Bergen County Home Appliance Maintenance

Caring for Your Washing Machine

• Check the Hoses Regularly - Check your hoses every month or so for any cracks, bulging, or loose connections. Tighten any loose connections and replace any hoses that are damaged. As a rule of thumb, you should replace the hoses every 5 years or so. Replacing your bad hoses and tightening connections can save you from a flooded laundry room!
• Don't Wash Too Much Laundry in One Load - Overloading your washer will overwork it which can damage your washer's drum and decrease efficiency. Although it'll take more loads to get through your laundry, breaking everything into small loads can save you from waking up to a damaged washer!

Caring for Your Refrigerator

• Keep It Full - Refrigerators need thermal mass in order to maintain the proper temperature. An empty refrigerator has to work harder to keep cool, which puts a lot of strain on the appliance and can lead to more frequent repairs.
• Check & Clean the Door Seals - When food, grease, or debris build up in refrigerator seals, they can become less effective. Make sure to clean your seals 1-2 times per year with a toothbrush and a mixture of baking soda and water. Loose, damaged, or dirty seals allow cool air to seep out of your fridge, resulting in energy loss and system strain.

Caring for Your Garbage Disposal

• Don’t Treat It Like a Trash Can - While it might seem like your garbage disposal can handle anything, it is important to be careful about what goes down it. Many different types of food and kitchen waste have been found to be harmful to either your disposal or pipes - avoid putting these things down your garbage disposal: eggshells, coffee grounds, bones, fruit pits, glass, fibrous vegetables, corn husks, potato peels, onion peels, fat, & grease.
• Grind Ice Cubes - Grinding a couple of ice cubes once a month can sharpen the blades and clear away any waste stuck in the walls of your disposal.

Caring for Your Microwave

• Keep It Clean - The longevity of your microwave is heavily dependent on how often it is cleaned. Food and liquid spots that aren’t cleaned can create burn spots that damage your microwave. Be sure to clean spills and splatters right away and perform routine cleaning of your microwave at least once a month using warm water and soap.
• Cover Your Food - As food heats up, it can splatter in the microwave, potentially damaging the paint and metal in the oven. Be sure to use a microwave-safe cover to prevent this issue from occurring.

Caring for Your Oven

• Use the Self-Cleaning Feature Sparingly - The self-cleaning feature on your oven is mainly intended for major food spill situations. It can break up stubborn food spots that are too difficult to clean by hand. However, if used too often, this feature can cause damage to your oven, so be sure to limit its use.
• Clean Your Oven By Hand - Leaving burnt food in your oven can reduce its efficiency over time, so you should deep clean it at least twice a year. We recommend using a vinegar and baking soda solution to get the job done.

Looking for appliance maintenance near you? Call us or schedule service online today!