Appliances

Maintenance, cleaning and error-code interpretation for domestic appliances.

Scope

Cleaning, consumable replacement and error-code interpretation for domestic appliances, from a washing machine to a vacuum cleaner. Nothing here needs the disassembly of a powered component.

Common failure modes

• A filter or a trap that has never been cleaned
• A drain path blocked by lint, food debris or scale
• A door seal that is dirty, distorted or torn
• An appliance out of level, which causes noise and movement
• Scale in a heating element from hard water

Sections

• Washing machines and dryers

  Washing machines and dryers: filters, seals, exhaust ducts and levelling.

  4 published

• Refrigerators, dishwashers, ranges and ovens

  Refrigerators, dishwashers, ranges and ovens: filters, coils, seals and cleaning cycles.

  3 published

• Coffee machines, kettles, microwaves and countertop equipment

  Coffee machines, kettles, microwaves and countertop equipment: descaling and care.

  2 published

• Vacuum cleaners, steam mops and floor care equipment

  The machines that clean a floor: upright, cylinder, cordless and robot vacuum cleaners, and steam mops. Belts, brush rolls, filters, hoses and the blockages that make a machine feel as though the motor has failed.

  1 published

• Dehumidifiers, humidifiers, portable air conditioners and air cleaners

  Portable and plug-in climate equipment: dehumidifiers, humidifiers, portable and window air conditioners, and air cleaners.

  1 published

All procedures in this category

• How to remove and clean the filter in a dishwasherMost dishwashers made in the last fifteen years filter the wash water instead of grinding the food up, and that filter s
• How to clean the condenser coils under or behind a refrigeratorThe condenser coils are the part of a fridge that dumps heat back out into your kitchen, and on some models they sit in
• How to clean the rubber door seal on a front loading washing machineThe rubber ring around the door of a front-loading washer is the part that stays wet. Water, lint and detergent sit in t
• How to clean the drain filter on a front loading washing machineAlmost every front-load washing machine has a filter in front of the drain pump, behind a small panel at the bottom of t
• How to clean a clogged dryer vent and lint ductLint gets past the lint trap on every load, and it settles in the duct between the dryer and the outside wall. As the du
• What the error code on my dehumidifier meansA dehumidifier with two letters on the display is either telling you something you can fix in a minute or telling you it
• How to descale a coffee maker, and whether you can use vinegarLimescale builds up inside any machine that heats water, and in a coffee machine it shows up as slower brewing, a cooler
• How to descale a kettle, and whether vinegar is safe to use in itLimescale is the chalky white crust that grows on the bottom of a kettle in a hard water area. It slows the boil, raises
• How to level a washing machine that walks, shakes or bangs on the spin cycleA washing machine that walks across the laundry floor, bangs against the wall or shakes the house on the spin is almost
• How to change the water filter in a fridge with a water dispenser or icemakerThe filter cartridge behind the grille or inside the fridge is a consumable, and it is the one piece of maintenance on a
• How to change the belt on an upright vacuum when the brush stops spinningA smell of burning rubber, a brush roll that has stopped turning, and a vacuum that pushes dirt around instead of pickin