Easy Fixes for Kitchen Appliances

Small kitchen appliances get a lot of use and usually little maintenance. Most issues can be easily fixed at home with some simple tricks.

Clean the cutting wheel with paper

The cutting edge of a can opener can get gummed up, making it almost unusable. The easiest way to clean it is to insert a sheet of waxed paper into the cutting wheel and turn the can opener to "open" the paper. This will clean and sharpen the can opener's mechanism in one quick step.

Remove obstructions and sharpen the blades

If your blender takes an age to whiz your veggies into soup, the blades may be running slowly or may need sharpening. With use, gunk builds up at the bottom of your blender. This can be difficult to remove with regular cleaning and can interfere with the movement of the blades.

• Mix 120 grams (half a cup) of bicarbonate of soda with an equal amount of warm water and pour into your blender. Let the solution stand overnight, then run the blender at full speed in the morning — this should dislodge any stubborn matter.
• Remove the blade assembly from the blender and sharpen the cutting edges on a whetstone. Try to follow the existing angle of the sharp edges of the blades.

Use some Teflon spray for a quiet life

Kitchen appliances such as bread makers, juicers, ice cream makers and food processors may squeak or grind as they get older. The safest way to silence them is with a squirt of Teflon lubricant — be sure to ask for this rather than an oil-based lubricant at the hardware store.

• Unplug the appliance and take off its bottom panel by removing the assembly screws found on the base. Lubricate all the moving parts in the appliance with the Teflon lubricant (but avoid getting it onto any rubber belts) then reassemble the device.

Clean the safety switch

The mechanism that lowers the bread into your toaster is held down by an electromagnet. Crumbs between the magnet and toast holder may interfere with its operation, so your bread won't stay down.

• Unplug the toaster, remove and empty the crumb tray. Take it outdoors, turn it upside down and shake. This will dislodge any loose particles.
• If this doesn't solve the problem, you may be able to take off the cover of the toaster; if so, remove the securing screws, usually found in the base of the unit.
• With the cover off, you should see the electromagnet — a large block at the bottom of the toaster. Push down the lever to see where the electromagnet meets the toast holder; clean both surfaces at this junction using a cloth dabbed in isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), then reassemble the toaster.