Best Cleaning Tips to Prevent Appliance Breakdowns

Some home appliances get used daily and can significantly impact your routines if they don’t work as they should. Appliance or water damage repair costs can add up, but a little bit of home maintenance can help you prevent the most common appliance plumbing issues.

Follow these tips to lower your plumbing bills, maintain your appliances, extend their lives, and get your money’s worth out of your purchases.

Clothes Washing Machine

Many homes with larger families need to run their washers multiple times daily. When the washer breaks down, it can put an instant kink in your home management routine. Keep your washer operating well with these tips:

  • Only run your washer with full loads because this saves energy and reduces the wear and tear from additional smaller loads.
  • Check all hoses on your washer for any bulges, cracks, or leaks, and replace them as needed. For longer wear, replace rubber hoses with braided steel hoses.
  • Use a filter or strainer on your washer’s water lines to keep any debris in your water lines from getting into the washer. Clean the sand and sediment out periodically for good maintenance and to prevent clogs.
  • When it’s time to replace your washer, consider a front-loading model for higher efficiency.

Your Dishwasher

Even though your dishwasher cleans your dishes, it still needs its own cleaning routine. Here are a few simple steps to keep your dishwasher in good repair.

  • Deep-clean your dishwasher by placing a glass containing two cups of vinegar on the top rack. Run a complete cycle with only the vinegar and without detergent. The vinegar removes musty smells, hard water deposits, and other debris.
  • Run your dishwasher daily if possible. This practice prevents sediment in the water supply lines.
  • Check the trap in your dishwater regularly. You’ll find it underneath the lower sprayer arm at the bottom of your dishwasher. Remove the trap, and rinse it out if possible. Check for any silverware, large food particles, or other debris, and clear them out.
  • You probably have hard water if your glasses come out of the dishwasher with a cloudy residue. Consider adding a water softener to get your dishes cleaner and to protect your dishwasher’s hoses and pipes from buildup and corrosion.

Kitchen Garbage Disposal

The garbage disposal makes cleanup so much easier after cooking and mealtimes. When it’s clogged, you notice. Keep these tips in mind to keep your garbage disposal free and clear for the long haul.

  • Keep your disposal clean and fresh by putting ice cubes down it a few times each month to sharpen the blades, and dish soap and cold water periodically to clean out the disposal and to remove odors.
  • Don’t put any cooking or other oils and fats down your disposal. When you run the disposal, only use cold water. If you use hot water, grease and oils liquefy, flow together, and solidify into a hard mass that clogs your disposal and the drain pipes.
  • Cut up larger items into smaller chunks, especially fibrous vegetables. Try to avoid putting pasta or rice down the disposal at all because they can swell even larger and cause a clog.
  • Do not use traditional drain cleaning products if your disposal is not working. The clog could be caused by a piece of food or a utensil that unknowingly fell into the disposal. Instead, turn off the power source to your disposal, and use tongs or long-nose pliers and a flashlight to remove debris from the blades.

When Home Maintenance Is Not Enough

Life is great when your appliances work as they should. If you live in or around Macon, GA and an appliance breaks down, call us immediately because any resulting water leaks or damage can become very costly within a short period.

Water damage in the walls, underneath the tile, or in other locations is not easy to spot immediately. At A-1 Plumbing, our professional plumbers can quickly diagnose and expertly repair your home’s plumbing problems to save you money and time while letting you get back to your daily routines.