Who does not like to save money? Everyone does, right? Be it from renting your home appliances to buying rental furniture; everybody would like to save money in each & every aspect of their lives. Indians feel happy and accomplished if they’ve saved money in one way or the other!
A simple way to save money is to Rent Home Appliances and leave the headache of maintenance and repairs to Cityfurnish. Now, I am going to tell you some hacks to save money on your rented home and office appliances as well as getting full efficiency out of them for the rental period.
Read below for the best & effective saving hacks for your HOME APPLIANCES and OFFICE APPLIANCES. Let me take you to a world where every non living thing in your house could speak and convey it’s feelings to you!
Now IMAGINE ;
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Your LED TV saying “Don’t leave me on for hours, I cannot be switched on for hours without anybody paying attention to me! My battery becomes too hot and I feel like nobody wants me to stay cool & happy!” or “My light is dimming day by day, save me you silly human!”.
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Your Washing Machine telling you, “You careless human! Don’t you know I am allergic to hard water; my body starts rusting!” or “ Please do not stuff me so much that I become unable to take any more clothes in the future!”.
Also Read – Why Renting Home Appliances Online Is A Smart Decision
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The Refrigerator saying “My precious human, can’t you see I am not happy the way you keep me, unorganized and dirty; I am an Ubercool object, please keep me clean!”.
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The Oven in your kitchen telling you “Please give me some space to ventilate unless you want me to DIE soon!” and  “I am becoming smelly day by day due to the funky smelling things you put in me, I don’t like it; please clean me!”. Not a pretty picture, right? Your family keeps screaming at you and now even the appliances start a 3rd world war against you, demanding the rights that they “obviously” deserve.
Also Read – How To Choose Best Refrigerator For Your Home?
Don’t you worry, my child. We’re here to tell you how to save your appliances from degrading and getting the maximum efficiency out of them. Some general daily habits will help you increase the life of your electronic home appliances. Even the smallest details can help you save electricity and money on your next energy bill!!
Let’s start.
LED TV
LED TV is the main centerpiece for your home, where your family and friends gather to have dinner, watch various sports shows, have a party and just generally watch news or browse channels for entertainment. A good quality LED TV comes at a higher price and thus, you want it to last as long as possible. Do keep in mind that the lifespan of the LED TV does not mean that the device just dies, after it hits a magical number. The lifespan of the LED TV refers to how bright it remains as its age increases. If the dimness increases to a level at which it becomes unwatchable, then it has reached the end of its lifespan. It is obvious, that every TV dims as it ages! Here are some tips on how to increase your LED TV lifespan.
Also Read – Smart TV Guide: Which Smart TV Is Right For You?
- Turn Off the TV When Nobody is Watching It.
This is probably the most common advice, but we usually keep it on as a source for background noise while we’re busy doing other chores. Life of an LED TV typically ranges from 60,000-100,000 hours depending upon the manufacturer. Now, let’s suppose you’ve kept it on for 3-4 hours on a daily basis; which amounts for almost 1500 hours a year! So switching off the TV when nobody is watching is the most common sense advice you’ll get to hear from everybody!
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- Turn Down the Brightness Levels.
At home you don’t require the brightness levels to be as high as in the LED TV showrooms, so calm it down. Keeping the brightness at a very high level will easily reduce the hours from 60,000 to 30,00 hours because it has to work twice as hard to keep up the brightness.
- Adjust the Contrast.
Contrast refers to the difference between the brightest and the darkest colors. Higher the contrast, higher the power being used up by the LED TV. Set the level of contrast as “standard” for the lowest power usage or “movie” for enjoying HD broadcasts. These settings, use less energy as compared to any other setting like “vivid” or “dynamic”.
- Use a Voltage Regulator.
A voltage regulator helps in keeping the voltage in a circuit at a desired value. The Smart TV is not the only device consuming power, every time the AC or the washing machine starts, electricity is consumed. Due to this, other appliances like LED TV suffer a temporary power dip; which in turn affects the TV’s process to function. By using a voltage regulator with a power backup will help in providing extra power during the power cuts. Thus, in turn increasing the life of the LED TV and protecting you from hazardous situations.
- Proper Ventilation.
The LED TV consumes a huge amount of power in the home; this produces a lot of heat. A proper ventilated surrounding is necessary to distribute the heat leaving the LED TV room to breathe. Make sure the TV has at least 4 inches to breathe around the ventilation vents.
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WASHING MACHINE
Whenever there is a problem with the washing machine, you easily blame the seller or the manufacturer on overselling you on the features. But, the main reason for the breakdown of the washing machine is, your carelessness! By taking a few precautions while using the washing machine, shall help you in saving the money you use up in the repairs, as well as the energy you lose on blaming others!!
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- Level it Properly.
Setting the washing machine, at a level that is stable can help in reducing the rumble when spinning. It’ll reduce the wear and tear of the washing machine when in use.
- Don’t Use Hot Water.
You can use warm or cold water for the wash and rinse cycle. Most detergents work well with warm or cold water rather than hot water. Hot water does not help in cleaning the clothes in the washing machine. For tough stains, pre-soaking the clothes in hot water before washing them in the washing machine shall prove more helpful than using hot water directly in the washing machine!
- Right Kind and Quantity Of Detergent.
Read the instructions in the manual provided with the washing machine showing how much detergent is required for the different levels of laundry. There are different type of detergents for top load washing machine and front load washing machine. Detergent with excess suds will hamper the washing power of front load washing machines.
- Don’t Overload.
If you overload a washing machine, it’ll not be able to spin efficiently and consume more power than required. Too many clothes can also cause the washing machine to break down.
- Regular Cleaning & Maintenance.
Clean the residue in the washing drum so that there is no build up of odor and jamming of the hosepipe. You can use 2 cups of white vinegar to run on an empty washing cycle. It’ll help in cleaning the washing drum and getting rid of the odor. Keep an eye on any type of damage regarding the water supply hoses or electrical wiring of the washing machine. Change the hose pipe after every 5 years.
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And please, just don’t attempt to repair the washing machine on your own; call an expert!!
REFRIGERATOR
In India, we have extremes of every season. It is either too cold in winters or too hot in summers! A refrigerator is one of the necessary appliances needed in a home, at a hostel or Paying Guest and even in an office! Without it we won’t be able to enjoy the chilled beers and ice cold “kheer” your mother gets you in your hostel/PG and you need to cherish it till the last bite!
Here are some tips and hacks to keep your refrigerator working (without any breakdown) for years:
- Protect Your Refrigerator from High Heat Objects.
The compressor is the heart & soul of a fridge. It works twice as high to keep your food at the perfect cold temperature; when kept near a high heat emitting object. In order to work efficiently keep your refrigerator away from the gas burner, the oven or any other heat source. This not only causes your refrigerator to work hard; but also reduces its efficiency.
Also Read – 5 Simple Steps To Organize Your Refrigerator Effectively
When designing your kitchen, try not to keep your refrigerator under direct sunlight as it’ll cause damage to the outer body of the fridge as well as put a lot of pressure on the compressor in order to keep the food cold.
- Replace the Rubber Seal.
We usually don’t understand the importance of this plastic lining on the door of the refrigerator (also known as a gasket). The plastic thing helps in keeping any unwanted warm air from coming inside the fridge. Due to regular opening and closing of the refrigerator, the rubber seal loses its suction power which reduces the efficiency of your refrigerator because heat starts entering and the compressor has to work twice as hard. While your refrigerator can operate efficiently for years, but the gasket needs to be changed after a few years.
- Cool Your Left Overs.
After you’ve had your meal, do cool off the leftovers before keeping them in your refrigerator. It reduces the amount of heat entering the interior of your appliance. Also, try and keep the leftovers in an airtight container or proper wrapping as it’ll reduce the residual heat from coming out of it.
- Clean the Condenser Coils.
The condenser coils are situated at the back of the fridge. They help in eliminating the heat from the unit. If these coils are covered in dust, it becomes difficult for them to operate at full efficiency; in order to keep up with the energy requirements the condenser coils start working twice as high thereby producing a lot of heat and consuming more energy than required. This reduces the efficiency of your refrigerator. Invest in a good quality bristle brush (even a toothbrush will work) to clean the condenser coils. There are many other ways to keep your appliances clean.
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- Don’t keep opening and closing the door of your refrigerator, unnecessarily.
I cannot stress on this point too much! You must have heard it from someone or the other! It is the most basic and cheap way to reduce energy consumption. When you open the refrigerator, the cold air escapes from the refrigerator and it takes time for the condenser to stabilize the intended temperature inside the appliance. Opening and closing it multiple times will put a lot of pressure on the condenser in order to keep the temperature cool inside. So, first decide what you want from the refrigerator and then open it!
- Keep the temperature under check.
By slightly increasing the temperature inside the refrigerator can help you save money on your electricity bill. Keep the temperature around 36-40°F in your refrigerator and 0-5°F in your freezer. If your refrigerator does not provide you with proper degree ratings, then keeping it at the midpoint of the temperature dial will help too.
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- Organize and remove clutter.
Who does not like a clean and organized fridge. Put your inner OCD freak to use and clean it up. It’s pure common sense, if your fridge is organized; you won’t spend much time in finding what you need and won’t leave the door open for a longer duration. You’ll save time and money (on your electricity bill). Remove the clutter and get rid of that funky smell in your fridge! To remove the smell, you can put a tablespoon of tea leaves in a small cup/container and put it in any corner inside the fridge.
- Reduce Frost Accumulation.
Frost build up is the most common reason for the breakdown of a refrigerator; and there is no science involved in removing it. Depending on the type of refrigerator you use, it may require manual defrosting. Build-up is accumulated on the coils inside, forcing it to consume more units of energy. If you don’t defrost your refrigerator and freezer regularly; it’ll be difficult for the condenser(of the fridge) to maintain a cool temperature, eventually leading to a breakdown.
MICROWAVEÂ OVEN
Using a microwave oven is not as feasible as using a gas stove burner; but sometimes you just have to bake that cake, grill Chicken/Paneer Tikka or just a Pizza. Microwave helps in saving time and effort of cooking on a gas stove burner which usually is not made for baking a cake or a pizza! The bachelors living in a hostel/PG or a rented home, have mastered the art of cooking in a microwave oven!
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Here are some tips on how to, make that microwave oven last for a longer duration:
- Know Your Microwave Oven.
The manual being provided with the microwave oven is provided for your help, do not throw it away and then use your brains to figure out what is where & how it works. If you have proper knowledge about the functions of the microwave; you’ll save time and energy in figuring things out! But, if you do not have an idea about the functions, then you may even break down your microwave.
- While Cooking, Keep the Oven Closed.
Whenever you cook something in the microwave oven, do not keep opening it minute by minute. It’s not magic; cooking takes time. By opening the microwave oven, heat rushes out of it and then it requires more energy to get back to the same temperature as before. The coil has to work twice as more to stabilize the temperature; thus, using more electricity!
- Use Glass or Ceramic Dishes.
It is the most efficient way to save energy consumption, as glass and ceramic dishes reduce the temperature required for cooking, in turn reducing the energy consumptions. Also, the glass and ceramic containers do not produce any harmful chemicals when heated, unlike the microwave safe plastic containers.
- Use Stainless Steel Skewers.
Stainless steel heats up quickly and helps in cooking the meat (or paneer) faster and evenly, rather than any plastic based skewer. By using, stainless steel skewers, you’ll save time and energy consumed while cooking in the microwave oven.
- Cook, Small Pieces of Food.
The smaller the pieces, the less time it’ll take to cook. Hence, reducing the electricity consumption and not putting too much pressure on the heating coil of the microwave oven.
- Keep Distance.
While planning the design of your kitchen, make sure that the microwave oven is kept at least 8-10 inches away from any heat source or any object. Microwave’s heating coil produces heat while cooking, thus; it requires space to distribute the heat (ventilate). If there is no space to ventilate, then the efficiency of the microwave oven will suffer majorly!
- Clean the Microwave Inside Out at Regular Intervals.
Due to regular usage and steam being produced during the process of cooking, the interiors tend to get dirty and accumulation of grease and dirt takes place. The accumulated grease hinders the microwave oven’s ability to heat things in less time; thereby, taking a longer duration and eventually breaking down.
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CONCLUSION.
All the tips and hacks stated above help in increasing the efficiency of your basic home appliances, getting the maximum output out of them for years, minimizing the energy consumptions and most importantly, saving your precious money on electricity bills!
Also Read – Why Electronic Home Appliances On Rent Is A Perk Of Living In Bangalore
These tips are not a rocket science, it’s the smallest of details which help you in saving a lot of money you waste on electricity and repairs of such home appliances. The tips and hacks mentioned above are easy to incorporate, in your daily lifestyle; ensuring you save a huge amount of money that you unnecessarily spend on electricity. The power (to save money) is in your hands, guys!!
We at Cityfurnish not only provide you with high-end branded appliances for your home & office needs, but also quality office and home furniture on easy monthly rentals; necessary to enhance the beauty and comfort of your home and office.
