10 DIY Appliance Maintenance Tips To Keep Them Running Like New

We all have that fear. Your washing machine breaks in the middle of a cycle, flooding your laundry room. Your refrigerator shuts down after you just restocked with groceries. Or your oven stops working just before a large holiday meal. What many people don't realize is that these and other major appliance malfunctions can be avoided with just a little TLC.

I'm not talking about the kind of TLC that requires a professional handyman and a hefty bill. Rather, there are simple appliance maintenance tasks that you can do on your own, with little investment (time or money) and no prior experience. Here are 10 easy DIY appliance maintenance tips that you can do on your own in 10 minutes:

1. Verify your oven door has a tight seal. Without a proper seal, your oven can lose more than 20 percent of its heat. The result is that food takes longer to cook or cooks unevenly. To check the seal's condition, open the oven door and locate the rubber or fiberglass gasket around the perimeter of the door. Feel for any broken, torn, or deformed areas, and close the door to see if you can find any leaks. If you do, replace the seal.

2. Clean or replace dirty range hood or downdraft vent filters. Wash metal-mesh grease filters by hand in soapy water, or run them through the dishwasher. Charcoal or paper filters should not be washed. Replace them instead.

3. Clean stovetop drip bowls. Remove drip bowls from underneath your burner elements and presoak them in a cleaning solution for five minutes. Then hand wash and replace. Remember to clean drip bowls immediately after spills. If spills burn into the bowls, you might need to replace them.

4. Clean coils in your refrigerator. Dirt, dust, and pet hair can clog up refrigerator coils, restricting airflow and causing the refrigerator to work harder to keep cool. Once or twice a year, use a handheld vacuum to clean the coils and suck up any loose particles. The location of refrigerator coils varies by model, but most can be found either behind the kick plate (the front panel near the floor) or at the rear of the fridge.

5. Change your refrigerator water filter. Filters that don't efficiently remove contaminants and impurities could expose you to harmful water. Instructions for changing the filter vary by model, but most are as easy as turning the filter a quarter inch and popping it out or locking it in place. Perform this simple task every three to six months, depending on water usage.

6. Fix rusty dish rack tines. Rust on the tines of your dishwasher racks can adhere to and ruin your dishes and silverware. To solve this issue, purchase a tine repair kit, and use a sealant to adhere the replacement tips over any rusty or chipped tines. Let dry for at least 24 hours before running the dishwasher.


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