Preventative Home Maintenance Saves You Money

Preventative home maintenance is as important a part of frugality as being a careful shopper. In today's consumption-based economy, it seems that our philosophy has changed. Our parents and grandparents fixed things. My grandparents had a refrigerator for more than 30 years. In our disposable culture, we throw things away, almost without a second thought, replacing them with the next of a usually long succession of similar items.

As those who have concern for the environment point out, this behavior has solid consequences. Our landfills are filled to the brim with waste. In terms of frugality and quality of life, the time, effort and small amount of money involved in the repair of household appliances allows us to keep our hard-earned dollars for more important things.

The concept of taking something apart to fix it may seem a bit intimidating to the inexperienced or the beginner. But there is no need for worry. There are many resources, both online and in the library, available with very simple, step-by-step instructions, diagrams and photographs, written especially for the uninitiated. In addition, the most common problems with household appliances are relatively simple and fairly easy to repair.

Aside from such straightforward items as the average table lamp, most small household appliances fall into three general categories of operation and purpose. There are things that heat, like toasters, drip coffee makers and space heaters. There are things that move air in or out, like vacuum cleaners and fans. There are others that turn things, like electric mixers and blenders.

When a small appliance malfunctions or stops functioning completely, it is frequently due to something simple, as most of these items are really not that complex. However, before attempting any inspection of internal parts or repair, unplug the item. Failure to do so can result in serious injury.

Start with the simple possibilities. Perhaps there is a break in the inner wiring of the cord or the plug. This is especially common with household fans, table lamps and vacuum cleaners and is quite inexpensive to repair. The problem could lie inside of the appliance; wires may be broken or terminals could be dirty or loose. Two wires could be touching, or perhaps a wire has vibrated loose and is touching an inner metal part. Bad connections, easily repairable, are far more common than more serious problems. Carefully looking over the appliance is often enough to determine if one these are the source of the difficulty. However, an inexpensive tool called a multimeter can be useful.

The problem could be simply the on-off switch. Check this by turning it on and off, feeling whether or not it is missing the usual click feeling or sound, if it is loose in its place or difficult to move. If it is sticking, try cleaning it. Make sure the wires are connecting properly. If the switch is broken, it can often be replaced without too much difficulty or expense.

Inspecting the inside of the appliance may reveal that dust has collected and is interfering with electrical connections or that it has clogged the motor or hampered the movement of what the motor moves. A good cleaning may do the trick. A cotton swab with rubbing alcohol may be used for hard-to-reach places. Blowing it out with pressured air is not recommended. The dust could be forced into areas much harder to clean, or the pressure may disturb the functioning of other inner parts.

The drive belts, the rubber parts that work to turn brushes, pulleys and the like, may have slipped, become stretched and loose or even broken. This is especially common in vacuum cleaners and clothes dryers.

Even large household appliances can be repaired by a do-it-yourselfer that is capable of following directions. As with small appliances, often the problem is something simple.

For example, with refrigerators, dusty and dirty condenser coils can interfere with cooling. In washing machines, a common source of malfunctions is a baby sock or other small item getting sucked into the pump.

Before you decide that it is definitely broken and in need of repair, look behind and make sure that it has not accidentally come unplugged. It is embarrassing, not to mention expensive, to have a professional come to your house and plug it in for you.

For most major household appliances, there are a great number of Web sites that can provide information specific to the exact model in question. Many have a system for answering individual questions and excellent troubleshooting assistance. The library will have several publications of a more general nature, but still full of precise information and pictures.

If you are going to investigate the possibilities of repairing it yourself, do not forget to unplug the appliance before you start. Do not work alone, just in case something happens. The moral support will be useful, as will having someone to read the directions aloud while your hands are busy.

In learning to do such repair work, not only will you preserve what you have, thus saving money, but you will amaze yourself with what you can do. In addition to the pride of accomplishment, you will demonstrate wonderful things to your children. Teaching children that the ability to diagnose and repair a mechanical problem is not related to gender is almost as valuable as the mechanical skills that are developed to perform the task. In addition, they learn about conservation and discover the value of good reading and comprehension skills in real life situations.