Living in an environmentally conscious way involves many different aspects of your lifestyle, from creating an eco-friendly garden to cutting back on single-use plastic. If you’re ready to add another eco-friendly element to your life, how about trying to reduce the number of new appliances you buy?
But appliances break so easily, don’t they? Well, not necessarily. Before you rush out to buy a new toaster, these tips will help you extend the life of your home appliances for the sake of the environment.
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Repair Whenever Possible
If you take a broken toaster in to be repaired (either by a repair shop or the manufacturer), you will probably be laughed out of the shop. Small household appliances aren’t typically built to last these days, by the time you’ve shelled out for the hourly labour fee to get someone to repair it, you may as well have bought three new toasters. This discrepancy doesn’t mean your broken toaster can’t be fixed. All you need is the skills to fix it—hello Youtube!—and a little time, and you might be able to repair it yourself. (Just make sure you’re paying attention to all relevant safety considerations!) When it comes to major appliances like fridges and ovens, you’d be better off going for professional appliance repair, ensuring that your expensive appliances get the best possible care and last as long as possible.
Care For Your Appliances in Small Ways
With a crammed schedule, you may not get time to clean or maintain your appliances very often. But don’t be put off the idea of taking care of your home appliances by the thought that you will need to reserve massive amounts of time to do the job adequately. Getting the tool kit out should not be necessary! Rather, be mindful of how you use them on a daily basis, and avoid the necessity of big cleans or maintenance sessions. This might mean wiping out the microwave daily, or giving the base of the kettle a wipe with an absorbent cloth when you’ve spilled a little water on it. You might run de-scaler through your dishwasher once in a while if limescale build-up is a problem in your area. Showing your home appliances some love can become second nature once you’ve been doing it a while, and is a great way to avoid a pricey replacement down the line.
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Create an Appliance Friendly Environment
One of the most effective ways to preserve your appliances is to ensure that the environment in your home is conducive to their health. Yes, they are machines, but machines get sick, too! Power surges are one of the top reasons for appliance failure, so a three-phase power installation could be a good way to get on top of this. But you needn’t make an expensive installation in order to extend the life of your appliances. Simple habitual home management practices could be enough. For example, regularly vacuuming or dusting those hard-to-reach areas like behind the fridge could ensure that the vents do not get blocked. Try to keep your home dry, as this will reduce the risk of rust forming on your appliances, which can quickly lead to their demise!
Extending the life of your home appliances is a great way to be more eco-friendly. These tips will help you keep them going as long as possible.
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