Most of us take our kitchen appliances for granted most of the time, and it’s not hard to understand why. They are always there for us. We come home from shopping and unload the food into the fridge and freezer without even thinking about what we would do if it wasn’t there. In addition we wash our clothes in the washing machine and use the oven and hob almost every day without a second thought.
But when one of them finally gives up and breaks, we can go into a virtual panic in no time at all. How will we save the food in the fridge freezer? What about the washing that needs doing if the machine breaks down? And how about cooking? How will we cope there?
You can see that it pays to think about how you would manage if one of your trusted appliances did finally break down. The odds are that it is bound to happen sooner or later, and depending on the appliance you get problems with the course of action could differ.
If you have a problem with your oven or hob, you will still retain the use of the other item while you wait for the new one. If the worst comes to the worst you should still be able to use your microwave to cook with. It does limit what you can do but there are still things you can cook.
As far as the washing machine is concerned you might be able to manage without it for a few days. It depends on the amount of washing you do normally, and when you last did it before the machine broke down. You might have to use a launderette if you cannot wait until the new washing machine turns up.
Perhaps the most awkward item to cope with losing is the fridge freezer. If it does break keep the doors closed as much as you can to keep the cold in. Try and use food so that the items which will defrost first are used first. If it is cold outside you can store some of the food in the garage once it defrosts, rather than keeping it in a warm kitchen. And if you are in any doubt, throw it out.
The best part is looking forward to your new appliance – and breathing a sigh of relief at its arrival.