Kitchen Appliance Preventive Maintenance

Kitchen Appliance Maintenance

Introduction: Equipping a kitchen with all the major appliances we use is expensive. Most kitchen appliances cost hundreds of dollars and will last for many years if they are maintained properly. If you do not maintain them properly they will surely need replacing long before they should. It really isn’t necessary to replace kitchen appliances every few years if you just keep up with ordinary preventive maintenance.

Preventive maintenance prevents failure and expensive repairs or total failure of the appliance whereas maintenance is the actual repair of the appliance as a result of failure or not performing routine kitchen appliance preventative maintenance. All major kitchen appliances require some level of preventive maintenance.

Refrigerators:

Refrigerators suffer from a lot of use and unintended abuse. They should be inspected periodically to prevent failure. One of the first areas to inspect is the door seals around all the doors and drawers. Often they start to peel away or crack. When this happens the refrigerator ends up working overtime and reduces its efficiency and life. If the gasket seals are cracked replace them as soon as possible. It is a simple DIY task that can be performed by most homeowners. The seal should be cleaned regularly using a mild soap and water.

Pull the refrigerator away from the wall and vacuum and clean underneath it and vacuum the refrigerant coils to remove any dust. Dust that collects on the coils causes the refrigerator to work harder and reduces the efficiency and eventually the life of your refrigerators.

Cooking Range:

Make sure to wipe down the top of the range with a mild dish detergent and cloth after every use. If your oven has a self cleaning function use it regularly to remove any baked on food.

If the oven does not have a self cleaning feature place a shallow pan of ammonia in the oven over night and then clean the oven the next morning. The ammonia will help break down the baked on grime. Use mineral oil and a damp cloth to clean the glass and windows on the oven.

Dishwasher:

Always rinse the dishes prior to putting them into the dishwasher. Dishes coated with food will not necessarily dissolve and flush out of the dishwasher drain system.

Clean the door seal regularly to prevent leaks. Use a lemon based dishwasher detergent for best results for cleaning and to keep the inside of the dishwasher looking like new.

Garbage Disposal:

Use your garbage disposal regularly including turning it on every time you place garbage in it. Periodically run a lemon through the garbage disposal. The acidic lemon juice will help clean and sharpen the garbage disposal blades.

Microwave:

The microwave is the most used appliance in the kitchen. Insure that it is clean before and after every use.  Always use a cover of some sort on top of food heating in the microwave to prevent spatter. A paper towel will work just fine. Wipe the microwave down with a mild dish detergent and damp cloth when it becomes dirty. Remove and clean the tray at the bottom of the microwave periodically. Never place metal or tin foiled item in a microwave. It will cause the unit to short out and immediately fail. Occasionally boil a container of water with lemon juice to help clean and make the inside sparkle. The lemon will help to break down any stuck on food so that you can easily wipe it away.

By performing kitchen appliance preventive maintenance will permit your appliance to last for many years and save you a lot of expense in either repairs or replacement.

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