With thousands of major appliances available online at Best Buy, it can be tough to pick out the right make and model for your home. While having tons of choices is a great way to ensure that you end up with just the right appliance, it can make the selection process feel overwhelming!
These four tips will help you shop for appliances like a pro, so you can save time while choosing the perfect appliance to update your home.
Step 1: Measure
The first step for any appliance purchase is to measure the size of your space. Figure out how wide and deep each appliance needs to be, and don’t forget about depth. While most people remember to measure the width of their opening, countertop depth and cupboard height are often forgotten. These affect the overall look and fit of your appliance, and are important to check. In the kitchen, for instance, a fridge of the wrong depth will stick out awkwardly; in a laundry closet, a stackable washer-dryer set with the wrong height of stand may not fit at all.
For appliance upgrades, finding the right size is easy if you know the size of the last one. However, for new appliance installs, you’ll need to be careful about checking your measurements twice. A drawn-to-scale floor plan comes in handy here, but one that’s sketched by eye and thoroughly labelled works too.
From there, your next step is to narrow down your search by measuring the doorways and hallways in your living space. Especially in small apartments, townhouses, or new infill housing, it may be difficult to get major appliances into your home and through all your doorways. Avoid complications with delivery and setup by making sure that any appliances or furniture you buy will arrive in boxes small enough to enter the room they need to be in, or have small enough proportions that you’ll be able to make all your tight corners.
(Am I the only one thinking about that classic stairwell scene from “Friends” right now? Come on, folks: pivot!!!)
Don’t forget!
If this is the first time you’re replacing your appliances, you’re in luck: the Best Buy blog has a few additional articles ready to help you out. It’s important to get ready for your new appliances before hey come, and considerations about recycling your old appliances make installation even smoother.
When you measure, make sure to factor in utility connections. It’s also a good idea to make sure you’re taking the appliance’s doors or handles into consideration, as they may or may not be removable.
Switching appliance styles will sometimes mean that what’s coming in will take up more space in some ways than what’s going out, even if the measurements are the same. For instance, a fridge with a single door may need more space in front of it to open fully than one with French doors will, which will change the flow of your kitchen.
Step 2:Â Explore your options
Major appliances, like other items in your home, have an expected lifespan. For many appliances, that’ll be close to a decade: items like dishwashers are often expected to last just 10-20 years, as they have plenty of moving parts and need regular care. With routine maintenance, you may be able to make these items last longer (perhaps even doubling their expected lifespan), but eventually, they’ll need updating.
Other items, like refrigerators and stoves, are expected to last about 15 years. But when technologies are updated at a rapid pace, you may find that you want to replace your fridge before it breaks.
Smart appliances are a big new trend in major appliances, and their functions can differ based on brand. In a smart home, buying all of your appliances from one manufacturer can help streamline not just your house, but also your smartphone: every brand has their own app, which you’ll need to get the most out of your new appliance. Having one single place on your smart device where you can control your appliances can make it easy to turn on the washing machine and oven at the same time.
Matching appliances aren’t a must-have in any home, but they can be a great way to create a cohesive home. With similar silhouettes, controls, and menu formats, moving from one appliance to the next is often more seamless if they’re from the same brand.
Step 3: Read a few handy guides
Even if you’ve updated your appliances within the last five years, you may be surprised by just how much the industry has changed. While you’re researching, the following articles on the Best Buy blog might help.
| Should you choose a French door or a side by side refrigerator? | The first consideration you should make when purchasing a new refrigerator, whether it’s French door or side-by-side, is size. |
| Ovens 101 – Oven shopping made easy | If you’ve ever wondered what the difference between stove, cooktop, range, and oven are, you’re not alone. All of these terms have been used to describe an appliance in your kitchen that cooks your food, but there are important differences between them. |
| Induction cooking: what is it and is it for you? | Induction cooking is a cooking method that cooks your food with magnetic induction, instead of a gas flame or electric heat. |
| Where should the freezer be on your new refrigerator? | Deciding between a refrigerator with a top freezer, bottom freezer, or side freezer is about more than just aesthetics. Each has its own pros and cons, with different benefits for you and your family. |
Step 4: Read reviews
When I’m making a big purchase, I like to read reviews before I click the “checkout” button. Small design flaws can make a big impact on your everyday life, and sometimes other reviewers will notice something about a product that isn’t apparent in a fact sheet or in-store demo.
The dishwasher in at my mom’s house, for instance, sings a little song when it’s done–something that I never would have even known to look for. We knew from its instruction manual that it would pop its door open as soon as a load of dishes finished, but were surprised to find that, as the door pops open, it chirps out a little midi tune. My sister and I started humming the tune whenever we were doing chores, and it’s since become somewhat of a family habit. I’m pretty sure the tune is slowly driving everyone in our lives a little batty as it infiltrates more and more of our homes, but we absolutely love it.
That kind of small detail often goes unnoticed in a product description or manual, so reading reviews can really help you get an idea of what your new appliance will “feel” like when you use it. There are thousands of reviews on BestBuy.ca from customers who have already purchased the products in question, and there are blogger-made appliance reviews available as well.
Find a wide range of major appliances online at Best Buy today.
