Today we buy appliances knowing that their life expectancy is limited and that sooner or later we will have to replace them. If we want to achieve long-lasting appliances, we will have to find ways to circumvent this planned obsolescence and maintain them carefully to prolong the time in which we can use them.
What is planned obsolescence?
In recent years, most manufacturers have found that they make more money from selling new appliances than from the parts and maintenance of the appliances they sell.
For this reason, they have developed a series of techniques to limit the useful life of devices. Actions such as changing the design of key parts help make old parts obsolete and, over time, make it cheaper and more convenient to buy a new appliance than to repair the old one.
What is the life expectancy of appliances?
Although the European Union, and specifically France, is fighting against this, today it is difficult to control and there is no specific regulation in this regard. Currently, the useful life of household appliances
is usually the following:
- Vacuum cleaner: from 6 to 8 years.
- Microwave: from 7 to 11 years.
- Washing machine: from 8 to 10 years.
- Dryer: from 10 to 12 years.
- Refrigerator: from 10 to 15 years.
- Dishwasher: from 13 to 15 years.
- Kitchens: from 13 to 17 years old.
How to prolong the life expectancy of household appliances?
In addition to the economic inconvenience, planned obsolescence entails the emission of waste that is difficult to recycle. So if, in addition to worrying about your economy, you are also concerned about the environment, here are some tips that will help you prolong the useful life of your appliances.
general tips
First of all, it is always advisable to read the instructions of the appliances well before starting to use them and follow them to the letter. The manuals usually include the care and maintenance requirements for each device, as well as its basic rules of use. It is especially important that you comply with the following instructions:
– Load/capacity. If the devices have a minimum or maximum amount to be used, it is important that you respect them. Failure to do so may cause the failure of circuits or mechanisms.
– Cleaning. If the engines and systems remain clean, it is more complicated for the parts to wear out and, consequently, stop working or break down.
How to maintain a washing machine?
First of all, it is important that you create the habit of checking your pockets and pants well to avoid inserting belts, coins, hairpins, and other small metal objects that can penetrate through the drum and damage the mechanisms.
On the other hand, an optimized washing machine load is important. If you wash with very little clothing, in addition to consuming too much water and energy unnecessarily, it can affect the drum during spin. The same happens if you introduce a larger load. Keep in mind that, today, washing machines hold up to 8 Kg of load once the clothes are wet (there are some that hold more, but it is indicated in the instructions).
How to maintain a microwave?
It is important that you never run it without food, as the waves can damage the circuits when it is empty.
In this case, cleanliness and the fact of using some type of protection when heating food is also very important, since the fats evaporate and condense again inside the machinery, which over time leads to breakdowns.
In addition to following our advice, if you have any doubts, always go to a technical service. Having expert help will make it possible for you to have long-lasting appliances.