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We know that the owner’s manuals that come with the appliances we buy have a lot of potentially useful information, but the prospect of actually reading them isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. After all, many of those manuals are the size of an encyclopedia and equally as interesting to read!
That’s why I took one for the team and read all of my owner’s manuals — so you wouldn’t have to! In this post, I’m giving you the lowdown on the most interesting and useful things I learned from reading owner’s manuals.
9 Useful Things I Learned From Owner’s Manuals
1. How To Load A Dishwasher Properly
Should you put tall glasses on the bottom or top rack, and where should wooden spoons go? If you’ve ever asked yourself questions like these about your dishwasher, you can find many of the answers in my dishwasher guide!
Generally speaking, pots and pans should go in the bottom rack, while glasses, small dishes, and plastic items should go in the top rack (and some things shouldn’t go in the dishwasher at all!) And don’t miss the 10 things you should know about your dishwasher, either.
2. How To Customize Car Settings
One of the most useful things I learned from the manual for my car is that I could program various settings and preferences to my specific car key. Now, when I start my car with my key, the seat and steering wheel self-adjust to where I set them, so those little spats about adjusting the driver’s seat are a thing of the past!
The next time you buy a car, make sure to ask about features like these before you leave the dealership, as they can help you set them up. If you bought a new or used car recently, call the dealership and ask if you can schedule an appointment to have someone walk you through your car’s programmable features.
3. The Meaning Of Those Mysterious Laundry Symbols
In my washing machine manual, I found a useful fabric care chart that explains the care symbols on clothing and various wash cycle recommendations. This information is invaluable to anyone who does laundry, so I put together a guide to laundry care symbols and a free laundry symbols printable to go along with it!
4. How To Reverse Appliance Doors
Many fridges, front-loading washing machines, and other appliances have doors that can open from either side. If you’re trying to maximize space in a small laundry room or kitchen, knowing how to reverse the door of those appliances can make a big difference!
You can typically reverse appliance doors with common hand tools, and Family Handyman has helpful instructions that can help you get started.
5. The Meanings Of Error Codes
Most user manuals have a troubleshooting section with helpful descriptions of the error messages or codes you might run into while using the item. You can often find these guides online, too, making it easy to print them out and tape them inside a cabinet door. I found the troubleshooting guide for my Instant Pot online and keep it handy in my kitchen.
6. How To Delay Start Times
Many ovens have a delayed start option, which makes it possible to start cooking dinner before you get home from work or running errands. If your oven has a digital display and a clock, just look up the make and model on Google to find out how to use the delayed start function.
7. How To Silence Annoying Beeps And Alarms
While perusing my washing machine manual, not only did I learn that I could easily reduce the volume of the little jingle my washer plays at the end of a wash cycle, but I could turn it off completely too! Most alarms and alerts can be adjusted or silenced, so there’s no reason to keep listening to those beeps and boops if they annoy you.
The easiest way to learn how to do it is to search for the make and model of your machine with “turn off alarms”. Once you turn them off, you’ll wonder why it took you so long!
8. How Often To Clean Major Appliances
Speaking of my washing machine, it’s new enough that I’m still encountering new features for the first time. For instance, I recently received an email from my washing machine informing me that it was time for me to clean it!
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Not every model may be savvy enough to shoot you an email, but most washer manuals recommend cleaning your washing machine around once a month. To reduce the risk of a dryer fire, you should thoroughly clean your dryer once a year, clean the lint trap after each use, and wash the lint trap once a month.
9. What Can (And Can’t) Go In The Dishwasher
Some small appliances (and even smaller parts of larger appliances) can be cleaned right in your dishwasher. For example, I learned from my Instant Pot manual that the whole lid is dishwasher-safe, as long as I put it in the top rack!
I’ve also got a longer list of things you can clean in the dishwasher, and complete instructions on how to clean your dishwasher with vinegar and baking soda, which will fix or prevent a lot of the most common dishwasher problems.
Bonus Tip: Download Your Owner’s Manuals!
If you go to dig out one of your owner’s manuals and can’t find it anywhere, never fear! You can find a digital copy of almost any user manual somewhere online.
Just Google the manufacturer and model number, along with the word “manual.” When you find the right one, look for an option to download the manual as a PDF file, then save it to your computer so it’s easy to find in the future!
Do you take the time to read owner’s manuals?
