How Often You Should Replace Kitchen Appliances and Why
Your kitchen could contain many appliances — from food storage vessels like fridges and freezers to food preparation machines like ovens, microwaves, and toasters. But, have you ever wondered how often you should replace the kitchen appliances?
On the face of it, it might seem obvious when you should replace a kitchen appliance: when it stops working. However, you could rely so heavily on the device that, once it starts malfunctioning, you are essentially left in limbo while waiting to get a replacement appliance.
Hence, you should act more proactively by following these tips.
1. Heed the appliance’s life expectancy
How long should a kitchen appliance stay functional before replacing it? Architectural Digest has rounded up these statistics on the life expectancy of various devices:
- Refrigerator — 10-12 years
- Stove and oven — 10-15 years
- Dishwasher — 10-13 years
- Washer and dryer — approximately ten years
- Microwave — 10-12 years
- Coffee maker — around five years
However, remember that these figures depend on how often you use the appliances. With heavy-duty usage of one, you could be forced to replace it sooner.
2. Keep close track of the device’s performance
Sometimes, there can be dead giveaways that something has gone wrong with a particular appliance’s internals. Imagine, say, water pooling under or beneath the washing machine, or a vacuum cleaner spraying dust rather than keeping it in a receptacle attached to the device.
While each of those signs would be a reliable indicator that you should start seriously looking into replacing the kitchen appliance, there would also be good cause for concern if it has just slowly worsened in performance over time.
3. Take environmental concerns into account, too
Newer appliances are often more energy efficient – and consequently kinder to the planet – than their well-worn older counterparts. However, in certain situations, replacing an existing kitchen appliance is not always a surefire way to be more eco-friendly.
One Green Planet warns that “the embodied energy (the energy put into producing it) of needlessly replacing a large, functional appliance will likely not be recovered for the energy saved using a brand new Energy Star model.”
4. Check whether you need a simple fix
The apparent problem with an appliance you already have could be down to something you would easily be able to rectify.
For example, you should check and adjust a fridge that seemingly refuses to be cold. Similarly, someone may have moved its default cycle if your washing machine isn’t working as it should.
5. Weigh up the cost of a new appliance versus that of a repair
Bob Vila explains: “As a general rule if an appliance repair will cost more than 50% of the price of a replacement, it might be prudent to buy a newer model if your budget allows for it.”
Now that you know when you should your appliances, the internet can be a great place to buy great-value kitchen appliances such as microwaves – enabling you to get hold of appliances that have been built to last and so shouldn’t need replacing sooner than what would usually be expected.
