One home organization and care task that’s often overlooked is is appliance maintenance — unfortunately, most people only bring in a professional or do a check-up when things go wrong with their home components. Preventative care and check-ups can save you money and headaches in the long run. If you catch an issue early enough or get your appliances tuned up when they’re supposed to, you could avoid having to prematurely replace them.
If you’re keeping maintenance on the top of your mind, you’ll likely take better care of the component on a daily basis. Understanding how much replacements will cost should have a similar effect, as attaching a real money value to items helps you see their true value.
ForSaleByOwner created appliance life span charts, maintenance tips and printable tracking sheets to help homeowners stay on top of their home maintenance. To get the most out of the tracking sheets, we suggest keeping them with your appliance and home warranties and updating them as needed. Press the button below to download the life span and maintenance tracking chart PDF.
You should fill out the date you purchased the appliance and your anticipated maintenance check-in date. If the manual doesn’t have a recommended maintenance recommendation for your specific appliance model, use the visual below or the full chart here to estimate when you should check-in.
To get the most out of your investment and keep appliances from being dumped into landfills prematurely, treat your belongings with care and teach your family to do the same. Not only does this save you money but it also improves the equity in your home should you choose to sell one day.
When an appliance has truly reached the end of its life (after attempting professional repairs) there are still things you can do to maximize its use. Many people will re-purpose kaput items to create new furniture like unique storage or seating solutions. Treat your house with care — your wallet and the environment will thank you!
