Fix Your Small Appliances During National Fix It Week

As we celebrate National Fix It Week, at eSpares we appreciate that it isn’t just the larger household appliances which will need some TLC and repairing to bring them back to their former glory; we also appreciate that those smaller appliances which are put through their paces will also need a bit of care, attention and maintenance.

To give you a helping hand, we’ve picked four everyday small appliances and provided some tips and tricks on how to keep them working to their full potential, as well as advice on how to fix and repair any common faults which may occur.

Although these appliances are in no particular order, there’s no better place to start than with the…..

Coffee Machine:

First thing in the morning (particularly on a dull, wet, grey Monday) a coffee is a must, as the sweet caffeine goodness hits your taste-buds and awakens your senses.

Unfortunately, relying on your coffee machine each morning (and throughout the day) can take its toll on the appliance, leading to its performance dwindling and also impacting on the taste of the coffee it produces.

One of the main issues to affect the performance of your coffee maker is the build up of limescale. This can lead to leaking, excessive dripping from the spout or reduced water flow. If any of these faults become obvious with your appliance, you need to seriously consider descaling it by following the instructions on the Oust All Purpose Liquid Descaler or Bosch Coffee Machine Cleaning Kit.

It’s also recommended to give the steam pipe on your coffee machine a wipe straight after use, as failing to clean the pipe can lead to blockages preventing you from creating the frothy toppings for your cappuccinos.

Cleaning your coffee machine is only one step to ensuring that you’re able to rejuvenate your taste-buds, another vital step is to ensure that you have the right accessories to make the most out of your coffee machine. Whether it’s a bean-to-cup, filter or a pod coffee machine that you have, at eSpares we have an extensive range of coffee machine accessories to help you make the perfect cup of coffee come morning, noon or night.

From glass jugs and paper coffee filters, through to single cup filters, steam nozzles and coffee maker drip trays; everything you’ll require to create your perfect coffee, you’ll find via the eSpares website.

If coffee isn’t your thing, but you’re still a fan of hot drinks then you’ll no doubt rely heavily on your….

Kettle:

As with your coffee machines, kettles can also suffer from a build up of limescale which if left unattended will not only result in bits floating around your cuppa, but can also slow down and render your kettle next to useless.

Thankfully, as with the coffee machine above fixing your appliance when it starts to suffer from limescale is a straightforward task which should take no more than a couple of minutes when utilising the power of the Bosch Coffee Machine and Kettle Descaler, which helps to improve the lifetime of the appliance and its performance, leaving you with that “oooooohhh” moment provided by the perfect cup of tea.

Fixing your kettle doesn’t just mean tackling the build up of limescale however; it also involves making sure each part is in top condition, from the filters which can become easily damaged, through to lids, or electrical bases – which is why at eSpares we stock an extensive selection of parts and accessories helping your kettle continue living a happy and healthy life in your kitchen, meeting all your hot drink requirements.

Iron:

A memory many of us are likely to have from our childhood is the Sunday evening routine of making sure that everything was ready for school the next day, and part of this routine would be parents ironing of the school uniform.

It’s likely that now we’ve turned into adults that we’ve taken some of these routines with us – such as doing the ironing for the week ahead on the Sunday night (or perhaps you fall into the other category, where you iron when you need it).

Whichever category you fall into when it comes to ironing, the moment your ironing stops working can be highly frustrating; and the most common fault to occur with your iron is that it stops heating up and therefore fails to tackle the creases on your clothes.

Reasons your iron may not be heating up, include:

• A fault occurring with the electrical socket / fuse – the easiest way to test if this is the fault is to try a different socket or to change the fuse in the plug, both relatively simple fix it tasks which can be carried out in minutes.
• Empty water reservoir – your iron relies on the steam generated to remove the creases; if the water tank is empty the iron won’t work correctly. Rectify this by refilling your water reservoir.
• Limescale build up – all appliances which use water can suffer from the build up of limescale, and your iron (particularly its soleplate) is no different, and the build up of limescale on your soleplate will prevent heat or steam from being produced.

  If your soleplate has been hindered by limescale, firstly give the soleplate a wipe over, before emptying one sachet of descaler into the iron’s water chamber before topping up with water. Turn the setting to steam, but do not turn the iron on; and then shake gently (ideally over the sink) your iron until the solution starts to drain through the steam holes, and then leave the iron for roughly 10 minutes to allow all the solution to empty.

  Once the solution has emptied, rinse thoroughly with cold water, drain and dry.

Microwave:

From re-heating leftovers through to cooking custard, beans or frozen vegetables your microwave plays an important tool in your cooking, even some of the top chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Mary Berry see the benefits of microwaves (if and when used correctly, and not just to reheat ready meals).

With the benefits, convenience and ease that a microwave brings to cooking it’s an appliance which can handle a fair amount of wear and tear, but from time to time it can also gain faults which prevent it from working.

Thankfully, as luck would have it, fixing your microwave – whether it’s a fault with the turntable motor or wave guide cover – is a fairly easy task, and through our advice centre we provide a range of helpful tips and advice to help you get your microwave working back to its full potential. Our website is also full of spares and accessories required to bring your microwave back to its former glory.

By getting involved in National Fix It Week with eSpares, and carrying out the repairs on your small appliances, will not only help you save money in both the short and long term; but it’ll also provide you with the confidence to go on and tackle those larger appliances which have gained faults, or those DIY tasks which have been haunting you for the last few months.

Tags: eSpares, National Fix It Week, Small Appliances