How To Maintain Appliances

Whether you bought your appliances at a local outlet or a big-box store, chances are you were looking for a great product at a great price. Taking care of your appliance once you get it home can also save you cash, too, because a well-maintained product has the potential to use less energy, require fewer repairs and last longer. The following general tips can help extend the life and efficiency of your appliance, but always refer to the Use & Care Guide of your particular model.

Clothes Washers

• Fully load — without overloading — clothes washers and dryers to help boost their efficiency and life span.
• Wash the exterior of the machine regularly with mild soap and once a month, and clean the door seal with affresh™ Grit Grabber™ cloths. These are specially formulated to clean the door seal on washing machines.
• Run the cleaning cycle regularly if your model has one. The Whirlpool® Duet® Steam front loading automatic washer has a special CLEAN WASHER with affresh™ washer cycle, for instance. Using affresh Power Puck™ tablets monthly will help remove odour-causing residue from surfaces you can’t reach, helping to keep your washer smelling clean and fresh.
• Don't use too much detergent, as residue can build up and cause mechanical failure, according to the "EnerGuide Appliance Directory 2009 Tips For Saving Energy And Money", produced by Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE). Use high-efficiency (HE) detergent for HE washers.
• Replace inlet hoses after five years of use to reduce the risk of hose failure.

Clothes Dryers

• Clean out the dryer's lint screen before every load. A full screen can cause your dryer to use up to 30 percent more energy, according to "EnerGuide Appliance Directory 2009 Tips For Saving Energy And Money", produced by the OEE. 
• Clean the lint screen with a nylon brush every six months with hot water and mild detergent, or more frequently, if it becomes clogged due to a residue buildup. Dry it thoroughly before putting it back into the machine.
• Clean the exterior and interior drum of the dryer with a damp cloth and mild detergent. (Tumble a load of clean cloths or towels to dry drum.)
• Clean lint from the dryer exhaust vent every two years or so, as clogs can reduce the energy-efficiency of your dryer's blower.

Dishwashers

• Clean the exterior of your dishwasher with mild detergent and the cooled-down interior with a paste of dishwasher detergent and water. A product like affresh Dishwasher Cleaner can help remove odour-causing residue from hoses and pumps.
• Use a stainless steel cleaner, such as affresh Stainless Steel Spray for stainless steel exteriors, but avoid contact with any plastic trim.
• Clean the door seal of your dishwasher regularly and ensure that it's in good condition to avoid leaks.
• Empty the filter of your dishwasher regularly and clean the dishwasher spray arms several times a year. The efficient KitchenAid® Architect® Series II dishwasher, for instance, is the quietest machine in the industry, but the filter still needs to be cleaned periodically.

Ranges

• Use your oven's self-cleaning function periodically to clean messy spills on the bottom. The Whirlpool® 30" freestanding electric range with the SteamClean option, for instance, provides a quick and easy way to clean-up light spills, without having to use the energy required for a lengthy self-clean cycle. The SteamClean option spot cleans the oven floor in just 20 minutes without the use of any harsh chemicals or cleansers.
• Use a stainless steel cleaner, such as affresh Stainless Steel Spray for stainless steel range exteriors.
• Take special care with ceramic glass cooktops, using a special Cooktop Cleaner rather than steel wool, abrasive powder cleansers, bleach or ammonia. Smooth cooktop surfaces are best cleaned with a produc such as the affresh Cooktop Cleaner with non-abrasive pads.

Refrigerators

• Unplug the appliance and clean both the refrigerator and freezer sections about once a month with a non-abrasive, non-flammable cleanser such as the affresh Kitchen and Appliance Cleaner.
• Vacuum the condenser coils in the back of your refrigerator several times a year, to allow air to circulate. If grease, dust and pet hair build up, the motor will work harder and use more electricity, according to Buying And Operating Tips: Refrigerators, prepared by the OEE. Cleaning them may help boost the efficiency and longevity of your refrigerator.
• For best results, change your refrigerator water filter every six months. Whirlpool, Maytag and KitchenAid brand refrigerator water filters are NSF certified, for instance, but eventually those filters cannot trap any more contaminants and need to be replaced. (Whirlpool Canada even offers a Water Filter Subscription Service to make it easy!) Replace your water filter according to the manufacturer's instructions, or at least every six months.

Look for easy-to-use affresh cleaning products at a store near you!

Remember that investing in a good product initially will mean fewer repairs long term. Maytag brand™ laundry pairs are built with Maytag Commercial Technology™, for instance, which offers commercial-grade components from springs and belts to motors and side panels. These parts, designed for use in commercial applications and found in Maytag laundry pairs, boost dependability.

Get more information from the Use & Care Guide for your KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Jenn-Air or Maytag brand appliances. Plus, review our Best New Appliances gallery, and then enter to win* the all-new Maytag® freestanding electric range!

®Registered Trade-Mark/™Trade-Mark of Whirlpool, U.S.A., KitchenAid, U.S.A., Jenn-Air, U.S.A., or Maytag Corporation or its related companies. Used under licence in Canada. Used with permission.