According to a nationwide Angie's List poll, more than 40% of respondents say they'll host holiday dinners this year.
That puts their ovens refrigerators and garbage disposals to the test.
Angie Hicks of Angie's List explained, "When it comes to appliances, homeowners oftentimes take them for granted. We don't take proper care of them and then we end up disappointed when they don't work right. We overstuff our freezers so proper airflow can't get through or we overload our dishwasher so it doesn't even have a prayer of being able to get the dishes clean."
11% say they've had an appliance die in the midst of preparing a special meal.
Rick Cantleberry works for an appliance repair company. He said, "People that haven't tried their ovens for a month, two months, three months, or six months. The day before Thanksgiving they want to cook a turkey and their oven doesn't work so we get emergency calls all the time. "
So that means you should do a test-run before the big day. And remember your refrigerator runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So simple maintenance is key.
Hicks said, "A basic service call on an appliance is going to cost anywhere from $60 to $100. Keep in mind that does not include parts and labor. That will be added onto the bill but a lot of times you're going to get a credit back for that service call fee. Sometimes people think "wow, do I want to spend that kind of money," but when compared to the amount of money it would take to replace that appliance - it can be money well spent."
And make sure your dishwasher and disposal are in good working order-- before you really put them to the test.
