What You Need To Know Before Buying Appliances

One of the major decisions in furnishing your home is buying big-ticket items such as a washer, dryer or refrigerator. As with all purchases, you don’t want to pay more than you have to, but at the same time, you don’t want to compromise on safety, convenience and reliability. For this, comparison-shopping as well as a realistic assessment of your needs is the way to go.

Decide on the features that you are looking for in a refrigerator, washer, dryer or whatever appliance you are getting. Thanks to advances in technology, some brands or models have features that offer more convenience, make them operate more efficiently and save on energy. However, depending on your needs, you may not need all the bells and whistles, and you can expect the price to go higher as you go up a model and more features are added.

It is always better to measure the space where you plan to put the appliance before going to the store. After all, the time to know that you need a 33-inch-wide refrigerator between the countertop and wall is before the store delivers a 36-inch model. If you are going for a built-in look for your laundry area, getting the dimensions of the cabinet that will house the washer and dryer will save you the effort and cost of replacing a wrong purchase.

Capacity is another thing you need to decide on. What kind of use will the appliance get? A couple with no children will need a different size of appliance from a growing family. The energy cost and efficiency of an appliance are also tied up with the capacity.

For instance, a dryer needs to have twice the capacity of the matching washer to be efficient (i.e. clothes tumble more freely and dry faster). It is a waste of time and energy to split a single washer load into several batches because the dryer cannot handle it otherwise. For refrigerators, one that is too big to be kept filled is just as bad as a small one where you have to do constant rearranging to make things fit. The first wastes energy and the second wastes your time.

Aside from the price, ease of use and maintenance is another selling point for an appliance. Read the manual – it should be available from floor models – and decide if you can live with that brand or model, considering how it operates and how it should be cared for. An authorized factory service that is readily available in your area for that appliance is a plus.

All appliances come with a warranty, and it is important to read and understand this before making a commitment. The coverage can include the whole appliance or just certain parts, and some even include the cost of labor. The period covered by the warranty also varies by brand or model.

See if you can get discounts or if there are ongoing promotions. Some dealers offer discounts if you buy one or more appliances of a particular brand, such as getting a washer dryer combo or a refrigerator and another appliance. If you are getting your appliance online, check if there are mail-in rebates available and compare the savings you get with buying the appliance from a store.

Ty Hammell is a distributor of household appliances and equipment including refrigerators and blue ray DVD players. He also knows a lot regarding fashionable washer and dryer sets and provides information regarding what to look for when purchasing these items.