How2Day: Home Appliance Tips

The proper care of your home appliances ensures top performance. Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images
Extend the life of your home appliances by ensuring they receive the proper attention and maintenance. Be observant to performance changes in your appliances and troubleshoot issues, and your attentiveness will pay off in the form of reduced monthly energy bills.

Attend to leaky faucets immediately. "A faucet that leaks a single drop of hot water each second can waste up to 200 gallons of hot water per month, as well as the energy used to heat it," advises Duke Energy. Adjust your heater to the lowest setting possible. Scalding water is rarely necessary and can cause your heater to expend unnecessary energy.

Use the oven light feature to check on food items as you cook. "Your oven loses 25 to 50 degrees F each time you open the door, making it work harder to maintain its temperature," explains Duke Energy. Fluctuations in temperature can also decrease the quality of certain baked foods such as souffles and cakes.

If your dishes appear unclean when you remove them from the dishwasher, your unit may be in need of a few quick adjustments. Test the temperature of your hot water from the faucet in your kitchen sink. If the water barely gets warm, you may need to adjust your hot water heater settings. Also, check the detergent cup for hardened dish washer detergent to ensure an adequate amount of dishwashing solution is dispensed with each wash cycle. Running a full wash cycle that does not get your dishes adequately clean is a waste of time and money.

Clean the lint trap in your dryer regularly. Your clothes take much longer to dry if the heat cannot circulate property through the exhaust vent. Also, avoid overloading your dryer as this can cause your clothes to take abnormally long to dry. If the clothes sit damp overnight after an ineffective drying cycle, you also run the risk of mildew, which means you must re-wash and dry your entire load.

How2Day