Good blenders don't come cheap these days, and you'll want to protect your investment by using and cleaning it properly. If you avoid these blender blunders, you should have a pristine working appliance for years to come.
Wash With Care: When cleaning the carafe, the glass pitcher that holds the food or drink, it is okay to use the dishwasher. Carafes are usually thick and durable, making them more than capable of standing up to the dishwasher's aggressive cleaning methods. If you have a plastic carafe, however, you may want to wash it by hand instead. The blade and lid should also be washed by hand. The blade, depending on what it's made of, may have the tendency to rust, and the plastic it is connected to could warp or crack. The top is usually made out of a durable rubber, but the high heat of the dishwasher could damage it. If you wash the top and carafe by hand, let them air dry and are careful around the blades, these pieces should last indefinitely.
Don't Over Use: The motor in your blender is much more fragile than the motor in your car or lawn mower. It's not intended to be in constant use for hours. Give your blender some time to rest in between uses, and try not to run it for too long at any one time.
Store It Properly: Once all parts of the blender have been cleaned, reassemble it immediately, and store in a dry place. Storing the parts separately could result not only in losing crucial pieces but also dulling of the blades. Blender blades are difficult to sharpen and, if cared for properly, they shouldn't need to be sharpened at all.
Use Only As Directed: Blenders have a fill line for a reason. Fill them too high, and they might not be able to handle the load, causing the motor to die prematurely. Help your blender's motor by adding the liquid first when making a mixture that includes both liquids and solids-a smoothie with orange juice, strawberries and ice, for example. This will allow it to get some motion started, and it won't have to exert itself as hard. If you could crush the ice partially beforehand as well, your blender would be much obliged.
These steps may seem obvious, but blenders blow out every day from poor care. If you look after your investment, and clean it properly, there's no reason your blender can't last as long as any of your other household appliances like your TV or vacuum.
 | If you are looking for a blender, you will need to know a few important facts to get the most for your needs and investment. |
 | Arm yourself with the right frugal kitchen products, and your kitchen will be a source of savings for your family. Here are several great products to consider adding to your kitchen arsenal. |
 | Basic electric blenders aren't usually worth taking to a repair shop should they become broken. Labor charges would surely be more than the cost of a new blender. |
Learn what features you need and which ones you can do without with this guide to blenders and buying advice. |
