Want your shiny new appliances to last forever? The wear and tear we expect our appliances to go through can be lessened if we take a little extra time and care. Since we are all talking of being economical and not spending so much cash, here is a list of a few precautions that are recommended.

If you are planning on re-designing your laundry room - think on this one: The longer the length of the laundry exhaust vent, the harder that your dryer has to work to get your clothes dry. The harder your dryer must work, the sooner your machine will burn out.

Some modern homes these days are built with vents that reach as far as 200 feet (60 meters); this is not advisable. One of the other side effects of the long vent is that lint can get stuck in the machine and vent pipe and there is a remote possibility that this could cause a fire.

If it is feasible in your home, replace your old flexible plastic or vinyl hose with rigid or flexible metal venting.

Fridges can go on forever, but here is an instance of where good housekeeping pays off - move over Martha! Once a year take off the grille part of your refrigerator (located at the bottom of your fridge) and dust off the condenser coil. Dust in between the coils using a tapered baby bottle brush. When it is all dusted, vacuum up the dust and cover it up for another year.

It is important to keep the dust off the condenser coils. These coils cool the compressor which is the most expensive part of the fridge. Clean coils stop the compressor from heating up and having to work harder.

One other factor that helps prolong the life-expectancy of compressors - that is the running of the freezer. Running an efficient freezer prolongs the life of the compressor; if the freezer is empty, then it takes more energy to run. Fill it with plastic milk containers containing water and bags of frozen vegetables.

The replacement price for a dishwasher rack can be as much as 25% of the original price of the whole dishwasher. Therefore racks need to be looked after. One small nick in the vinyl coated rack means the inner metal work will start to rust. Stopping the rust process is impossible and it will stain the water and your dishes. For this reason, take care with sharp utensils and do not 'jam' items into spaces that are too small.

Washing machines for the most part are pretty tough, although it is better for your machine if heavy metal fasteners are washed in a protective bag, or left out of the wash. Over-loading could be serious, as it will create wear and tear on the parts of your machine that glide and spin, making these parts fail prematurely. Check your manufacturer's instructions for load size.

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