Your home appliances add so much convenience to your everyday living that it is hard to imagine what life would be like without them. However, like many of the items in your home, your home appliances are subject to the usual wear and tear that can affect their performance in the long run.

Have you ever experienced hearing clanking noises in your washing machine or your oven producing under-baked cookies? There will come a time when there will be something wrong with your beloved home appliances, and you will have to decide whether to clean, repair or replace them altogether.

According to an article by The Washington Post, there is hope for your broken home appliances. This is where warranties, handymen, and good old YouTube would come in handy at this point. These are all the valuable resources that you can turn to when things go awry.

However, there are times when an appliance is beyond repair, and the costs of purchasing a new one would be more cost-effective than subjecting it for repairs. Sometimes you have to make the hard decision on whether to clean, repair, or replace your appliances. Remember that the decisions that you make have to be sound decisions that are cost-efficient and energy-efficient, as well. This article will help you decide on when you should clean, repair, or replace your appliances.

1. Evaluate how much the cost of repairs will be

Royce Palmer, the president of Colombia Appliance, said in an article with Discover that you should consider replacing your appliance when the cost of repairs is 50 percent more than what it would cost to purchase a new one. Palmer says that there are times when you have no choice but to have your appliance replaced with a new one because the parts that you need for repair are no longer being produced.

Another factor that you will have to take into account is the cost and logistics of installing a new appliance. Appliance repair may be a good option if it is cheaper than buying a new one. However, when you find that your appliance would require a huge expenditure in parts and labour, you are better off buying a new one.

2. Consider the Age of Your Appliance

Some appliances have a relatively shorter lifespan. According to House Logic, when you are deciding on whether to repair or replace your appliance, you may apply the 50 percent rule to the age of your appliances, as well as the price of having them repaired.

As a rule of thumb, some appliances such as gas ranges are built for longer lifespans than others. Since gas ranges are made for heavy-duty cooking and baking, their average lifespan would come up to 13 years compared to that of a microwave with an average lifespan of nine years.

3. Are your appliances energy-efficient?

Another thing to be taken into consideration is whether your appliances are energy efficient or not. In the long run, you may be able to save yourself more money if you switch out your older model that for a more energy-efficient one. There is a yellow and black Energy Guide label attached to all appliances on the sales floor, and this is a helpful tool that will help you gauge how much the appliance costs to operate.

4. Try to see if good maintenance practices will extend the life of your appliances

Sometimes all your appliances need are good maintenance repairs for them to last longer and work efficiently. For example, your gas range could use a regular cleaning to avoid costly repairs. Periodically check the exhaust vents of your dryers to ensure that the air is flowing properly. You may also want to subject your ducts to a kitchen extract cleaning to free the ducts from grease. When you take the liberty of giving regular maintenance checks, your appliances may last longer.

5. Style is a personal preference

Another way to determine if you should replace your appliances or not is your sense of personal style. Now everyone’s style is relative, and you may want a unifying theme in your home. If you find that one of your appliances does not match the overall theme, it is better to change them all at once.

Deciding on when to replace your appliances is entirely a personal decision. However, this article merely serves as a guideline. Remember to spend your money wisely and choose where to splurge on what would benefit you in the long run.

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