If you want those whites to keep coming out as resplendent as you’ve become accustomed to – and avoid unwanted guests such as mould and mildew – follow these home appliance maintenance tips for a happy washing machine.

1. Don’t go overboard on the suds. Many washing machines on the market today are energy efficient – definitely a selling point that will save you money and save the environment. Just make sure to use detergent that is appropriate for the
machine, as some models will require a less sudsy HE (high efficiency) detergent.

2. Leave the door open. After washing a load of laundry, leaving the door ajar will allow the interior to air properly and prevent mould and mildew.

3. Don’t leave wet laundry to sit. Likewise, wet laundry that lingers around inside the washer for hours
and hours can bring about those musky pests.

4. Wash the washer. Give the door, gasket, drum, and dispensers a good once-over with a solution made of equal parts water and vinegar. Also, every once in a while, run a hot-water load with the washer on empty, using either detergent or vinegar to help get the interior super-clean.

5. Don’t overdo the detergent.While it may seem to make sense that more soap will get your clothes cleaner, in actuality the opposite can be true. Extra soap can leave a residue on your laundry – as well as the interior of the machine, causing wear and tear.

1. Get your fridge temperature right.
If you want to get the most out of your food, the temperature in your fridge needs to be spot on.

• The ideal fridge temperature is between 37°F (3°C) and 40°F (5°C)
• Your freezer

Just remember that it takes about 24 hours for your fridge to adjust to any changes you make.

2, Use different shelves for different foods.
Did you know that your fridge temperature varies between shelves? Typically, higher shelves have higher temperatures. So with that in mind, keep your raw meat and fish at the bottom, at temperatures between 0°C and 3°C. Dairy products like butter and cheese are fine to be kept nearer the top of the fridge.

3, Don’t overload your fridge.
Give your food some space! If you cram everything in too tightly, it can actually stop cooling air from circulating, and keeping everything at the right temperature and humidity.

4, Don’t wash your food.
We recommend you only wash your food when you’re ready to prepare or eat it. If you wash fruit and veg before you put it in the fridge, it can actually reduce its lifespan by a fair amount. This is because adding moisture actually speeds up the decaying process.

5, Keep certain things separate.
Lots of fruit and veg give off different gases as they ripen, making nearby foodstuffs spoil faster.

To avoid this, it’s important to store things like bananas, apples and avocados by themselves.

You can store less gassy stuff like potatoes and carrots with each other, but they should still be kept away from the baddies above.