4 Things You’re Doing Wrong That Are Damaging Your Household Appliances
Aside from your house itself, your household appliances represent one of your largest one-time investments. However, unlike a house, the problem with appliances is that they can break down quite quickly if they’re used improperly. That’s why it’s important to understand any bad habits you may have that are unintentionally causing damage to your appliances. By understanding what’s wrong, you can take steps to make it right.
Overuse
If you’ve ever set your thermostat to a lower temperature in hopes of cooling your house more quickly, you may have unintentionally damaged your air conditioner. When an air conditioner operates, the air it releases stays at a constant temperature. It’s only the length of the operating cycle that determines the temperature of your home. Therefore, lowering your thermostat to an unreasonably low temperature only causes your system to run longer than necessary, thereby causing it to fail prematurely.
Overloading
While it might seem convenient to try and clean all of your clothes in a single load, this approach is likely to result in the untimely demise of your washer and dryer. A common cause of washer and dryer repair is simple overloading of these devices which makes them work less efficiently than designed. Especially in the case of a dryer, a large load prevents effective moisture removal, which causes you to run your dryer for extended periods, eventually destroying the heating element.
Lack of Cleaning
Even though an appliance is designed for cleaning doesn’t mean you don’t need to also clean that appliance. For example, many dishwashers require monthly cleaning of the various filters in the bottom of the unit. Ignoring this procedure could cause ineffective cleaning, overheating, or a variety of other problems with your appliance.
Alternative Uses
Your microwave, though useful, is not designed to heat every type of food. For instance, food with a high moisture content can create excess steam in your microwave, which can cause the interior of your microwave to rust. Since a rusty microwave can’t properly protect you from the radiation that the microwave produces, you’ll need to replace it sooner than intended because you used it improperly.
In most cases, bad appliance habits happen when you fail to read the instruction manuals that come with your appliances. Although it may seem like a waste of time, these manuals truly contain a lot of useful information that can help you extend your appliances’ life, thereby helping you save money to put toward other home improvements.