Have you taken a chance to thank your appliances lately? If you haven’t it might be time to call home and leave them a voicemail. Think of what they do for us – they keep our food and leftovers fresh, our dishes and clothes clean, our food thoroughly cooked and delicious. Most importantly, they relieve us of the most of the constant home work that would otherwise be suffocating and oppressive. Imagine how much time you would spend (and how much your mother probably did spend) doing laundry, dishes and other chore if you didn’t have these faithful appliances.
Like all other objects, these handy, huge gadgets do have a lifespan. And, even though they last for a pretty long time, they will need maintenance, upkeep and repairs from time to time. If you have respect for these hard workers, know their projected lifespans and expected maintenance schedules in order to ensure them a long, productive life:
Refrigerator
Your technologically advanced ice box should last 13 years before you even begin to think about replacing it. However, be wary of your particular model — 28% of refrigerators with ice makers in their top or bottom freezers break within three or four years, and the same goes for 36% of fridges with side by side fridge/ freezers. Refrigerator repairs are usually pretty painless, and as long as you change the appropriate filters regularly, it’ll be nothing your local appliance repair man can’t take care of.
Oven
While you should expect to get oven repairs at least a couple of times during its lifespan, it has pretty impressive longevity: a gas range oven should last 15 years at least. Making sure to keep an eye on grease buildup is a big part of oven maintenance, as this could block important ducts and vents and make your oven work harder. Oven repairs usually have to do with wiring and gas hookup issues, so make sure to call the fire department and vacate the house if you smell a gas leak!
Dishwasher
A dishwasher should last nine years, and only 20% of dishwashers tend to break within the first four years. Of course, you could always do the dishes by hand, but who wants to deal with that headache? Dishwasher repairs are often offered by the distributor or local appliance repair men, so save yourself the time and effort and call them today.
Washing Machines
Don’t even think about replacing your washing machine for another ten years! But keep in mind that a full quarter of front loading machines require washing machine repairs within three to four years. Seems like an added nuisance, but it’s no where near as inconvenient as heading out to the laundromat to do the wash. So if you’ve already got it, don’t hesitate to maintain it.
Whether it’s dryer repair, oven repairs, or dishwasher repairs, don’t hesitate. The benefits of these handy appliances is totally worth the investment in their upkeep.
