Appliances: Helpful Tips for Seniors
Appliances need servicing from time to time. For all of us, having a fridge, washer, dryer etc. break means expense and time waiting on the repairman. Our friend, Fred Kaye of A-1 Appliance & Refrigeration Service in Palme Beach county, Florida has been kind enough to share some professional tips to help our appliances worker better—- and longer. Family caregivers, elderly parents, older adults, and busy Boomers don’t need the extra stress of household fixes.
Fred Recommends:
Dishwashers & Garbage Disposals, if they aren’t draining properly, call for service. Do Not add drain cleaner.
Fridges – Change water filter every 6 months. Clean front and back grills.
Washer – Change rubber houses to woven steel hoses.
Dryers – Replace ripped or torn lint filters.
Washers & Dryers – Let the machines cool down between loads. Do one or two a day and space out the loads.
Gas Ranges – DO NOT USE if oven takes too long to ignite or makes a banging noise.
Electric Range -Look for hot spots on burners and elements, change them if detected.
He adds, about ODORS:
Washers: fill machine with hot water, add 1 cup of bleach and 1 cup of white vinegar, then run cycle.
Fridge: Clean inside of the machine with a baking soda solution. Place 2 or 3 charcoal brickets on a flat plate, change every week till odor is gone.
Garbage disposal: Run ice cubes through the machine.
Dishwashers; Clean food out of bottom of machine, Place 2 mugs on top rack, FACE UP, one with bleach, the other with white vinegar and run a cycle.
Seniors living alone don’t need the aggravation of broken down appliances. These tips help extend term of your major applances. These are recommendations, if you need to call a repairman, please do so. It is hard for some elderly adults to maintain their household in terms of cleanliness. Hiring a cleaning person is very helpful. Home Care aides will provide light housekeeping but that may not include scrubbing the appliances, but rather keeping them reasonably clean and food up to date.
