Buying an electric appliance is not something we do every day, or even once a year - we expect our appliances to last a long time, so many of us prefer to invest a nice amount of money and buy the best ones w can get our hands on. However, some of the upgrades you pay for at an additional price will prove ineffective or useless, while others may surprise you with a hefty electricity bill.
To avoid the purchase mistakes, know the upgrades that salesmen will try to push when you’re purchasing these 7 different electrical appliances that you should definitely avoid.
A good refrigerator can function for many years without causing problems, and its main purpose is to keep our food fresh and tasty. For this reason, the next host of upgrades you’ll be offered aren’t really necessary or worth the extra cash:
• Fridge ionizer - the store may tell you that a fridge ionizer destroys bacteria and preserves fresh food for a longer time by sending out harmless negative ions, but there is actually no evidence of this process actually working.
• Anti-bacterial parts - whether they are anti-bacterial rubber bands or anti-bacterial filters – research that proves these parts prevent bacteria from developing on food that has spent for more than 3-5 days in the refrigerator has not yet been conducted, and the food will probably still go bad either way. Anti-bacterial ingredients also require regular cleaning, making this upgrade not only useful but also a burden.
• Ice kiosk - Refrigerators with an ice kiosk cost far more than refrigerators without one, but almost every refrigerator comes with an ice tray that works just as well. Save money on this upgrade because the number of times you’ll use this function won’t be worth it in the long term, especially when it may break and require repair or a replacement, compared to a simple ice tray that’ll forever work, and if not, is cheaper to replace.
• No Frost - This function will ensure that the refrigerator does not require occasional defrosting, but this isn’t true in most cases - in fact, all refrigerators require a one-time defrosting, but not as often as older refrigerators. However, most new refrigerators today don’t need a defrosting at any time, even if they do not have this add-on.
Almost everyone owns a washing machine even though hand washing is an option - it saves us time and effort, but there is a limit to the amount of "effort" it should save us:
• A large number of programs – breaking down programs into sub-programs might offer you more control over the temperature and spinning speed, however it won't give you more control than that offered on a regular machine. The only difference is that you’ll get mixed up with many buttons, which in most cases you won’t even have use for.
If you buy a dryer you should avoid the addition that many people regret after purchasing:
• Condensation unit - If you plan to place your dryer in a windowless room or a room without proper draining, you’ll need a condensation unit. However, condensation units tend to fill up with water quickly, and once they fill up the machine stops. Therefore, we recommend that you find a better place to put your dryer so you’re not constantly having to check whether your dryer is still running or not.
Vacuum cleaners are also offered with one completely unnecessary addition, which may look cool on the package, but actually has minimal and negligible uses – and we haven’t even gotten to its efficiency:
• An ultraviolet vacuum cleaner – salesmen will tell you that the purple light helps eliminate "invisible bacteria" easily, but to actually get rid of these bacteria you’ll have to get on your hands and knees and scrub your floor with a detergent, and in any case, new bacteria will return very quickly. What is certain is that salvation won’t come from the vacuum cleaner or its purple light
If you are tired of washing dishes after each meal or have dishes stacked in your sink, a dishwasher is definitely a recommended solution as long as you have room for it in your kitchen. However, this is a very expensive product, which is even more expensive because of various additions that are not really useful and that no one really needs:
• Low water usage - Most dishwashers use about 12 liters of water while operating, but there are expensive ones that use only 7 liters. However you’ll be spending the money saved on electricity to run it, and washing with a reduced amount of water helps only if the dishwasher isn’t fully loaded. In case the dishwasher is loaded, you will find that it is unable to wash the dishes well, meaning you’ll end up doing more loads.
• Remote control app - While this function can be useful for our home air conditioner as it allows us to remotely turn our AC on and off, is it necessary for the dishwasher? If it comes with an extra charge the answer is of course not.
• Wash time screen - even if you just bought a new dishwasher, it won’t be long before you understand for yourself how long a wash cycle takes. Therefore, if a time display comes with a fee we recommend you choose the cheaper option.
Anyone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen will get excited about purchasing a new oven, as this is the appliance that will ensure your pastries are baked to perfection. With time, each person learns their oven and how best to use it, however, there are many add-ons and functions that many don’t use and some that may even cause you to use more electricity:
• Cooking programs - Modern ovens have cooking programs that allow you to prepare specific dishes more easily, but if you work with recipes, each recipe will have the cooking time and temperature requirement listed, so this function becomes completely unnecessary when it replaces an action that takes no more than 2 seconds - Simple temperature and time setting
• Self-cleaning - Ovens with a self-cleaning function use more electricity than you imagine because to do so they need to increase the temperature to 500 degrees to burn any food residue. Besides for the fact that they are expensive, these ovens will cost you more in electricity
We usually want to spend our free time in front of a state-of-the-art television that can provide us with hours of pleasure and enjoyment, but don’t let salesmen push you into purchasing options you won’t have any use for:
• 3D glasses - This option may excite you and your guests for a little while, but odds are that the glasses will get lost somewhere in the living room, and you won’t even bother looking for them because you won’t actually use them more than once or twice. Many people find it physically uncomfortable to watch TV with 3D glasses, so it's just an extra waste of money expense.
