Tips for Seniors and Elder Care to Increase Appliance Longevity
Appliance Longevity: Elder Care Villa Rica GA
When seniors are aging at home, it’s important that things like their appliances, water heater, furnace, and air conditioner last as long as possible so they don’t need costly replacements. Even though these items are built to withstand a good bit of wear and tear there are some things that seniors can do to prolong the life of their stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, and other appliances so that they last longer. Seniors who have elder care should make sure that their elder care providers use these tips, too.
Don’t Run The Dishwasher Unless It’s Full
One of the easiest things seniors can do to prolong the life of a dishwasher is to not run it unless the dishwasher is full. This might mean that the dishwasher doesn’t run for a couple of days, but that’s ok. Running the dishwasher when it’s half empty is a waste of resources and it puts unnecessary wear and tear on the dishwasher. Wait until it’s full, then run it.
Defrost The Freezer
Most modern refrigerators are frost-free and don’t need to be manually defrosted. But if your senior loved one lives in an older home and they haven’t updated the appliances in a long time, or ever, then they might have an old-fashioned refrigerator that needs to be have the freezer defrosted.
Your senior loved one’s elder care provider may know how to defrost the freezer, but if their care provider is young your senior parent may need to instruct them how to defrost the freezer. It’s time to defrost when ice starts forming on the inside of the freezer. If the freezer isn’t defrosted it can cause the freezer to break.
Don’t Overload The Washing Machine
Washing too many clothes at once or washing large blankets, comforters, or loads of towels and linens can put a huge strain on the washing machine. It’s better to break big loads into smaller loads or just wash one large item like a comforter at a time.
To reduce wear and tear on the dryer large items like blankets or heavy items like sweaters, jackets, and towels can be line dried if the weather is nice. Sheets, blankets, towels, and comforters dried outside in the spring and summer tend to smell really nice when brought in from the drying line.
Scrape And Rinse Dishes Before Loading
Your senior parent and the elder care provider should always be scraping food off dishes and rinsing them before putting them in the dishwasher. Even if your dishwasher can get the dishes clean when they are not pre-rinsed it puts a lot of pressure on the workings of the dishwasher to do that.
It’s much better to take an extra minute to scrape and rinse the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher to prevent that kind of strain on the dishwasher. And after scraping and pre-rinsing the dishes don’t run the dishwasher until it’s full.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Elder Care in Villa Rica, GA please contact the caring staff at Universal Home Care And Services, Inc today. (678) 426-2701
In 2012, I started my journey as a CNA at West Georgia Technical College and in 2014, I was hired by Universal Home Care as a CNA. I knew immediately this was a great company! Now, as the Office Manager, I may not get to see the clients we serve, but they all know I’m a phone call away to assist in any way I can! Allowing Universal to service you/your loved one is like working with a team/family who cares for, not only it’s clients but it’s employees! I’m a bi-product of the compassion this company shows!
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