I think most of us have a number of appliances operating in the kitchen on a regular basis. The most common ones are of course the refrigerator, oven, your gas hob, electric chimney, air fryer etc.
We are so reliant on these appliances every day that just in case there is a malfunction on any of them, it can be quite a nightmare.
If there is a breakdown, usually it is not the appliance repair costs that bother us although it does affect monthly household budgets. It is the hold up and repair time that genuinely gets to us especially when it comes to important appliances like the refrigerator.
So to prevent any potential breaks, here are a few simple tips to maintain your kitchen appliances at their optimum levels.
1) Maintain a cleaning schedule
You do not need to clean daily or even weekly. Most appliances will work efficiently without needing a thorough clean up.
However, you do need to maintain at least a monthly cleaning schedule for all your kitchen appliances.
Most professional repair services will tell you accumulation of dirt, oil grease, food particles etc. affect appliance health over time. In fact, they can cause your appliances to stop functioning completely. In some appliances, small parts can stop functioning if there is too much build-up of foreign substances.
Hence it is advisable to maintain a cleaning schedule where you thoroughly clean your kitchen appliances. Also note it is important to clean both from the inside and the outside. Do not think it is only the insides that need cleaning.
Mind you some appliances may require cleaning more often than others. This includes ovens, air fryers and kitchen stoves. That is because they are being used regularly and are being exposed to high heat cooking more often than other appliances.
You can clean things like refrigerators may be once a month and things like ovens twice a month. It is up to you but do try to clean at least once a month for all appliances.
2) Provide ventilation
Appliances like ovens and refrigerators can get shoved inside specially made cabinets or get enclosed with walls on at least two sides of them.
If the back of the appliance is getting over heated, there are high chances of them breaking down in the near future.
It is important that you provide proper ventilation for your appliances. If you have open kitchens where ovens and refrigerators are not enclosed, then you are relatively safe.
However, if you have walls all over and there is no proper ventilation, do try to have a fan running or move them around once in a while. Make sure your appliances are unplugged when moving them.
3) Just use them
This seems like such a weird thing to say especially as a tip to maintain an appliance. However, many a times we may buy an appliance and not use them for long periods of time. This does result in small parts of the appliances slowly giving away and not working in their optimum condition.
Just try to use your appliances regularly or at least once in a while. Do not let them sit around idle doing nothing. So things like air fryers, ovens, may be even dishwashers should be used once in a while to ensure all their parts are working properly.
Sometimes, appliances just sitting there can also gather dust that affect their overall health.
Hence if you feel it has been a while since you used a particular appliance, try to use it and keep it in proper working condition.
Final thoughts
Appliances have a number of mechanical and electronic parts in them. As with any kind of machine, you cannot avoid some issues creeping up every now and then.
However, if you do manage to keep a proper cleaning schedule, use them regularly and provide proper ventilation, you can avoid snags and glitches increasing the life of your kitchen appliances.
