Why you should register your home appliances
It’s of vital importance that your older relative should register their home appliances, in order to be kept informed about appliance recalls. We have at least 100 million large domestic appliances in use in our homes, but only 55% of over 65 year olds register their ovens, fridges and washing machines, meaning thousands of older and more vulnerable owners can miss out on vital, free, product safety repairs.
How to register appliances
AMDEA’s (Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances) has made registering an appliance infinitely easier and it’s now a simple online task for anyone who is computer-savvy. However, older people who are not silver surfers (and those estimated 6 million aged 65+ without internet access) will need a helping hand to reap the benefits of this user-friendly website, which provides quick access to the registration pages of over 60 leading brands of domestic appliances. Here you can register both new and older appliances (up to 12 years old).
Once registered, in the rare instance that there is a safety action required in your home, a qualified engineer would visit your parent’s home to perform a quick fix, rendering the product safe for the rest of its working life.
Top tips to keep your appliances safe
As well as helping your loved ones out by registering, it’s also helpful if you keep abreast of the most important rules of appliance safety, so that you can check their home is a hazard-free zone. These simple and quick tasks should be on the to-do list of every concerned son, daughter or relative.
- Always keep your appliance instructions
- Check where they keep their appliance installation and care instructions, so if they do need to consult them, you both remember where they are! Perhaps create a file or box file to keep them all in one place
- Note down the serial number and date of purchase in the booklet for easy reference.
- Check your parents’ appliances against the recall list here
- Double check that extension leads or adaptors are not being used for large appliances, as this is very unsafe. They should be plugged directly into a wall-mounted socket outlet
- Be sure that the back of the fridge is clear from debris, such as old newspapers or bags, as this could be a potential fire hazard. It’s also important to discourage installation of fridges and freezers in a garage where abnormal temperatures and damp may cause condensation.
- Make sure there is at least one smoke alarm on each level of your parent’s home and that one of them is placed near the kitchen as a priority. Perhaps, as a reminder to test them frequently, get into the habit of testing them every time you visit for Sunday lunch or any other regular occasion.
Registering your older relative’s appliances and performing these other simple chores, allows you and your elderly relative to sleep easy in the knowledge that their home is as safe as it can be
