Household Maintenance – An Organizing Necessity Part 2

Recently I talked about how household maintenance was important for a clean and organized home. There is another part of household maintenance that is not so visible. It is easy to overlook the importance of regular maintenance for our appliances.

Yet, who hasn’t experienced the Thanksgiving trauma of a stove or refrigerator that has just failed? Or the dead washer or dryer after coming home from a trip with a ton of dirty laundry? Maybe returning home after a trip and finding water standing on the floor because a hot water heater died?

In order to function efficiently and last longer our household appliances also need regular maintenance.

I have learned the hard way that it is a good idea to tune up major household appliances before a major holiday – especially those in the kitchen. Read on to find out what I do to maintain these appliances and when I schedule it.

Fall appliance maintenance:

Refrigerator

It’s important to keep door gaskets clean to maintain a good seal and make them last the life of the refrigerator. You do not want to have to replace the gaskets when they start pulling away from the door.  If the door doesn’t seal properly, the refrigerator must run longer to cool, and it will run up your electric bill.

Clean the gaskets with warm water and a sponge or rag. Don’t use detergents because they can damage the gasket. Clean the grate under the fridge and back panel once a year. When coils are clogged with dust, pet hair, or cobwebs they can’t efficiently release heat. This means your compressor works harder which will use more energy and shorten the life of your refrigerator.

Icemaker

My only icemaker is in my refrigerator and I don’t use it but if you have an icemaker or water filter change the filter at least every 6 months. Check your manual for more details.

Oven

If you have an oven with a self-cleaning option, use this option every 6 months (or after the cherry pie overflows and makes a real mess). After the oven is thoroughly cool, wipe it down with water and white vinegar.

Clean an oven without the self-cleaning option about every 3 to 6 months. Of course, the best time to clean an oven is as soon as you have a mishap or notice that it is dirty. It’s a lot easier to clean if overflows and splatters don’t get reheated several times.

Stove

Whether your stove top is electric or gas it should be kept clean at all times. If you have a burner that won’t light, there is probably spilled food clogging the igniter. Clean it with a toothbrush to gently loosen the food. Also make sure that the round ceramic seal strike plate is properly seated on the burner.

If the stove top is a smooth surface, it is easy to wipe off after every use – once it has cooled. as you’re cleaning the kitchen counters. Use a mixture of 8 oz. of water, 8 oz of vinegar, and a touch of lemon juice.

Kitchen exhaust fan

The kitchen exhaust fan should be regularly cleaned to make sure it is working efficiently. If you use it often, it should be cleaned every 3 months.  It is important to clean it to remove grease and prevent fires.

Dishwasher

When cleaning the dishwasher use the white vinegar and water mixture. If your dishwasher isn’t getting dishes clean check the filter because it might be clogged. This is something I learned while working on this blog. It is recommended that you take off the cover (check your manual if you can’t find it) and vacuum to clean off screen and then clean it with water.

While the next two items are not appliances, I feel that they are also household maintenance areas that can be overlooked.

In the early summer I check maintenance on:

Sink/shower/bath

I check the caulking at least annually to prevent water from seeping out. If water starts seeping out, you will end up with floor damage and in my case, water seeping down into my crawl space.

I don’t have a fireplace in this home but if you do, check maintenance on:

Fireplace

Clean your chimney every 50 to 70 burns depending on how green your wood is. The last thing you want is a chimney fire.

End of Summer regular appliance maintenance:

Washer/dryer

As you clean your laundry area, schedule time to vacuum lint from your dryer vent. The dryer doesn’t function at its best when lint accumulates.

Also, built-up lint inside the dryer cabinets causes more than 15,000 fires every year. Experts recommend washing the lint filter until you see water running through it about every 3 months. After you do this, check the outside dryer vent for any build up there.

I give the washer a good clean inside and then pull it out from the wall and clean behind it while checking the connections.

Water heater

You should drain some water from it each year.  Sediment collects at the bottom of the tank and causes hot spots on gas heaters that can damage the tank. On electric heaters it can cause the lower heating elements to fail. So, draining the water heater annually will lower energy bills and extend the life of the heater.

I have a contract with a maintenance company for checking maintenance on:

Furnace/AC

How often you change filters depends on your situation, but they should be changed at least every 90 days. You need to change them more often if you have pets that shed. Keep debris from collecting on your outside AC unit.

Conclusion

Remembering to maintain our appliances on a regular basis can be tricky. Help yourself remember by putting a reminder at the beginning of each month to do some regular household maintenance for your appliances. Decide what needs a little maintenance, schedule time to do it, and then just follow your plan.

If you want help setting up a maintenance plan or are working on a project and want some guidance and support, join Diane Quintana and me in our Clear Space For You virtual organizing group. The group will offer ideas, support, and gentle accountability for working on developing plans or projects.

Jonda S. Beattie, Professional Organizer owner of Time Space Organization, and co-owner of Release, Repurpose, Reorganize. She is based in the Metro-Atlanta area. As presenter, award-winning author, as well as a retired special education teacher she uses her listening skills, problem solving skills, knowledge of different learning techniques, ADHD specialty, and paper management skills to help clients.