It is said that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of prevention.” This is pretty much relevant to everything. It can be said about a situation or a materialistic thing, such as vehicles or normal home appliances.
For home appliances,regular appliance maintenance becomes extra essential. Appliances like fridges, washing machines, ovens, etc are used regularly in homes. They make our lives easier by assisting in various tasks. Even small malfunctions in these devices can turn out to be a headache for a person.
Regular maintenance is the key to better efficiency, productivity, and longer life of appliances.
In this article, we will learn how regular maintenance can impact devices, and we will also go through some effective tips for maintaining major home appliances.
Why Regular Maintenance is Important
Regular maintenance of an appliance includes regular inspection or machine services. They are done regularly whether that be daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
It is a type of preventive measure in which machine operators perform small tasks or checks to increase the reliability and extend the life of the machines they use in routine. Performing regular maintenance reduces the chances of emergency maintenance and keeps the appliance running for a longer time.
Regular maintenance of appliances serves the following benefits
Increase in Asset Lifespan – One of the major benefits of regular inspection of appliances is that it increases the lifespan of the device.
Regular checking of the device helps in maintaining the good condition of appliances, allowing it to work longer, and saving the cost of new equipment.
The average lifespan expected of some common home appliances, if maintained properly, is as follows
Decreased Risks of Breakdown – preventive inspections help in detecting problems at a minute stage, which requires low cost and effort to fix. Only performing maintenance after failure [puts the appliances at risk of low productivity and can be heavy on the budget.
Strengthened Brand Image and Customer Satisfaction – Regular inspections ensure minimum breakdowns and a longer lifespan of the device with longer productivity. This satisfies the customer. Therefore, strengthening brand image.
Work Efficiently – Regular measures help maintain good conditions of products, hence maintaining quality services and increasing the efficiency of the product.
More Economical – All the points listed somehow correlate to saving money. Unplanned or emergency maintenance costs approximately 3 to 9 times more money than preventive maintenance, so it is better to check your appliances regularly.
Practical Maintenance Tips for Major Appliances
Certain appliances in our home need regular maintenance and inspection to work efficiently and longer.
The following tips can guide you in maintaining some common home appliances
1. Refrigerators:
Clean your refrigerator from the inside and outside to prevent odors and bacteria. You can use a mild detergent and a cloth for it
Check the gasket for any leakage or wear and tear. Cool air can escape if the gasket isn’t sealed properly.
Defrost and clean the freezer regularly. Ice build-up can lead to malfunction or reduced efficiency of the fridge.
Do not keep piping hot food directly into the fridge.
2. Washing Machines:
Put the advised quantity of clothes in the machine. Overloading can cause reduced spin efficiency or can lead to breakage.
Regularly clean the filters to prevent the filters from clogging.
After you finish washing clothes, leave the machine open for 15–20 minutes to allow the air to circulate, preventing mold growth.
Use the correct type of detergent considering your washing machine. For instance, high-efficiency machines work best with low sudsing detergents.
3. Dryers
Cleaning the lint filter after every use reduces the risk of fire.
Clean dryer vents at least once a year.
Don’t overload the dryer and put the advised amounts of clothes at once.
Vacuum behind and underneath the dryer, as dirt and lints can get easily trapped in it.
4. Dishwashers:
Do not overload your dishwasher, properly load your dishwasher. Maintain spaces between the dishes to allow water, detergent, and air circulation.
Select the right washed cycles according to the requirements.
Use a rinse aid to avoid the surface tension of water and help dishes dry faster.
Unload the washer from the bottom after cleaning.
5. Ovens:
Check the door gaskets for damage.
Use industrial-grade oven cleaners to clean ovens for hygienic and safe usage of ovens.
Use suitable dishes and utensils while cooking in the oven. Make sure to use deep pots with lids made with oven-friendly material.
Do not use the self-cleaning option often, as it heats the oven to 500 degrees for a long period, which might damage the oven.
DO YOU KNOW?Only 10% of industrial appliances truly wear out from proper use. The rest of the 90% of mechanical problems are preventable problems that arise due to neglect or lack of preventive measures.
The Financial Benefits of Maintenance
There are several financial benefits of maintenance. Some of these are-
Low Repair Cost – Preventive measures help in detecting a problem at a minute stage, which saves huge amounts of money.
Extended Lifespan – Proper maintenance helps in extending the lifespan of appliances. Saving from premature replacement bills.
Prevents Unexpected Collapses – Unexpected collapses can be costly to repair.
Prevents Safety Issues – Equipment failure can cause serious safety concerns, regular maintenance prevents such issues.
Why It’s a Smart Investment
We all have heard the saying,” Precautions are better than cure”.
Similarly, taking preventative measures or regular maintenance is an excellent way to increase the lifespan of an appliance, avoid huge repair bills, detect minute avoidable issues in the appliance, avoid unexpected breakdowns, etc.
All of this can be prevented by Regular maintenance activities that will result in significant savings.
Regular inspections take a small amount of time and effort and give big rewards of it. It saves you from the hassle of the arduous repairing process or premature changing of appliances. Therefore, Regular maintenance is a smart investment.
