Home maintenance affects value over the long run. Yet, homeowners admit they know very little when it comes to how to properly maintain a lot of the appliances and systems in their home.
Sears Home Services recently surveyed more than 1,000 homeowners nationwide on home maintenance. The survey found that the microwave is the most neglected appliance in the home with only 33% of respondents performing routine maintenance on it. About one in four homeowners admit they have no knowledge of the maintenance required for water softeners and water heaters.
As for water softeners, they work to remove calcium and magnesium and prevent hard water from forming. “Water softener malfunctions can wreak havoc on everything from your pipes to your hair and skin,” Sears Home Services notes in the study. They can cost $150 to $735 to fix.
But air conditioning can be much more costly to fix, upwards to $1,900 for repairs. Regular maintenance for air conditioners includes changing the filters, which younger adults admitted they were the least likely to do, the survey finds.
Washing machines and dryers are among the faultiest appliances in the home, according to the survey. The following chart breaks down the most common malfunctions in home appliances.
“Maintaining a home is no easy task,” the report notes. “There’s actually a lot to consider even beyond the structural integrity of the house. Maintenance of everything from dishwashers to ovens and air conditioners is required to keep things running smoothly, though many of our respondents shared a general lack of knowledge about how to do so.”
Learn more about home maintenance bad habits.
Source: “Home Maintenance Bad Habits,” Sears Home Services (2021)
