Why Appliances Break In January

The king will help with your home disaster

Ever noticed that in December and January your appliances give up the ghost? Your vacuum cleaner explodes with a puff of smoke, the iron loses its heat, the washing machine starts making a weird thunking sound and refuses to spin, and then lo and behold, your dishwasher (the appliance that keeps your family together) breaks. It’s pure madness in your house. These types of malfunctions and failures often result in home disasters that can ruin your start to the year.

Listen, we aren’t saying that these things happen to everyone and that it only ever happens at the end of the year, but it does happen and we think that we’ve found the answer. And before you ask, we understand that we’re not scientists or appliance specialists or whatever expert you need to be in order to comment on this weird occurrence. We’re just people who use appliances and have noticed the annual breakdown happen in our own homes…

And we think that we’ve found a few answers as to why.

The main reasons we think appliances break in January

Let’s start with what the answer isn’t. Contrary to popular belief, appliances don’t break when you can least afford it. (Although it might feel that way.) Right, now that’s out of the way we can move on to the reasons why your machines are breaking down at the start of the year.

1-and-done appliances are over

Maybe your mother could buy a microwave or a washing machine back in the day that would last 15 to 20 years. Your grandmother definitely could. But you? Sorry, but they just don’t make them like they used to. It sounds too obvious, but the reality is that new appliances won’t last as long as you’d like because new models break down more quickly than the old crew. If we may be so bold as to over simplify things, it’s down to the poor quality associated with mass production and economical cuts, which affects product performance.

People buy more appliances between November and January

People make bigger purchases when the money is right. Like in November when it’s around 40% off on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, or in December when you get a bonus, or during the January sales. The thing is, because of the aforementioned poor quality, your great deal will work well for a whole year or 2, but then almost down to the exact week, it’ll start to give you issues. So, if you bought your appliance in December or January, then that’s the month it could fail in.

While this isn’t gospel, it does happen. Especially if you’ve bought a cheaper model.

It’s hot in January

You know how it’s harder to work when it’s hot? Same applies to appliances. Summer is a tough time for your homely helpers, which is why you’ll find that come January your washing machine no longer wants to cooperate. From our research, it seems as though your household machines generate more heat inside your home in summer and so, on hot days, they can overheat and malfunction.

Some appliances are used more aggressively

How you use your appliance plays a major role in how long it will last. If you overload your washing machine 4 times a day or forget to unclog the tumble dryer vent (especially in the hotter months) then things might go bust. Go easy on your appliances so that they can last a bit longer.

When you combine these factors, it’s hardly surprising that some of you are experiencing home disasters related to appliance failure.

Tips to make ’em last:

• Dishwashers: Rinse the solids off before loading.
• Fridges: Regularly clean the coils located at the bottom of your refrigerator to remove accumulated dust (it leads to overheating).
• Ovens: Avoid using aluminium foil under coils to prevent messy drips because this reflects heat and can get too hot (rather use specially designed liners).
• Washing machines: Avoid packing too many items into your washing machine.
• Tumble dryers: Clean out the lint trap to avoid clogging the dryer vent.

What you should also consider in addition to these tips is getting the right help in place in case all your best intentions don’t prevent the washing machine from flooding your house. We’re talking about home insurance. Home disasters happen as a result of your appliances going on the fritz and if you have home insurance you can call their home assist service to help you out of a tough spot. You can also claim for damages and loss if you have a decent policy, like this 1 here.

Don’t pay the price, plan ahead, and keep your house safe.