To save money and make our appliances more efficient, it is necessary to carry out periodic maintenance . But don’t think that it takes great skills or that it is a time-consuming operation, in many cases you can do it yourself in no time: here’s how! Appliance maintenance: here’s how to do it
There are many appliances that require periodic maintenance. These are operations to be carried out monthly or, even better, weekly. You don’t need to do everything together, you can easily schedule this task on different days so that you can do everything little by little. Refrigerator: refrigerator maintenance is easier than you might think. The most important operation is that of defrosting, which should be carried out at least once a month. Furthermore, it would be good to clean the shelves and the filter weekly in order to guarantee hygiene and performance while saving energy waste. It is also very important to make sure that the fridge is far enough away from the wall to ensure proper rear ventilation, thus preventing overheating. It is also important to clean the rear refrigerator coil at least once a month. Washing machine and dishwasher:as far as these two appliances are concerned, it is vital to clean the filter thoroughly once a week. Furthermore, it is strongly advisable to use an anti-limescale product in order to prevent it from compromising correct functioning. To keep the internal filters and gaskets clean, once a month start a “vacuum” cycle with a good specific detergent product combined with a washing at high temperatures (90 °). You will avoid the accumulation of dirt in the exhaust pipes, also avoiding the bad smells that these accumulations cause . Iron: iron maintenance is also important. In addition to always using distilled water to prevent the steam exit holes from becoming clogged, clean it weekly by removing residues from the plate and steam holes. If you don’t use distilled water, use a specific iron cleaning product like this one every month. Vacuum: a bag or without it doesn’t really matter, if the vacuum cleaner works badly it will force you to consume much more energy and spend more time cleaning, also increasing the consumption of electricity. The filter must be disassembled after each use or once a week and cleaned well with a brush or a dust-catching cloth. Even the lower part (the one that aspires, so to speak) must be deprived of any residue of dirt, crumbs and hair. If you are lucky enough to have a garden and a compressor, once a month remove the filters and blow them thoroughly to remove all traces of dust and hair.
The boiler: maintenance for your safety Boiler maintenanceit is essential not only to limit consumption, but for your and your family’s safety. And a really important aspect: the checks must be done annually.
Unless you have the right skills, entrust yourself to a professional , to a specialized company that takes care of smoke control, efficiency and that immediately warns you if something is wrong.
Personally I feel I advise against do-it-yourself, because it is a delicate matter and not to be underestimated. The risk is that of accidents, even serious ones, and I’m sure you don’t want it! Maintenance of the oven, microwave and hob
If the oven or microwave works poorly, consumption will go up a lot and, consequently, the bill will be higher. Luckily, there are simple steps you can take to ensure it is properly maintained. Oven : every time you finish cooking, remove the trays and wash them immediately together with the other dishes. If necessary, soak them a bit to soften the encrustations. The walls, on the other hand, should be cleaned with a suitable detergent at least once a month and, to avoid the accumulation of dirt on the walls (which leads to heat dispersion), clean it after each use when the oven is lukewarm. Microwave: as regards the microwave, the internal walls should be cleaned every two weeks. In addition to this it is necessary to remove the turntable and the support in order to wash them together with the dishes. I recommend that you also remove the dust from the rear grill in order to avoid overheating. Hob : the maintenance of the simple hob is also important. The stoves, plates and their supports must be cleaned at least twice a week. This will allow you to avoid the holes from which the flame comes out from clogging and you will obtain a less expensive and more homogeneous cooking. Coffee maker and other appliances
It is important to keep even small appliances clean and efficient, such as the coffee machine, the toast plate, the blender, the mixer and everything else you use to prepare your best recipes.
The coffee machine in particular deserves attention because if full of limescale or clogged it will not only consume more, but will produce an unpleasant-tasting espresso. on the market there are special anti-limescale sachets that must be dissolved in the water tank. Once this is done, just operate the machine as if you were making yourself a coffee and let it completely empty. Then you will have to carry out other cycles with clean water in order to eliminate any residue.
Anything that has a plateit should be cleaned well cold after each use so as not to find residues in the food and at the same time avoid wasting energy. Blenders, mixers and planetary mixers must be completely disassembled at least once a week and washed carefully in the dishwasher (make sure it can be done) or by hand, with normal dish detergent.
