Gift list written, decorations down from the loft ready to be put up, Christmas pudding made and mincemeat ready for your mince pies, you’re almost ready for Christmas. But before you can enjoy an eggnog or Christmas spirit make sure your kitchen appliances are ready too.

By going through the checklist below, you can help prevent any unwanted surprises come the festive period.

Cooker:

• Provide your oven with a thorough clean, inside and out. This includes cleaning the door, glass, and cavity. For the easiest way to clean these parts of your cooker, we recommend you read “How to Clean Your Cooker for Less” as this explains how to provide a deep clean to your appliance, without using chemical-based products. We also suggest you clean the oven shelves using a specialist oven cleaning kit, as this removes the fiddly aspects of cleaning the individual spindles on the shelves.
• Clean your cooker hood to ensure it continues to remove cooking odours and steam. Giving your cooker hood a thorough clean leading up to the festive period will also help to reduce the risk of condensation as you cook. We recommend you give the outside of your cooker hood a wipe with a damp cloth to remove any grease and dirt which has built up, before giving it a wipe over with baby oil to retain the shine and prevent fingerprints from showing. You should also replace the cooker hood filter if you haven’t done this in the last six months.
• Give your hob thorough clean to remove any dirt and bacteria which has built up, and check that all rings are working correctly. After all, your hob is likely to be used a lot more over the festive period to boil sprouts and steam your Christmas pudding.
• Increase the available space in your cooker by using extendable shelves which can be adjusted to fit almost any cooker. With an oven shelf kit, you can make even further use of the space in your cooker by incorporating a base shelf and two extendable shelves – meaning you don’t need to struggle to get all dishes in the oven.
• Check each component of your oven to make sure they’re working to their full potential. If the oven has been cooking unevenly over recent weeks the element will need replacing, if it has been taking longer than usual to heat up, the door seal will need changing. What may seem the smallest defect can make a big difference to the performance of the appliance, so don’t leave anything to chance.
• Protect your arms and hands from the risk of burns when going in and out of the oven, by fitting oven shelf guards. Made out of silicone they can withstand the heat your cooker exposes them too, but help prevent the risk of nasty burns – as our video “How to Fit an Oven Shelf Guard” explains.

Fridge / Freezer:

Chances are, in the run-up to Christmas you will be an extraordinary amount of food and drink – enough to feed five times the amount of people you’ve invited around during the festive period. We’re all guilty of it.

This food needs somewhere to be kept so it stays fresh until needed, so it’s important to make sure your fridge and freezer are ready for Christmas. Achieve this by…

• Cleaning your fridge thoroughly, and before you do the big shop to ensure you’re able to get to every corner of the fridge, the door shelves, and a salad crisper. Find the best way to clean your fridge by reading “3 Ways to Clean Your Fridge on Clean Out Your Fridge Day”.
• Defrosting your freezer. Again, do this before you’ve carried out your big shop as it means you’ve got less food to keep frozen during the process. Remember, defrosting the freezer isn’t a quick task – but by following the advice in “How to Remove Excess Ice in Your Freezer” you’ll get the job done.
• Getting more space from your fridge. At Christmas, it can often be a struggle to fit everything which needs to be chilled into your fridge, particularly if guests bring food and drink too. But you can increase the space on offer in your fridge by including a fridge wine rack. The wine rack slots onto existing fridge shelves, keeping bottles suspended underneath – therefore freeing space on your shelves for other items, whilst ensuring your white wine remains nice and chilled.
• Changing the water filter. This should be done every six months, and leading up to the festive period is the perfect time to change yours, ensuring you and your guests are able to enjoy fresh, filtered water at the touch of a button.

Dishwasher:

Washing up at the best of times can seem like a chore. When every pot in the house has been used and you’ve fed your extended family, washing up can be unbearable. Make sure you’re not left standing at the sink after your Christmas meal, by keeping your dishwasher working.

The easiest way to ensure this happens is to:

• Check all the components of your dishwasher to ensure they’re in top condition and aren’t suffering from any faults or defects. By keeping all the smaller parts in top condition, you’ll keep your dishwasher working. Particular parts to pay close attention to include the cutlery basket which if faulty can allow cutlery to slip through and prevent the spray arms from rotating; the spray arms which if clogged or damaged will prevent water from being distributed and the door seal.
• Carry out a service wash using the eSpares Limescale and Detergent Remover. Such a wash involves emptying a sachet of the cleaner into an empty dishwasher, as per the instructions, and then placing it on a full cycle. As the dishwasher carries out the wash it will remove the build-up of bacteria, limescale, and other dirt, whilst leaving your appliance smelling fresh.
• Load your dishwasher correctly on the day itself. No doubt this will have been a topic of debate in the past, but the loading of your dishwasher can really make all the difference to its performance.

By carrying out such checks on your kitchen appliances, and keeping them in top condition, you can limit the risk of faults occurring over the Christmas period – meaning you can relax, unwind and enjoy the festivities with your family and friends.

Tags: Christmas, Fix it Yourself, Kitchen Appliances