Currys reveals top hacks to maintain small appliances
- New research shows over half wouldn’t bother to iron if it left marks on their clothes
- Less than one in five would upgrade their vacuum cleaner if it gave off a ‘funny’ smell
- Around half of Brits would rather live with messy floors and wear creased clothes than fix home appliances
- Currys reveals a series of hacks to help people maintain small home appliances and make them last longer
Currys, the UK’s largest electrical retailer, has revealed a series of hacks to help people maintain their vacuum cleaners, clothing irons and coffee machines.
Its top tips come as new research finds that Brits would rather live with messy floors and wear creased and crinkled clothes than upgrade their appliances.
According to the research, around half (48%) said they’d be less likely to use their vacuum if it wasn’t working correctly, with less than one in five (17%) saying they would upgrade to a new model if it gave off a funny smell when in use.
Likewise, more than half (54%) said they’d be less likely to use their iron if it wasn’t working properly, with only a quarter (25%) saying they would upgrade if it left marks on their clothes. The same was true for coffee machines, with only 16% saying they would buy a new one if their current one made coffee that tasted bad.
But there’s no need to leave your clothes creased, floors dusty or to spend extortionate amounts on coffee shop brews. With Currys’ latest set of hacks, you can get your small home appliances back in top shape in no time.
Iron hacks
Nobody wants to permanently damage their best clobber while ironing. To make sure you remove creases without leaving marks on your clothes, you should:
- Ensure you only use distilled water in your iron
- Descale your iron at least every four months
- Clean your iron reservoir with white vinegar and distilled water, at least twice a year
Coffee machine hacks
Properly maintaining your coffee machine can be the difference between a crisp, smooth flat white, and the most bitter of brews:
- Remember to wipe down the nozzle regularly
- Deep clean the water reservoir once a week and fill it with filtered water where possible
- Descale your machine at least four times a year
Vacuum cleaner hacks
To avoid the dreaded stale smell of an old vacuum cleaner, you should:
- Avoid vacuuming strong-smelling foods from your kitchen floor
- Store your vacuum in a well-ventilated area
- Regularly clean the dust bag, dust cup and filter screen
Trading in
Sometimes though, if your appliances are on their last legs, the only solution is to get your hands on a newer model. But with the cost-of-living crisis continuing to bite, nearly two-thirds (62%) of Brits admit they’re much less likely to do so.
With Currys’ range of trade-in schemes, you can hand in your old device, even if it’s completely broken, to receive a minimum of 10% saving on your new purchase. And Brits aren’t short of old unused tech lying around their homes with over two-thirds (68%) they have an old, unused coffee machine, iron or vacuum cleaner stashed away.
With vacuum cleaners specifically, nearly half (48%) admitted to having an old, unused one at home with 40% saying they wished they could upgrade to a newer model. And with roughly 19.2 million households in the UK and the average trade-in customer at Currys saving £50 on their new purchases, the retailer predicts that the nation could save up to £185 million in total when trading in their old vacuum cleaners for shiny new ones.
