Home appliances are the core elements of every home. They help make our daily lives more efficient, from preparing meals to keeping our spaces comfortable, clean, and stress-free.
This is why whenever we plan to get a new home appliance, the last thing we want is an appliance that will not meet our expectations or, worse, one that will bring us more stress in the long run.
Choosing the right home appliances is about functionality and ensuring they align with your needs, budget, and expectations.
So, it doesn’t matter if you’re upgrading your kitchen, revamping your laundry room, or replacing an aging appliance; without the proper knowledge (some of which we’re about to share), you may end up making the mistake of buying a home appliance that doesn’t fit your lifestyle.
Here are a few factors to consider when buying your next home appliance.
The Appliance’s Primary Purpose
Before buying an appliance for your home, you must be sure what you intend to use it for and how important that task is to your daily routine.
This is because when you get to an appliance store, you’ll meet a salesman or woman who may not necessarily have your best interest at heart but is hell-bent on convincing you to buy their suggestions.
Now, if you still need to figure out the primary purpose of the appliance you want to buy, you may be swayed by the sales rep to purchase something flashier that may not meet your expectations in the long run.
So, your first consideration is to have a checklist for what and what you want this appliance to do for you. This checklist will help you make the best decision when choosing the right home appliance for your needs.
Size and Space
Another essential thing to consider when buying a home appliance is the size of the appliance and whether you have the space in your house to accommodate it.
It’s one thing to buy an appliance; it’s another to station it in a convenient spot where you can access it easily.
So what do you do? Before heading out to the appliance shop, think about the size of the appliance you want. If, for instance, you’re replacing your old refrigerator with a new, bigger one, consider the spot where you intend to put it and measure it.
This measurement will guide you to buy the right refrigerator size and should be on your checklist. So, when you finally bring the refrigerator home, you won’t be stressing over where to put it, as it will slide comfortably into the spot you planned for it.
Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
Now, let’s talk about how energy-efficient your appliance should be. Before reading this blog, you probably already know that an energy-efficient home appliance offers you many benefits that save you money and, in one way or another, reduce your carbon footprint.
However, I wonder if you also know that every appliance has different energy efficiency levels. Buying an energy-efficient home appliance is not as easy as walking into an appliance shop and asking, “Is it energy-efficient?” Without any prior sales experience, you can guess what the answer would be.
Home appliances like washing machines, refrigerators, and dishwashers are usually rated with the Energy Star label. This label indicates that the appliance you’re about to buy meets or exceeds energy efficiency guidelines set by the government.
The higher the Energy Star ratings, the better (you can add this to your checklist).
Warranty and After-Sales Support
While most people feel relief when they buy a product with the stamp of a warranty, many do not know that you can quickly tell the quality of an appliance by the number of years on the warranty label.
It’s a simple trick you can leverage: appliances with inferior components usually have a shorter duration of their warranties, while home appliances (especially those from trusted brands) will have a longer warranty duration.
And to add, you might also want to consider getting a home warranty for these appliances in case they break down after their initial warranty period. Now, before you compare a home warranty vs. home insurance, perhaps out of ignorance, it’s important to note that they’re not the same thing.
A home warranty is a home protection plan that covers the repair and replacement of major home appliances like your refrigerator and HVAC systems. Some home warranties, however, also include plumbing and other major home systems.
Moving on, let’s not forget after-sales support. Before buying an appliance, visit online marketplaces like Amazon to read reviews about your preferred brand’s after-sales support service. The last thing you want is to buy a home appliance, get stuck on a particular coupling stage, and have no customer support representative to help you.
Though it’s not entirely necessary, buying from brands offering longer warranty durations and a better after-sales support service is advisable.
Brand Reputation and Reliability
Is brand reputation really important when buying an appliance? Of course, it is! There have been numerous incidents of people buying products from unknown brands and having difficulty using them.
It’s not just the brand’s reputation that counts, but their reliability to assist you during hard times when using their products.
A reputable brand will have an active after-sales support system to address whatever issues you face while using their product.
They also offer the best warranty durations and are ready to help you fix or replace your appliance if it malfunctions during the warranty period.
My best piece of advice is to not let the lofty cost of buying from a reputable brand deter you from patronizing them; the service and support you’ll get will be worth every penny you’re paying.
Wrapping Up
Now, you have enough details to build your appliance shopping checklist. Use these factors as a guide to making the best purchase for that home appliance, and believe me, you won’t regret it!
