Over time, even the best kitchen blenders will start to show damage. This is especially true if you use your blender every day to make thick smoothies. Today, in our throw-away society we’re quick to just trash a product at the first sign of a malfunction. Small appliances like blenders are usually not worth taking to a repair shop to have them fixed. But before you resign your blender to the landfill and buy a new one, there are several quick and easy repairs you can do yourself. Taking the time to do these checks to see if you can get your blender working again is certainly worth it.
Leaks
One of the most common problems you’ll find with your kitchen blender is leaking. Even top rated blenders from blender reviews will start to have this problem eventually. The cause lies in the o-ring or gasket located in the bottom of the blender jar where the blade assembly and housing reside. Over time the rubber gasket starts to wear down. If your blender leaking comes from the glass jar and not the bottom, then there is likely a crack in the jar and you’ll have to replace it. Bottom leaking though is likely the gasket. To inspect it, you’ll need to unscrew the blade housing from the blender jar and pull out the rubber o-ring. Then you can just look for leaks and tears in the rubber of this ring. This part is easily replaceable and only costs a few dollars. You can find it online or at most home discount or appliance stores.
Faulty Blades
Another common problem with blenders will occur with the blades. In this case the engine will start to run, but the blades will turn too slowly. If this happens then the likely cause is something clogging the blade assembly area. You’ll need to take the assembly apart and clean everything thoroughly with a scrub brush. There is probably a build-up of food slowing the blades. Soaking everything for a few hours in detergent will also help to dissolve any food particles or gunk that has built up over time. Be sure to check your owner’s manual to make sure that this is OK to do for your particular blender brand. You may also want to add some white grease or WD-40 to the lower part of the blade assembly (not in any areas where you’ll be putting food of course). If all of this fails to work, then you’ll probably have to replace the whole assembly, which can also be purchased online or at most home appliance retailers.
Busted Buttons
One other issue you may have with your kitchen blender lies with the buttons or the control panel. Often buttons will get stuck. This is probably caused by food and drink getting down into the button area and causing them to jam up. Even if you are careful and clean the buttons and control panel thoroughly, over time, food particle will still accumulate. Many blender models will let you take off the control panel cover so that you can clean up behind this. You can use a toothbrush here to help you get down into all the crevices. Some blender models will also let you remove the screws on the bottom of the unit and pull out the lower housing area so that you can get to the buttons easier. Be sure to consult your owner’s manual if you need to do this. Often all your blender needs is a good cleaning to get the buttons working again.
This information should help solve most common minor blender problems. Keep in mind that often a simple repair or replacement will save you the expense of having to get a new blender. It’s also much better for the environment to repair something rather than to just throw it away.
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