and make sure they serve you well for a number of years.

    1. Regular Cleaning

      Your household appliances represent a significant investment, usually totaling thousands of dollars in money spent for the appliances you need.

      One of the most basic aspects of appliance maintenance involves keeping the unit clean. Perform regular cleaning to remove dirt, dust and grime from surfaces. For example, if you allow the shelves and interior of a refrigerator to become soiled with food and debris, these areas may become permanently stained. If you don’t keep the gasket of the refrigerator clean, the seal may stop performing correctly to keep cool air inside the refrigerator. Similarly, if you allow the interior of a washing machine to become soiled and dirty, you may notice that your clothing does not emerge from the washing machine as clean as it should.

    2. Electrical Maintenance

      Appliances that operate with electricity need regular maintenance to ensure that they operate safely. Check cords for frayed or visible wires. Look at the prongs carefully – if you see evidence of fraying, melting or burning, don’t plug in the appliance because it could be a fire hazard. You must either fix the appliance or dispose of it to avoid the risk of fire.

    3. Filters

      If an appliance has a filter design, change it as often as recommended by the manufacturer. Appliances such as air conditioners, furnaces, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators and dishwashers usually have filters designed to trap and hold contaminants and debris to prevent them from moving through the appliance system. If these filters become too full of debris, the appliance won’t work effectively anymore. This can reduce the power or effectiveness of your appliance or it could even lead to damage because of improper filtering.

    4. Hoses

      Appliances with hoses, such as washing machines, dishwashers, air conditioners and refrigerators, need regular examination to make sure the hoses are in good condition. Over time, hoses may crack, bulge or become clogged. If your appliances suffers a hose malfunction, the results can be devastating – usually involving a significant mess of water where you don’t want it. Generally, plan to replace appliance hoses every five years for optimal performance and to avoid problems.

    5. Professional Maintenance

      Some appliances need a little more in-depth maintenance than what the average homeowner can give. For example, your air conditioner should have the Freon level tested and charged to keep it running at peak efficiency. This requires a licensed professional with the proper training to work with these chemicals. It’s also a good idea to check belts, filters, motors, airflow and lubrication of the system to make sure that everything is running properly. While you may be able to perform some of this maintenance – filters, for example – you probably don’t have the training or expertise to service your system completely.

Care and Maintenance Tips to Make Appliances Last

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Clean Refrigerator Coils

 

If your refrigerator stops working on a hot day, suspect the coils. Service pros find this problem on half of their refrigerator calls. On many fridges, you get to the coils by removing the front grille. Then push a coil cleaning brush (sold at home centers) into the coils, pull it back and vacuum it clean. If the coils are located on the back, pull out your fridge to clean them. Bonus: The clean coils will cool more efficiently and save you money on your utility bill!

 

Avoid Overloads

 

You may think you’re saving time, water or energy by cramming more clothes into your washer and dryer. But overloading any washer or dryer causes damage to motors, belts and other moving parts. Some of the repairs are so expensive that you’re better off buying a new machine.

Recalibrate Your Oven Temperature Setting

 

If the temperature in your oven seems off, or if your new oven just doesn’t heat like your old one, you can recalibrate the temperature setting. Use the instructions in your manual or go online and search for a downloadable version using your oven’s model number. Place a good-quality oven thermometer on the center shelf and wait for the oven to maintain a constant temperature. Then follow the procedure outlined in your manual to match the temperature setting to the thermometer reading.

Keep It Quiet

 

Washers and dryers transfer vibrations to floors and telegraph noise throughout the house. The solution is to set their feet on rubber anti-vibration pads (available at some home centers and online).

 

Keep the Dishwasher Clean

 

When your dishwasher no longer gets your dishes clean, a food-filled filter is most often to blame. If it’s clogged, water can’t make it to the spray arms to clean the dishes in the top rack. The fix takes two minutes. Simply pull out the lower rack and remove the filter cover inside the dishwasher. (Check your owner’s manual if you can’t spot the filter.) Then use a wet/dry vacuum to clean off the screen. While you’re there, slide the nearby float switch up and down. If the cover sticks, jiggle it up and down and clean it with water.

Don’t Slam the Doors!

 

If you continually drop or slam the lid to your washer or dryer (top or front load), you’re going to break the lid/ door switch. That’ll cost you at least $100. Avoid this repair by lowering the lid and gently closing the door.

Clean Window Air Conditioners in Spring

 

A window air conditioner can hold some nasty surprises after winter storage. Aside from harmless stuff like dust and dead bugs, it might contain health threats like mold or mouse droppings. So before you lug it to a window, vacuum all the surfaces, especially the fins on the exterior face of the unit (that’s good for efficiency and performance, too). Also pull off the cover panel, and vacuum and clean the foam filter. Finally, plug it in and fire it up. Better to blow dust around the garage than your bedroom.

Remember the Magic Button

 

All disposers have an overload feature that automatically shuts off the power when the motor becomes overloaded and gets too hot. Once the motor cools, simply push the reset button on the side of or under the unit.

Clean Up Stove Spills

 

If a stove burner won’t come on, the likely culprit is spilled food. Use a toothbrush to clean off food spills from the igniter. On an electronic ignition stove, it’s a little ceramic nub located either on the stovetop or under the ceramic seal strike plate. Also make sure that the round ceramic seal strike plate is properly seated on the burner.

Fight Stinky Fridge Syndrome

 

If your power goes out and the food in your fridge and freezer goes bad, you’ve got a really stinky mess on your hands. Here’s what to do to get rid of the smell:

  1. Remove the food and wipe everything down with a disinfecting cleaning spray.
  2. Clean all the nooks and crannies inside the freezer, especially the shelf supports.
  3. Smash about 12 charcoal briquettes and spread the chunks on two trays. One goes in the fridge, the other in the freezer.
  4. Crunch up newspaper and fill the shelves with it.
  5. Close the doors and walk away, giving the charcoal and newspaper time to absorb odors.
  6. Replace the old newspaper and charcoal with fresh stuff every day for about a week or until the smell is gone.

Electric Stove Burners Need Good Contact

 

If a burner on your electric stove isn’t working properly, turn the burner off and pull it out of its socket. Then plug it in again and wiggle it around. If it feels loose, remove the burner again and gently bend the burner prongs slightly outward for a tighter connection.

Clean Fridge Gaskets

 

If you keep your refrigerator door gaskets clean, they’ll seal properly and last the life of the fridge. But if you let sticky foods like syrup and jam build up on the door gasket, they’ll glue the gasket to the frame. Pulling harder on a stuck door eventually tears the gasket, and that’ll cost you $100 or more to fix. Plus, if the door doesn’t seal properly, the fridge has to run longer, and that’ll boost your electric bill. Clean the door gasket with warm water and a sponge. Don’t use detergents; they can damage the gasket.

Clean Out Disposer Crud

 

Your disposer will smell better if you clean the splash guard. Lift the flaps and scrub them (especially the under side) with a toothbrush and grease-cutting cleaner.

Heat Up a Lukewarm Dryer

 

If your clothes dryer isn’t heating properly, first make sure the machine isn’t set to “fluff air”—a nonheat setting. If that’s not it, the lint filter may be clogged. Even if the filter looks clean, it may be covered by a nearly invisible film caused by dryer sheets. Test your filter by pouring water into it. If the filter holds water, it’s past time to clean it. This film reduces airflow and forces the thermostat to shut off the heat before the clothes are dry. Pull out the filter and scrub it in hot water with a little laundry detergent and a stiff kitchen brush. Also check the outside dryer vent for any lint that may have built up there.

 

Call Absolute Appliance Repair NOW if you have any problems with your Appliances!

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