Washer and Dryer with detergent pods on top

Inside this edition: I am sharing on the maintenance of household appliances.

Hey, hey y’all. It’s me your girl Rainey with another epsiode for YOU – my tribe – the Rainey Crew. When you sink $300-$1000 dollars into household appliances the expectation is that they are going to last for a long time, right?  The reality is that these are machines with moving parts and things with moving parts will break in time.  This is why many stores sell warranties and extended warranties because Murphy’s Law dictates it.  It will either require maintenance or service.  We as consumers have the ability to reduce breakage, thereby reducing the need for maintenance, and service on many household appliances. 

Now I can hear you already saying things like “I am not technical”, “I don’t know about these things”, and “I rather pay someone to do it”.  Granted you could if you are made of money, or you can take one day a month to make sure your investments last for as long as possible.

Washer and Dryer

Washer and dryer with detergent

I believe we paid somewhere close to $800 for our front loader washer and dryer set.  We did buy an extended warranty. That’s because we don’t fix washing machines for a living. For the twelve years plus that we have had these household appliances we only had to call in for service once.  Here are some tips to keep your washer and dryer working for longer than the manufacturer planned:

  • Read the manual.  Before you make the call for service educate yourself as to what the problem could possibly be.  It pays to be a wise consumer. Also, use the recommended amount of detergent. Too much detergent will cause build up.
  • Empty all pockets before putting clothes in the washing machine.  Sounds like common sense right, but if you have kids (you know) anything can get into the machine’s plumbing and block the drainage of the water.  That equals a service visit.  As you can guess this did happen to us, and it was the one service visit we ever had.  I observed what the technician did fix to the problem, and now whenever the code comes up on the machine for blocked drainage I get my tool box and open the machine, remove the blockage, and the rest is history.  I have included a link to a YouTube video that I have also referred to.  DIY may not be your cup of tea, so please call for service if you need to.
  • Clean your washing machine every month.  This is especially for those of you with front loaders.  It has been a known complaint for owners of front loading washing machines of a moldy smell.  I have never experienced this, because I do two things.  One, I leave the door open after every load which allows the moisture to dry out.  Two, I use a washing machine cleaner every month using the cleaning cycle on the machine.  I have tried different products, but I have found that Clorox Washing Machine Cleaner worked the best for me.
    • Tip 1: Some things to keep in mind.  If you are in a pinch or you want to use what have on hand you can add two cups of bleach to the drum directly and run the cleaning cycle.  If you don’t have a cleaning cycle run the machine on the longest cycle on hot water only.  To be sure there is no residue bleach run one rinse cycle after, so upcoming loads are not damaged with residual bleach. 
    • Tip 2: Another tip is to run a hot water cycle with one gallon of white vinegar.  This breaks down detergent residue and hard water calcification.  If you are looking for a more natural solution this may work for you.
  • Clean the lint out of the dryer.  There are three reasons to take the time to clean the lint that accumulates in the dryer. 
    • One, if you clean out the lint after every load you dry, the air in the dryer can move more efficiently improving the dryer’s performance, thereby reducing the length of time it takes to dry (extending the life of your clothes). 
    • Two, less time drying reduces your electric or gas costs.
    • Three, a build up of lint in the dryer can in some cases lead to fires.  I found a flexible brush tool designed for this at Bed Bath and Beyond many years ago and it allows you to clean manually or with a drill attached.  You can find them at Amazon or Home Depot as well.

Clean the lint trap after every load.  I usually clean the duct twice a year, experts recommend three times or more depending on how much laundry you do, so it can definitely vary among households.

Dishwasher

The dishwasher is another one of those household appliances that we just expect to work until it doesn’t. We don’t feel like there is anything we can do, but preventative maintenance is something we can do. There are there easy things you can do to extend the life of your appliance.

  • Same as the washer and dryer.  Read the manual.  Take note of things like how much detergent to use.  This is so important because too much detergent can gunk up the moving parts, wear out others like gaskets, and restrict water flow because of build-up.
  • Run a cleaning cycle every one or two months depending on how often your dishwasher gets use.  We have a dish drawer and I clean it every two to three months.  I use a product called Dishwasher Magic and run the machine on the longest cycle as I do not have a cleaning cycle.  Like the washing machine you can use white vinegar as an alternative.
  • Clean and clear the food trap.  Again, you want to ensure the water is able to flow and does not back up to cause flooding. 

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Unit (HVAC)

There is really only one task for you here and that is to change the air filter regularly.  I do not recommend any DIY efforts beyond that here.  I cannot give you a time frame as to when to do it, because the change time can differ by manufacturer.  They can be changed every month or every three months, some are even washable.  I had washable ones for a a long time, but I have now converted to the Filtrete brand which I change every 3 months. The most important action is to do it.  It improves the performance of the appliance and helps clean the air going through the system.

Final Thoughts

These are our big ticket items.  These are the calls for service we don’t want to make especially if these household appliances are no longer under warranty.  You don’t have to come back to this post for the benefits of doing these tasks. You can use my Appliance Maintenance Checklist.

Keeping track of all these “To Dos” is pretty simple, and this is my simple 21st century trick.  Set a reminder in your calendar. Set a recurring reminder, task, or event on Outlook, Google, or Yahoo. Also remember that you only have to do the set up the machine does the work. Keep that in mind when you say that “you don’t have time” to take care of these tasks.

I have mine set for the 28th of each month. February has the least amount of days, so I can’t miss the date. I know on the 28th of the month I carry out a cleaning on my washing machine and dishwasher.  You can set up reminders for each appliance or post a reminder on the HVAC unit since the timing may vary there.  The main goal is to extend the life expectancy of your appliances with preventative maintenance, and the second is to reduce the number of service calls.  Both goals save you money in the end.