HOME HERO
LARGE APPLIANCES
Protecting Your Large Appliances
Many of us have experienced a large appliance unexpectedly dying and the replacement cost hundreds of dollars that we were planning to use elsewhere.
What if we could make our appliances last years longer?
With the right maintenance, you may get years more life out of your appliances. Proper maintenance of the first appliance on our list may even save your life…
We will cover maintenance for the following appliances:
Clean Your Dryer Vent
The U.S. Fire Administration reports that 2,900 home clothes dryer fires are reported each year and cause an estimated 5 deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property loss. The video below demonstrates how easily built up lint can catch fire with a single spark.
Protect your home and family by cleaning your dryer’s filter before each load and cleaning out your dryer vent regularly. The dryer vent is the long tube that connects your dryer to the exterior of your home. The U.S. Fire Administration recommends you clean the dryer vent every three months.
Watch this excellent video from ABC Emergency Training to learn the tools and methods to clean your dryer vent properly.
Thank you to ABC Emergency Training for making this excellent video
Cleaning the dryer requires removing lint and residue from three parts of the dryer:
- The Dryer Vent Duct
- The Area Directly Below the Removable Filter – this area is frequently forgotten, however frequently contains even more lint than dryer vent
- The Dryer Filter
Maintain Your Washing Machine
Have you ever used a musty smelling washing machine?
Washing Machine require two types of recurring maintenance:
- Most manufacturers recommend you run a cleaning cycle with a cleaning agent monthly
- Most manufacturers recommend you clean the filter in front of the water ejection pump monthly
Running a cleaning cycle is not difficult. Many washing machines have a “Clean Tub” cycle option, if not, run the hottest cycle possible. You can use a cleaning agent like, Affresh (not an affiliate), or some people prefer to use baking soda and vinegar. The cleaning cycle should be run with no laundry in the tub .
Running the cleaning cycle may dislodge some gunk that will be caught in the filter. Immediately after the cleaning cycle is the best time to clean your filter. This filter stops gunk, coins, and even small socks from being sucked into your washing machine’s water ejection pump and damaging it. Eventually this filter becomes full of gunk and needs to be cleaned. Watch the excellent video below to see how this is done.
Finding your filter (if you have one) will vary depending on your make and model. Frequently, the quickest way to find your filter is to open YouTube and enter your washing machine make and model and the words “clean filter” and you will likely find some helpful person showing exactly how to find and replace the filter of your exact washing machine. If this fails, you can look it up in your washing machine’s manual or even call the manufacturer for technical support.
Watch the excellent video below to see how this is done.
Thank you to Pan The Organizer for making this excellent video
One caveat – Home Hero does not recommend spraying the rubber gasket of your washing machine with a vinegar solution after each load unless specifically recommended by your washing machine’s manufacturer. Wiping the rubber gasket with a dry cloth is sufficient.
Tools you will need:
- Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner – place into washing machine and run “tub clean” cycle (or hottest cycle possible) before cleaning washing machine filter
- Cleaning Rag
- Old Toothbrush – to clean the gunk off your washing machine filter
- Silicone Grease – to ensure gasket to filter compartment is watertight when closed
Lastly, fabric softeners can leave behind a waxy residue that collects in your washer and can reduce the life of your washer. Try an experiment by washing your clothes without fabric softener for 2 weeks. You may find you don’t even notice the difference, and can eliminate fabric softener to extend the life of your washing machine.
Clean Your Dishwasher Filter Weekly
Did you know there is a removable filter in your dishwasher that you are supposed to remove and clean weekly?
Neither did I! When the appliance repair man replaced our burned out dishwasher pump motor, he showed me how to take it out and clean it. There was months of slime accumulated on it. It was so gross that I vowed to never forget to clean it again.
Finding your dishwasher filter will vary depending on your make and model. Frequently, the quickest way to find your filter is to open YouTube and enter your dishwasher make and model and the words “clean filter” and you will likely find some helpful person showing exactly how to find and clean the filter of your exact dishwasher. If this fails, you can look it up in your dishwasher’s manual or even call the manufacturer for technical support.
Tools you will need:
- Old Toothbrush – to clean the gunk off your washing machine filter
Clean Your Range Hood Filter
Did you know there is a removable filter in your range hood that you are supposed to remove and clean?
If not, have you ever cleaned your stovetop, then afterward noticed big drops of oil on your stovetop even though you have cooked anything yet?
You are not crazy. Your range hood filter is so full of oil that it is now dripping down onto your stove top. Yuck! Fortunately range hood filters are easy to remove and clean; many filters are even dishwasher safe!
Removing your range hood filter will vary depending on your make and model. Frequently, the quickest way to find your filter is to open YouTube and enter your range hood make and model and the words “clean filter” and you will likely find some helpful person showing exactly how to find and clean the filter of your exact range hood. If this fails, you can look it up in your range hood’s manual or even call the manufacturer for technical support.
Maintain Your Refrigerator
Your refrigerator may be working harder than it needs to.
Refrigerators require two types of recurring maintenance:
- Most manufacturers recommend you clean your refrigerator coils annually.
- If your refrigerator automatically makes ice or has cold filtered water, most manufacturers recommend you replace your water filter every six months
Finding your refrigerator water filter (if you have one) will vary depending on your make and model. Frequently, the quickest way to find your filter is to open YouTube and enter your refrigerator make and model and the words “replace filter” and you will likely find some helpful person showing exactly how to find and replace the filter of your exact refrigerator. If this fails, you can look it up in your refrigerator’s manual or even call the manufacturer for technical support.
All refrigerators have coils that eventually become covered with dust. Cleaning these coils will allow your refrigerator to maintain cold temperatures much more easily and may extend the life of your refrigerator. Watch this excellent video to see how to clean your refrigerator coils.
Thank you to AmplifyDIY for making this excellent video
Test Your Sump Pump
You may have a sump pit and pump in basement that protects your home from water that leaks in from the exterior.
This pump should be tested regularly to ensure the pump is ready to protect your home when needed. Manufacturer’s testing frequency recommendations vary from every 3 months to once year, so check your manual.
Follow these steps to test your sump pump:
- Make sure the pipe that water is ejected through is undamaged and nothing is blocking the end of the pipe outside your home
- Pour a full 5-gallon bucket of water into the sump pit to confirm the pump turns on automatically and the water is successfully ejected outdoors.
If your pump fails to turn on automatically, there may be a number of causes. The pump might not be getting power, the float that automatically turns on the pump may be stuck, or the pump itself may be broken. Check out this excellent troubleshooting guide from DoItBest.com.
Also check out the video below and confirm your pump has a weep hole drilled into the PVC pipe at the recommended location. This simple hole fixed the sump pump in my home!
Thank you to Everyday Home Repairs for making this excellent video
Sump pumps typically work for about ten years, however your time may vary based on how frequently the pump is used and the quality of the water.
If your sump pump must run frequently to keep your basement dry, consider installing a secondary battery-powered backup pump (installed higher than your primary pump). This backup pump will keep your home safe and dry, even during a power outage or when the primary pump fails.
Talk to us
Have any questions? We are always open to talk about your home and how we can help you.