Our guide to cooker maintenance to extend the life of your appliance. 

Your cooker/oven is one of the most used appliances in your home, which is why keeping it maintained, clean, and in good working order is a great idea. It isn’t a job we look forward to at all, but regular cleaning will improve the consistency of your cooker’s performance and leave it looking and smelling much better in the long run. At the same time, your oven will likely last a lot longer if it’s well looked after! So let’s take a look at some top tips for keeping your cooker well maintained.

As easy as it sounds, wiping down the outside of your oven and anything you can get off of the inside is a great way to keep it looking brand new. You can use oven cleaner (we recommend Oven Pride) or regular surface cleaner depending on how dirty your oven is.

Many ovens, especially more recently, have started incorporating pyrolytic self-cleaning modes where the is heated to far higher temperatures than used for cooking, in order to clean itself. The extreme heat incinerates the dirt off the walls, leaving you to just sweep up the ash from the bottom of the oven, and it’s clean!

To prevent further excess dirt and gristle from building up on the floor of the oven, use a tray you can safely keep in the oven to catch dirt and spillages which can easily be removed and washed. This will prevent your oven from building up that greasy thick layer of gristle and keep your oven from smelling so bad.

A really easy, cheap, and effective way of getting stubborn grease off of your oven is to use steam. You can fill an ovenproof bowl of hot water and put it in the oven, turn it up to high heat and let the steam from the water loosen all of the greases on the inside – prepping your oven for a super thorough wipe down with oven cleaner.

Not only the oven, but the racks your food sits on while cooking get fairly messy too, so keeping them in good shape will help keep your cooker fresh too. They could go in the dishwasher or even just letting them soak in soapy water and then wiping them down will work.

While repairing and reusing your appliance is always the goal, there comes a point where they need to be replaced. We’re happy to help at any stage.

If you own a home appliance, from kitchen gadgets to home tech, our standard Appliance Care Plan helps keep your equipment running smoothly. If you notice any faults, don’t worry with the optional Repair & Care upgrade, we can have an engineer out to you quickly.

Whether you’re looking to buy new or need help with caring for existing appliances our experts are here to answer your questions with useful guides and articles.

While repairing and reusing your appliances is always the ultimate goal, there comes the point where they need replacing.

Your refrigerator is such a key appliance, it is constantly used to keep your food cold and fresh, making it one of the most important appliances in your home. This is why it’s good practice to keep it clean and well maintained to ensure it doesn’t break down and lasts as long as it can before needing to be replaced.

The coils in a refrigerator are used to cool and condense the refrigerant that circulates the appliance. If these coils get dirty and clogged with dust etc, they can’t regulate the heat efficiently meaning your refrigerator may overheat and spoil your food. These coils are usually located at the bottom or the back of the appliance.

To remove the dirt and debris from the coils you can use a vacuum cleaner or a stiff brush, or you can purchase a specific coil cleaning brush to get the job done. Just run the vacuum over the coils as thoroughly as you can until free of dust, and with the brush just brush the dirt off and try to get in between all the cracks. This should be done around 2 times a year to make sure there are no issues with the temperature.

It’s important to keep checking the temperature in your refrigerator as you don’t want your food to go off, and you want to make sure your fridge is running as efficiently as possible. The refrigerator should be running at around 5 degrees celsius. If your fridge doesn’t have a temperature display, you can buy a fridge thermometer really cheap, which will do the trick.

The gasket is the rubber seal around the door that seals the refrigerator shut and keeps it air-tight. If the seal is broken your appliance has to work a lot harder to maintain the right temperature which will use a lot more energy. It’s a good idea to check the gasket every couple of months for signs of wear and tear, and if it is broken you should replace it to ensure your fridge is able to work to its’ full potential.

Water dispensers and ice machines within fridges tend to have filters that will build up with dirt and residue after a while, and these need changing to keep them functioning properly and keep them clean. your manufacturer will have specific recommendations for how to replace your filters, so look these up and remember to change them regularly for good practice.

Keeping the door closed on your refrigerator is a great way to make sure your fridge stays efficient and doesn’t overwork itself. When the door is open, you lose cold air really quickly and the temperature can start to rise. This will spoil your food as well as make your appliance work much harder to regulate the temperature.

Keeping the door closed will ensure it is being used correctly and keep it in good condition, as well as keep your food nice and fresh at the right temperature.

Your refrigerator might be inhibited if it isn’t level on the ground. It may affect the door and how well it closes, it may affect the circulation of refrigerant, and the motor may have to strain to work properly. Make sure it is level to the ground to get the best performance and if necessary, adjust the feet so it is level.

This will reduce the amount of moisture that gets released by food in your refrigerator, keeping the cleaning you have to do down to a minimum and should make it easier to maintain. When dirt and moisture from food build up in your fridge it can start to smell really bad so keeping your food protected should stop this at least in part.

Hot food in the fridge can actually alter the temperature in the fridge, another thing that makes the appliance work harder than it needs to, to regulate the temperature. This is why it’s a good idea to let your leftover food cool down before placing it in the fridge. It’s also healthier, as food that is going from warm to cold tends to develop more bacteria in less time than it would if it was left to cool down before going in – pro tip!

So that’s our guide on how to maintain your fridge freezer. If you’d like tips on keeping other appliances well maintained, check out our other articles on maintenance.

If you own a home appliance, from kitchen gadgets to home tech, our standard Appliance Care Plan helps keep your equipment running smoothly. If you notice any faults, don’t worry with the optional Repair & Care upgrade, we can have an engineer out to you quickly.

Whether you’re looking to buy new or need help with caring for existing appliances our experts are here to answer your questions with useful guides and articles.

While repairing and reusing your appliances is always the ultimate goal, there comes the point where they need replacing.

If you have a Hi-Fi sound system or speakers in your home at all, you’ll know the way good audio quality can transform your listening experience and have you floating off to another world on the soundwaves. Over time though, this quality can fade if you don’t keep your speakers well maintained. So here are our top tips for keeping your sound system in good condition.

Dust gets everywhere and ruins everything. Especially electronics. It will get into the wire connectors and stop electrical signals from being perfectly transmitted. This creates static in your speakers which will end up sounding like a crackling.

The measures you can take against dust aren’t expensive or difficult either, so it’s worth getting on top of. You should firstly keep your speakers out of a space that accumulates lots of dust. Then, all you need to do is regularly wipe the speakers down or dust them off. Make sure, however, you don’t use any liquids. This can damage your speakers more. Be sure not to damage the cone drivers or the tweeter too.

Speakers, especially good-quality ones, are very sensitive to heat. You should keep them far out of direct sunlight & windows. They can get damaged quickly in sunlight, especially if they aren’t built to deal with heat exposure. The electromagnetic voice coils can get damaged, which is important for keeping electrical flow between the source and speakers.

Another common enemy of speakers is static electricity. When this builds up it can burn your system out. A way to prevent this is to buy some anti-static mats that go on your floor and reduce the static that builds up. A humidifier would be great too as dry air can increase static electricity build-up (be careful not to put it too close to your speakers though).

Ensuring your speakers have a good amount of airflow is important as it helps them keep cool while they are playing which of course gets them hot. People that love speakers will tell you that sometimes you’d even point fans at your speakers to keep them cool while playing loudly. You can also arrange your setup to support proper airflow too by keeping your speakers away from the walls and tight spaces.

Proper airflow doesn’t just improve the likelihood your speaker will survive a bit longer, it also improves the sound quality while playing. So, keeping your air flowing benefits you in more than one way!

More expensive and high-end speakers and sound systems will need you to control how much power flows to them and how it gets power. The speakers won’t usually need a power surge, but the speakers’ amplifier will need protecting. The amplifier is the main hub of your Hi-Fi system, meaning everything is controlled from there. This means all the power flows through your amplifier. If the power was to surge, after returning from a power cut, for example, it could completely fry your amp, leaving you unable to play music for the foreseeable future.

Speakers can be very fragile because of the parts they are made from. The cone drivers and the tweeter on the front where the sound comes out can get damaged easily, if you have small children who like to poke things, or pets who can go crazy at any moment, it’s always a good idea to invest in some speaker protects that keep those important parts nice and safe.

You can get good speaker protects cheap at any Hi-Fi shop or online. This will extend the long life of your speakers and keep your heart at ease when the pets and kids are playing and dancing to the music!

As well as general tips you can use to keep your Hi-Fi speakers in good condition, there are some accessories and odd bits you can buy to enhance your listening experience.

• One of our first picks is tall speaker stands to keep your speakers out of the way from dust, keep the airflow good, and to make sure the playing quality isn’t interrupted.
• Another useful tip is this speaker cleaning set from Betron. Keep your speaker dust free in all its’ nooks & crannies!
• A cheap and easy accessory that is essential is a spare AUX cable. This means if yours ever gets damaged you can carry on playing your music straight away!
• If you have a capable sound system, then a home assistant that connects to your sound system like an Alexa or Google Assistant can really elevate your listening experience, you wouldn’t have to touch your sound system to control it! 

If your speakers need some extra protection, if they are your prized possessions, if you know you can’t risk going a day without your music, then Zest can provide the service you need. Our comprehensive sound system and speaker protection protect you for wear & tear, and breakdowns, with no upper claims limit. So it doesn’t matter how fancy your sound system is – we’ll protect it. Find out more at the links below, but for now, have fun keeping your speakers in great condition.

If you own a home appliance, from kitchen gadgets to home tech, our standard Appliance Care Plan helps keep your equipment running smoothly. If you notice any faults, don’t worry with the optional Repair & Care upgrade, we can have an engineer out to you quickly.

Whether you’re looking to buy new or need help with caring for existing appliances our experts are here to answer your questions with useful guides and articles.

Read out article to help you stay vigilant for the most common fridge freezer faults!

Fridge freezers are an essential appliance in most kitchens, and when they malfunction, it can be frustrating. In this guide, we’ve outlined some of the most common fridge freezer faults and provided solutions to help you resolve them quickly and efficiently.

When your freezer stops freezing properly, it can cause chaos, including wasted food and water leaks. The first step is to check the temperature around the appliance. If the surrounding temperature is below 10°C, it can affect the fridge and cause freezer issues. Additionally, make sure the freezer fan is clear of any obstructions, such as ice buildup, and check the door seals. If the seals are damaged or dirty, they may prevent the door from closing correctly, affecting the freezing process.

Faulty door seals are a common issue that can affect both the fridge and freezer. A poor seal can cause food to spoil faster and prevent freezing. If you suspect a problem with the door seals, start by checking for food debris or a loose corner that may prevent a proper seal. To test the seal, place a £10 note against the door seal and close it. If the note stays in place, the seal is working. If it slips, the seal needs replacing. New seals cost between £30 to £80 and can be easily replaced by yourself.

A warm fridge is a recipe for food spoilage, as bacteria grow more rapidly in warmer temperatures. First, ensure that the surrounding temperature is not lower than 10°C, as this can affect the fridge’s performance. Next, check for overcrowding inside the fridge. If the fridge is too full, cold air cannot circulate, creating a warmer environment. Finally, the thermostat may be malfunctioning. If so, it’s recommended to call a professional to replace it to avoid further issues.

If the fridge light isn’t turning on, start by checking for any obstructions, such as ice or debris, that may be blocking the light switch. If nothing appears to be blocking it, the lightbulb may be faulty. Replacing a standard screw-in lightbulb is a simple fix, and new bulbs can be purchased online using the appliance’s model number. However, if your fridge uses LED strip lights, it’s best to consult a professional, as they can be more challenging to replace.

Fridge freezers are an essential part of every kitchen, and when they stop working properly, it can be frustrating. By understanding these common faults and troubleshooting them, you can often save yourself time and money. If you’re unsure or need further assistance, always consult a professional to ensure your appliance runs smoothly.

If you own a home appliance, from kitchen gadgets to home tech, our standard Appliance Care Plan helps keep your equipment running smoothly. If you notice any faults, don’t worry with the optional Repair & Care upgrade, we can have an engineer out to you quickly.

Whether you’re looking to buy new or need help with caring for existing appliances our experts are here to answer your questions with useful guides and articles.

While repairing and reusing your appliances is always the ultimate goal, there comes the point where they need replacing.

Your TV is one of your most prized items of technology, I’m sure. Therefore it’s important for you to keep it in good condition for long life, saving you money on repairs and even buying a new one too soon. From power surges to dust build-up, here are our top tips for keeping your TV well maintained.

Whether it is screen burn or overloading the circuits with too much power, check out how you can keep your TV safe and sound with our TV maintenance tips.

Most TVs stop working at around 65,000 hours of usage, meaning if your TV is on when you’re not watching it or while you’re asleep, you will run down its lifespan. If you’re constantly turning your TV off when it isn’t being used you will get many more hours of viewing out of it, so it’s a great idea to be responsible and turn it off when it isn’t in use or when you don’t need to have it on. Not to mention this will save you money on electricity too!

It’s possible that your electricity could give you a voltage surge that damages the electrics by overloading your TVs circuits. This can happen when there are power cuts and when the power comes back, and even in bad weather like a storm. A surge protector plug socket will regulate the voltage going into the TV through the plug at any one time and therefore keep your TV protected from power surges, giving it a higher chance of lasting longer.

The brightness of your TV can also affect the lifespan of your TV. If you have your TV on the highest brightness setting or near the highest setting all the time, it’s equivalent to you running fast and trying to maintain it for a long distance. You’re going to get tired out eventually, and so is your TV. Keep your brightness at a moderate level and you’ll help your TV live longer, and you’ll help your eyes, as bright blue light from your TV can also damage your eyes in the long term.

Even though TVs are getting thinner and thinner nowadays, you’d be surprised at how hot they can get. TVs still need a good amount of room for good airflow and ventilation to keep it from overheating, as they use a lot of electricity. So, find an open space where the air isn’t too thick, and your TV shouldn’t get too hot to handle, meaning it will live for longer.

Replacing may sound like an expensive option, but with the oven becoming more expensive to run as it gets older, poorer at cooking and in general worse for wear condition, a new one is likely going to be the most economical option for you.

High contrast levels on your TV can also cause your machine’s lifespan to decrease. The quality of the display may decrease as your TV needs to work harder and use more processing power to provide a constantly high contrast display. To be safe, find a moderate level of contrast that is a good middle ground for your TV and your viewing experience, and stick to it.

Sharp objects like scissors, sharp toys or pencils, and pens are all hazards to the TV, they can cause permanent damage to the display of your TV, destroying areas of pixels. This can be worse on modern TVs as the screens are much more delicate and the TVs are thinner in general. Keep sharp objects away from your TV and prevent permanent damage to your screen. Expensive option, but with the oven becoming more expensive to run as it gets older, poorer at cooking and in general worse for wear condition, a new one is likely going to be the most economical option for you.

There are lots of cleaning products for TVs, and this isn’t an area you want to skimp on. Good quality TV cleaning essentials are a must, as they help get rid of dust, and stains that affect the visibility of the display. It’s also a terrible idea to use water to clean the display, only ever buy actual screen cleaners with anti-static protection too, if possible, as it keeps your TV set safe while you go about cleaning it. We recommend the Pledge Electronics screen cleaning wipes.

Dust is a TV’s worst enemy. It is destructive to a TV’s health and lifespan, and it can get both on and in your TV. It can slow it down, break it completely, or even cause it to overheat easier than it would otherwise. A great accessory to look at getting for your TV upkeep would be an electronic vacuum pump that can get all the dust out of your TV and stop build-up before it gets too bad and affects your TV’s performance.

If you leave your TV on for a long time, sometimes images that are left displaying for too long can leave what’s called a “burn-in”. This is where the image is displayed on the TV is left in the pixels for too long, causing them to overheat and leave a mark on the screen in the shape or imprint of what was being displayed. This is bad for your display and will hurt your viewing experience if it keeps happening, so to be safe, don’t keep your TV on for too long at once, especially not if you’re showing a screensaver or photos, etc.

Cold temperatures in the room that your TV is in can cause condensation that gets into your TV through small cracks and can damage the vital parts of the machine. It could get so bad that your TV just breaks and doesn’t work due to water damage, so it is best not to use your TV if the room is absolutely freezing. Warm it up first!

If you own a home appliance, from kitchen gadgets to home tech, our standard Appliance Care Plan helps keep your equipment running smoothly. If you notice any faults, don’t worry with the optional Repair & Care upgrade, we can have an engineer out to you quickly.

Whether you’re looking to buy new or need help with caring for existing appliances our experts are here to answer your questions with useful guides and articles.

Your dishwasher is really important. This article is to help you recognise common faults, should it break down.

Dishwashers have been an invaluable home appliance for a number of years, saving time and hassle especially with large families or hobby chefs. More often than not, dishwashers will last a good 10 years without breaking down, but some can develop faults earlier. When your dishwasher goes wrong, it can be a stressful experience, especially if it doesn’t have a digital display to give a fault code, so we’ve curated some of our top tips for diagnosing and troubleshooting common dishwasher faults in this article:

The single largest cause of dishwasher leaks is a clogged dishwasher filter. This usually exists at the centre of the bottom of the dishwasher and can be pulled out quite easily. It’s designed to catch small pieces of food or grit and stop them from exiting through the waste pipe. Once you have removed the dishwasher filter, remove any blockages from it and rinse it under the kitchen tap. We would recommend that your dishwasher filter is cleaned once a month to help prevent any build-up.

If the water is leaking from the front of the dishwasher onto your kitchen floor, this could be due to a broken door seal. Open the door of the dishwasher and run your fingertip along the seal to check if it has been worn, chipped, pulled away or warped. When the vinyl or rubber of a dishwasher door deal deteriorates, they cannot form an effective seal around the door to keep water on the inside of the machine. If the seal has deteriorated, you may need to order a new part from the manufacturer.

The first thing to look at here is the potential of a clogged filter (see ‘clogged filter’ in the leaks section for tips on how to fix this).

If it’s not the filter, then consider taking a look at the waste exit pipe of the dishwasher. There could be a blockage within the pipe restricting the flow of water leaving the machine. Also check for kinks or bends in the pipe which could be doing the same. If this is the case and the pipe is blocked, we would recommend turning off the mains water in your home and unclipping the pipe. Once it’s off, you should be able to look down it to see if there any blockages. If not, run it under water and check that water is freely flowing through it.

If your dishes are coming out exactly as they went in (likely dirty and dry), then your dishwasher is not filling with water. The first thing to check is your water stop valve in the home – make sure this is fully open and supplying water. If it’s not, you may need to call a plumber to check – there’s a chance that it could be clogged up with debris and need clearing out.

The second part of the dishwasher to investigate if the machine isn’t filling are the spray arms. These are the spinning parts inside the dishwasher that are full of small holes (they look similar to octopus tentacles!). If you’re in a particularly hard water area, limescale deposits can build up on the water holes, much like with a shower head. If this is the case, it’s best to give them a good scrub – using lemon juice or vinegar can help shift some of the limescale deposits if you’re having a particularly hard time.

Lastly, the water inlet valve could be the culprit here. Check behind the machine to ensure that there are no kinks or bends in the pipework that could be restricting the flow of water into the machine.

A complete wash cycle should use up one complete dishwasher tablet and some of the rinse aid in the reservoir. If you’re opening up the tablet flap and there’s still a large amount of the tablet remaining, then it’s likely that the water supply is the issue here. Either there is an issue with the pressure of the water coming into the machine being too low or there is no water coming in entirely. Much like the issue above for ‘not filling’, make sure to check the pipework behind the machine for kinks and bends that could limit the inbound water pressure to the dishwasher.

If the water inside of the dishwasher is coming out cold, the first thing to check is your home hot water system. Run the hot tap for at least 2 minutes to test if there is hot water being supplied in your home. If the water is cold or warm, turn up the dial on your boiler or hot water heating system.

If there is hot water being supplied in your home, then there’s a good chance that there is a fault with the dishwasher itself. Most often with this issue, the culprit will be a faulty heating element or thermostat that will need to be replaced by a qualified repair expert.

If your dishwasher is making a lot of noise whilst the cycle is running, then there could either be loose objects that have fallen away from the racks inside or a loose/broken internal part. When the dishwasher is off and has cooled down, empty any plates & cutlery and look around the bottom of the appliance for any large debris or small cutlery as this is usually the problem.

Excessive noise can also be attributed to the appliance not being level. You may need to rest a spirit level on top of the dishwasher to check this and if it is not level, simply adjust the feet at the bottom of the appliance until it sits level on the floor.

First of all, check that the dishwasher isn’t powering on because of a user error. A lot of dishwashers won’t start a wash cycle until the door is closed properly and the sensor on the dishwasher recognises that there is a seal before starting a wash. Some dishwashers will also not start a cycle until it recognises that there is an inbound flow of water to the machine.

The second thing to check if your dishwasher has no power are the fuses. The first fuse is within the plug of the dishwasher itself. The other potential tripped fuse in the home can be found in your homes fuse box. Check for one of the switches on the fuse box to be flipped the inverse way to the others and simply flick it back.

Sometimes the culprit for a dishwasher not turning on can be the electrical socket that the appliance is plugged into. If this is the case, we would recommend contacting a qualified electrician to resolve the issue.

If your dishwasher is starting to smell, there are three internal parts that can be cleaned – the filter, the rubber seals and the spray arms. 

This should help you troubleshoot and understand what’s wrong with your dishwasher. If you need more assistance, we recommend you see a professional. 

If you own a home appliance, from kitchen gadgets to home tech, our standard Appliance Care Plan helps keep your equipment running smoothly. If you notice any faults, don’t worry with the optional Repair & Care upgrade, we can have an engineer out to you quickly.

Whether you’re looking to buy new or need help with caring for existing appliances our experts are here to answer your questions with useful guides and articles.