Shecky’s

No one really wants to clean those hard-to-reach, hidden areas in and around their appliances, but it really pays off in the long run! After 30+ years of working with home appliances, I’ve diagnosed countless appliance problems that could have been avoided with just a little routine maintenance. Whether you’re a whiz with a mop, a wood-polishing fanatic, or one of those I-only-clean-when-I-have-guests-coming-over types, these are easy ways to keep heavily-used appliances looking and operating like new.

Dryer: A restricted airflow can create dangerous heat build-up in the dryer. Clearing the lint trap after each use sometimes just isn’t enough. You should actually examine the external vent cap located outside of your house regularly. Look at the vent while your dryer is tumbling about and make sure the slats are moving freely. Remove buildup with a damp, lint-free cloth or a hand-held vacuum duster. Not too glamorous, but it’s gotta get done!

Back inside, examine the dryer’s vent pipe, which is located at the bottom of your dryer’s back side and attached to the exhaust pipe. Remove all lint buildup (eek) from inside of the vent pipe with a vent cleaning brush (available at appliance parts depots).

-Steve Ash of partselect.com

Steve Ash is Senior Repairman at PartSelect.com, the complete online resource for the do-it-yourself repair market and official home of the Instant Repairman. Steve works to equip Do-It-Yourselfers with the knowledge and confidence to complete home appliance repairs. With PartSelect.com, Steve has created hundreds of instructional videos to guide DIYers through basic and complicated appliance repairs and maintenance.

Photo credit (woman doing laundry): allyou.com