Keeping your home safe can mean a number of things. Most commonly, it refers to keeping your home accident-free, which is something that can be tightly related to the current state of your home appliances and their maintenance.

A faulty appliance doesn’t work as well, increasing your utility bill for no reason. It can also pose a potential fire or leak threat, as well as the threat of electrocution, each of which is dangerous in its own right. With that in mind and without further ado, here are top eight home appliance maintenance tips that you can use to protect your family.

1. Know How to Load

The first thing you need to know is the exact load that various appliances have as recommended. First of all, every washing machine has its maximum load. It’s one of the first things you need to check when planning to buy one. The same goes for clothes dryers as overloading can lead to premature breakage of the drum belt.

On the other hand, a full fridge is a far more efficient one than a half-empty one, which is why buying in bulk might be your best bet.

Other than this, keep in mind that there are some kettles that are unsafe when working with less than 0.5l of water. In other words, read the manual before you start loading.

2. Keep Vibration Under Control

Another thing that people mistakenly believe is the idea that the vibration of various appliances is, for some reason, out of their hands. This is not necessarily true and this problem can often be remedied with a simple purchase of anti-vibration pads. All you have to do is add them underneath the feet of your washing machine and you’ll suddenly find yourself in a safer, quieter household.

Other than just your washing machine, you will also keep the rest of the household considerably safer, seeing as how you’ll eliminate the likelihood that the machine will bump into something else in the bathroom.

3. Be Gentle

Slamming the door or the lid on your oven, washing machine or some other appliance can have dire consequences. The door or the lid itself may be quite costly to fix/replace. Remember, this is a part that’s designed to be heat-resistant, not durable against slams.

Moreover, while they’re new, they should be able to shut tight the contents of the appliance without the need for much force. In other words, all you have to do is be a tad gentler when handling your household appliances.

4. Be Quick with the Repair

The thing with an appliance malfunction is the fact that it’s like a ticking time bomb. The longer you wait, the bigger the chance of a bigger problem spawning. A single malfunctioning part can cause even bigger damage to the appliance or cause harm to one of the household’s inhabitants.

Moreover, the bigger damage that we’ve mentioned will be more expensive to repair, which is why responding rapidly is your safest bet. For instance, if your washing machine is starting to act weird, you should look for a reliable washing machine repair center and ask for assistance.

5. Check the Seal

Amongst the most important things to check, there’s the question of the door seal. On the oven, this is an issue of energy-efficiency, seeing as how about 20 percent of all the heat leaves this way. Dishwashers are notorious for leaky seals which can result in water damage to your floors.

A similar thing happens with the fridge, which means that you will have to use more energy to reach the intended temperature. With the fridge, this is also the question of sanitary safety and hygiene. The last thing you want is for something to crawl into the fridge and tamper with your food. So, whenever possible, check if the seal is tight enough.

6. Know When to Replace the Appliance

One of the most important things you need to learn is when the time is due for you to replace the appliance. Every part has an expiration date and there’s a limited number of repairs after which there’s no longer point in trying to salvage an appliance.

Not only is this appliance a major risk for your household but it’s also quite energy-inefficient. This means that it will make your bill skyrocket and the end result will be nowhere near it. A replacement is the best possible option in this situation but you need an expert opinion on whether it’s really necessary.

7. Inspect the Hose

The hose on your washing machine or dishwasher is the last thing that people check, even though it’s one of the least expensive improvements that you could make. Still, it can be a cause of a slip with a potentially dangerous outcome.

Other than this, it can be a cause for a lot of property damage or nasty smell, both of which can just outright ruin your exterior. All you need to do is check the hose for a crack and leak. For this, you don’t have to be a washing machine expert.

8. Air Conditioner Filter

The last thing worth mentioning is your air conditioner and the filter that comes with it. The thing is that having an air conditioner with an old filter causes a series of bad outcomes. First, it causes a potential malfunction in your air conditioner. Second, it reduces its energy efficiency. Third, it causes the circulation of unwanted materials around your household, which is bad enough on its own. In other words, you should buy yourself some new disposable filters and make a replacement at least every 3 months.

In Conclusion

As you can see, there are more layers to this problem than at first meets the eye. The thing is that when an appliance is malfunctioning, you’re also dealing with a financial problem, a safety problem, and an interior design problem (all in one).

So, in order to protect your family, in many different ways, what you need to do is figure out how to best approach this problem. While every appliance has its own set of tips and rules, the above-listed tips are seen as universally applicable. They might come in as quite handy.

Patrick Adams

Patrick Adams is a freelance writer and rock-blues fan. When he is not writing about home improvement, he loves to play chess, watch basketball, and play his guitar. More than anything, he loves to spend his time in his garage, repairing appliances and creating stuff from wood.