How to Ruin Your Expensive Appliance

The act of regularly cleaning and properly maintaining your kitchen appliances can expand their lifespan by several years. They will eventually wear out or fail, but you can help by understanding how to care for your kitchen appliances, and how you can ruin them!

Dishwashers

Using the wrong soap in the dishwasher can cause massive bubbles as dish soap doesn’t belong in there! If you scratch the vinyl coated rack you may be subject to rusting which will stain dishes, and incorrect loading will cause poor wash results. Failure to keep the dishwasher topped up with rinse aid will have the same detrimental effect.

Tips from the pro: Dishwasher maintenance tips include loading the machine carefully without forcing too many items into the given space. Arrange cutlery with sharp knife blades pointing downwards, and hand wash any that are extremely sharp as this prevents blunting. To keep the performance at its peak you should use a lime remover once a month.

Washing Machines

Common problems with washing machines cover damage to the inner drum caused by coins or metal objects left in garments which can end up with your clothes being torn, and lead to leaks. Hard items can scratch, and loose items can clog up hoses and filters. Using the wrong detergent or too much detergent can harm the machine’s control, and not cleaning out the filter can interfere with the safety of the vent.

Tips from the pro: Make it a routine to check the pockets of clothing before putting them in the machine, and never machine wash anything with heavy metal fasteners. Turn clothing inside out so that buttons don’t scratch, zip up zippers, and use mesh bags for items with wires. Don’t overload the machine either as this can create additional wear on bearings and suspension – make sure you follow the manufacturers guide to load size.

Oven/Cookers

Blunt force trauma to a glass or ceramic oven top is the easiest way to break them! The wrong cleaning products can also cause cosmetic damage so make sure you only use those recommended by the manufacturer. Using the wrong pans with concave bottoms, or ones that are too large will trap heat and cause surface cracks on expensive kitchen appliances.

Tips from the pro: Always use pots and pans with flat bottoms that fit the burners. Clean up any spillages and food debris as soon as you can to avoid clogging burners, and destroying burner coils. Clean the door seal regularly with warm water and a sponge to keep rubber gaskets efficient. Remember to keep the oven door closed when cooking as opening them can lose heat, making your oven work harder to heat back up again, as well as stopping baked goods from rising!

Tumble Dryers

Any build-up of lint or fluff in the tumble dryer filter will dramatically reduce the air flow, making your dryer work harder and possibly cause a domestic fire. This extra work load can also contribute to increased running costs and breakdowns.

Tips from the pro: Make sure you’ve got adequate ventilation with proper vents that don’t kink or split. Remove any lint from filters, air vents, and around the door every time you use the machine. Also, check and clean the vent hose regularly. Don’t overload the dryer drum – more space gives more even drying as the air circulates.