Your Appliance Spring Cleaning Checklist

It’s tough to imagine tackling the various spring cleaning projects around your home without essential cleaning appliances like vacuums, washers and dryers. In fact, some appliances are such a part of the cleaning routine that it’s easy to forget that they need to be cleaned, too. Regular cleaning is also essential to keep your appliances performing their best.

It’s important to check the use and care manual or contact your appliance manufacturer for specific cleaning advice, particularly if you are using a disinfectant. Some disinfectants can damage the interior or exterior of your appliances. (Before you dive into your cleaning routine, it’s useful to understand the difference between cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing.)

Here’s a quick checklist of spring cleaning tasks that will keep your home sparkling and your appliances in top shape:

• Refrigerator coils: The dust, dirt and debris that builds up on your refrigerator coils can make the appliance use more energy to keep what’s inside cool. A coil brush and vacuum will help you with the coil cleaning and removing other dirt that has accumulated behind or under your refrigerator.
• Clothes dryer: Your interior venting system, or the material that leads from your dryer to your dryer vent, should be cleaned once a year by a qualified service technician. Blockages can lead to longer drying times. Also, check behind your dryer and remove any trapped lint and debris, and remove lint from in and around the drum.
• Oven and range: It’s much better to do a little bit of cleaning after every use than to wait until you can’t avoid cleaning your oven and range. Spills and built-up residue can hinder your oven’s performance and affect the flavor of the foods you cook. Refer to your oven or range’s use and care manual for specific cleaning instructions, but warm soap and water or vinegar and water are unlikely to damage any finish.
• Vacuum: Make sure your vacuum is doing its best to keep your floors clean. Change the bag or empty the canister according to the manufacturer’s guidelines, clean the brush roll and replace the belt as needed.
• Water filter: Replace your refrigerator water filter every six months, or on the schedule recommended by your refrigerator’s use and care manual. It’s extremely important to purchase replacements only from reputable sources to reduce the chances you’ll end up with a counterfeit model.
• Indoor air:  April showers may bring May flowers, but with those flowers, buds and blossoms come less welcome allergies. The EPA estimates that indoor air may contain double to five times as many pollutants as the air outside. Room air cleaners, vacuums and washing bedding in hot water can help you fight the main indoor allergens: pollen, mold and mildew, animal dander and tobacco smoke. In addition to those pollutants, many people now look to room air cleaners as an important tool for reducing microbiological pollutants like viruses, bacteria and mold. Anyone looking to create a healthier home environment should consider adding a room air cleaner.