Between your culinary escapades and cleaning up the aftermath, your kitchen appliances go through a lot. You rely on your refrigerator, oven, and dishwasher on a daily basis, but they can’t do all the work on their own. You need to commit to routine maintenance if you want your kitchen appliances to live long and useful lives.

Carolina Appliance Service has been Matthews, NC’s solution to appliance repair for the past 23 years. Their team is there for you when your refrigerator clunks out, but they also offer advice to help you avoid costly repairs.

Here are a few tips from the local experts on what you need to do to keep your kitchen appliances in good condition:

• Refrigerator Maintenance: The biggest thing to remember about refrigerator maintenance is the importance of the condenser coils. They inevitably become coated with dirt, grime, pet hair, and mysterious debris you’d rather not identify. This puts additional stress on the appliance’s other parts and could cause the refrigerator to overheat. To clean the coils, remove the grill either on the back or the bottom of the refrigerator and use a broom or vacuum.
• Stove & Oven Maintenance: Most oven and stove repairs happen because of simple dirt and grime. You should clean both your stove and oven on an as-needed basis, but it’s important to get the job done before the grease and debris causes operational problems. Consult your appliance owner’s manual about the best way to clean the interior of the oven. For the stovetop, it’s recommended to use a razor blade to scrape off burned food from around the burners and in the drip pans.
• Dishwasher Maintenance: Believe it or not, dishwashers need to be cleaned every few months. Washing dishes in a dirty dishwasher is like using a mud-soaked sponge to wash your car. Your dishes won’t come out clean, and food particles will wear down appliance parts. Try placing a cup of white vinegar on the top rack of your otherwise empty dishwasher and running it with hot water. This process will remove calcium buildup.

These maintenance tips will help keep your appliances up and running, but avoiding appliance repairs isn’t always possible. When you need reliable service, call Carolina Appliance Service at (704) 847-0004. You’ll also find more appliance tips online and on their Facebook page.