3 Easy-to-fix Kitchen Blender Problems

Even the best blenders will eventually start to decline with age. This is especially true if you use your blender every day to make thick smoothies. Today, in our throw-away society were quick to just trash a product at the first sign of a malfunction. Most of the time, taking a small kitchen appliance to get repaired is not worth it. There are several easy fixes you can do yourself first though before sending that blender to its grave. Taking the time to do these checks to see if you can get your blender working again is certainly worth it.

Leaky Containers
Leaking is one of the most frequent problems you'll have with your blender. 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. However, if you find your blender leaking from an area other than the bottom, then there's probably a crack in the container. If that's the case it will need to be replaced. If it's leaking from the bottom though, then the o-ring is probably the reason. To inspect the gasket, take the blade assembly apart from the blender jar and take out the o-ring. Then just inspect the ring, looking for tears and any other type of damage. This part can be replaced very simply for a few dollars. You can find it online or at most home discount or appliance stores.

Damaged Blades
Another common problem with blenders will occur with the blades. Typically the engine will run just fine, but the blades will spin to slow. Usually this happens because the blade assembly is clogged or blocked. You need to disassemble the blade components and clean all the parts with a scrub brush. There is probably a build-up of food slowing the blades. You can dissolve away any food particles by soaking everything in soap or detergent for a short time. Before soaking though, you'll want to check your owner's manual to be sure that this is safe for your blender. To get things moving even smoother, you can add some WD-40 to the blade assembly bottom. Just don't apply this to areas that will touch food. If you're still having issues, then you will probably need to buy a new blade assembly to replace the old one. You can find this at most stores that sell appliances and online.

Busted Buttons
The buttons and the control panel is another common area where problems will crop up. Typically the buttons will not go down all the way. The common cause of this is food build up that will jam up the buttoms. You can be really careful and clean the control panel and buttons all the time and still have small amounts of food accumulate over time. Removing the control panel or sticker will let you clean the buttons more thoroughly. Using an old toothbrush will help you get down deep into hard to clean areas. You can also get to the buttons easier by taking off the bottom of the blender unit and pulling out the control panel component. Before you take anything apart though, be sure to check the owner's manual. Many times a good cleaning will get those buttons going again.

Most of your simple blender problems can be solved by following this advice. Many times repairing your blender yourself can be much less expensive than going out and buying a whole new blender. By repairing your blender and not just throwing it away you are also helping to save the environment.