You may not know all the little tips and tricks that can help you to get more out of your appliances. By learning about some of the things you can do to extend the life of your appliances, you can put off dealing with those bothersome repair issues and avoid spending money on new appliances for a longer period of time. Here are some home appliance repair and maintenance tips that may come as a surprise to you.

Don't put too much weight in the appliances

One of the ways you can end up damaging your appliances is to put more weight in them than what they have been designed to handle. Your owner's manual should offer you the information you need to know what the weight capacity is. If you aren't sure how much something weighs, an easy way to weigh odd shaped items is to hold them in your arms, weigh yourself, then weigh yourself without the item and subtract the difference. The amount left is what the item weighs, and now you will know if it is too heavy for your appliance.

For example, if your dishwasher rack has a maximum weight of 50 pounds and you have a bunch of heavy pans you are thinking of putting in one load, put the pans in a basket or box and weigh them first. You may need to wash them in two loads.

Use liquid detergent

While they do sell powder detergent, it is best to use liquid detergent in things like your dishwasher and clothes washing machine. Sometimes, powder detergent won't disintegrate all the way, and it will cake onto the sides of your appliance or even cause clogs.

Leave certain appliances cracked open between uses

It's a good idea to leave certain household appliances, such as the washer and dishwasher, at least cracked open when they aren't in use. This way, you can avoid them getting a musty smell. In some cases, washers can get so musty smelling they can transfer that odor onto your clean loads of laundry.

Keep appliances level

If you notice one of your appliances has some movement to it, then you want to correct the problem and be sure it is setting level. In some cases, the appliances will have legs you can twist to adjust them. If not, then you can purchase small wooden pieces at the hardware store to hammer under the short leg to make the appliance level once again.

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