HOME APPLIANCE MAINTENANCE GUIDE CALGARY
Every household these days depend on various home appliances, including Fridge, Stove, Cooktop, Oven, Dishwasher, Washer and Dryer. We cannot stress you enough to do a regular maintenance cleanup and upkeep. Making sure that your household appliances are regularly cleaned and maintained is important to not only ensuring that they work properly but to avoid costly repairs as well. We’ve listed a couple of helpful maintenance tips for each appliance to help you with your maintenance schedule.
If you do happen to need a repair for any of your appliances, give First Aid Appliance Repair a call. We have years of experience repairing every kind of appliance, no matter the brand or model. We’re confident we can make yours as good as new in no time. We service Calgary and all surrounding areas.
Refrigerator and Freezer Maintenance Tips
- Clean the coils: Clean out the condenser coils in the back of your fridge and freezer monthly. Simply take a vacuum hose with a brush attachment and run it over the coils to remove dirt, dust, and other debris. You can take a smaller brush or cloth afterwards to get debris that was left behind.
- Defrost: Defrost your freezer every 3 to 4 months to avoid ice buildup. You can do this more often if you notice continual buildup.
- Clean the door gasket: Wipe down the door gasket with warm water and baking soda every 3 to 4 months. You should also inspect it during this time to make sure that it is fitted properly.
- Replace water filter: If your fridge has an icemaker, clean the water filter regularly and replace when necessary. Only use the manufacturer recommended filters.
Dishwasher Maintenance Tips
- Clean the interior: You should clean the inside of your dishwasher at least every 3 to 4 months. Food, soap scum and other debris can easily build up and grow mold inside your dishwasher. Not only will this smell disgusting, but it prevents your dishwasher from cleaning your dishes properly. Run an empty cycle with hot water and either vinegar or baking soda to clean out the inside.
- Strainer: Washer your dishwasher’s strainer with warm water and detergent every 6 months to remove grime.
- Water supply hoses: Make sure that you are checking the water supply hoses once a year to make sure that there are no kinks or leaks in them. If you are unsure how to do this call a technician to take a look for you.
- Spray arms: Remove the dishwasher’s spray arms and clean out the gets with warm water and detergent. Be very careful when doing this so that you don’t damage the spray arms.
Oven and Stove Maintenance Tips
- Clean up spills: No matter if your use a gas cooktop or electric stove, any spills should be cleaned up immediately. After the stove has cooled down, wipe down with a damp cloth to remove grime. Once a month, remove the burners and soak them in hot water and detergent to remove caked on grime. The same with the inside of the oven, wait until it has cooled and clean up spills and crumbs off the bottom.
- Hood and exhaust fan: if your range has a hood or an exhaust fan, clean and degrease them every 3 to 4 months to avoid buildup.
- Gas Range flame: The colour of the flame on your gas range tells you if the gas is efficient. If the flame on the pilot light is blue, your range is working properly. If the flame is yellow, the gas needs to be adjusted.
Washer Maintenance Tips
- Clean spills: If you spill bleach or detergent on your washer, wipe them up immediately to avoid damage to the finish.
- Clean the interior: You should wipe down the interior of your washer every 3 to 4 months to get rid of mold and detergent build up.
- Touch ups: You can touch up gashes and cracks on the exterior of the unit with paint.
- Inspect hoses: Just like with your dishwasher, you should check the hoses on your washer annually to make sure that they are tight and free of leaks or kinks.
Dryer Maintenance Tips
- Clean spills: Just like with your washer, if you spill bleach or detergent on your dryer, wipe them up immediately. It only takes a moment, and will help keep the exterior finish in good condition.
- Lint trap: Remove the lint trap and scrap off lint into the trash after every cycle. This gets rid of buildup, ensures the dryer has proper airflow and reduces the risk of a dryer fire.
- Vents and hoses: Make sure your dryer is vented to the outside of your house. Also, make sure that the vent and hose get cleaned once a year. This also prevents buildup, ensures proper airflow and reduces the risk of a fire.