5 “Smarter” Ways to Use Your Smart Laundry Appliances

There are millions of smart homes in America, but surprisingly, many homeowners are unfamiliar with the benefits that smart washers and clothes dryers provide.

Not using your smart home devices to their full potential is like volunteering to pay more in taxes, running a race starting 10 yards behind everyone else, or telling your kids not to bother cleaning up after themselves.

You would never do those things because that would be crazy! So is owning a smart appliance but not taking advantage of all of its smarts. Smart appliances save you time, money and energy that could be put to better use in about a million different ways.

Get familiar with the functionality of your smart washer and dryer so you can put those brainy appliances to work for you. With all of the time you’ll save, go ahead and plant that herb garden you’ve been talking about, read a good book or binge watch the last season of Game of Thrones. We’re not judging. We’re here to help.

What is a Smart Appliance?

Here’s some quick background on smart appliances for those of you who might need a refresher. A “smart” appliance is one that is hooked up to the internet via Wi-Fi to make functions faster, cheaper and more energy-efficient.

Through the smart app, you can access and control your washing machine or dryer (not to mention the AC, fridge, hot water heater, etc.) on your tablet or smartphone, whether you’re in the house or away.

Perhaps you already know all of this. You were, after all, smart enough to buy smart appliances in the first place, so chances are you know a little something about the magic of smart appliances. But, did you know they could do these 5 things?

1. Respond to your voice commands

Most smart appliances work with Alexa. Simply link your account through the smart app and tell Alexa what you need.

“Alexa, tell me how much time is left on my wash cycle.” Or, “Alexa, start my dryer.” And she will! If only everyone in your house was this responsive. You don’t even have to say please or thank you. But you can if you want, because good manners never go out of style.

2. Keep your clothes fresh for hours

Have you ever considered the benefits of being able to remotely control your washing machine from anywhere using your smartphone app? This allows you to start or pause your wash, choose cycles, monitor the remaining time, and receive alerts when the load is finished.

In this full and rich life we’re living, it’s not always convenient to hang around the house long enough to wait for the laundry cycle to finish, despite our best intentions. Clothes might be left sitting in the washer for hours, getting musty and wrinkled.

With smart technology, this no longer has to be a problem — which means, you’ll never have to rerun a load, wasting precious time, money and resources. Simply pause the cycle remotely, or if it’s too late for that, activate the Stay Fresh® option on your washer, which periodically tumbles the wash load to keep clothes smelling fresh, and wrinkles from setting in, until you can get around to it.

3. Order laundry supplies

Your smart washer can keep you from running out of critical supplies by sending you notifications when laundry soap gets low. With Amazon Dash Replenishment, your smart washer can even automatically order the soap for you through your Amazon Prime account.

What does that mean for you? No more last-minute trips to the store. Now, if only it could alert you that your kids just used the last of the milk, leaving none for your morning coffee. Again.

4. Be your eyes and ears

Despite what we might tell our children, we don’t actually have eyes in the back of our heads, and even if we did, our hair would cover them up rendering them virtually useless. What’s infinitely more useful is the troubleshooting assistance we get from a smart washer and dryer that are vigilantly keeping watch at all times.

These clever appliances will send you an alert when it’s time to run the clean water cycle or empty the lint trap. They can even detect and instantly notify you of blocked filters or other issues with your machine via the app.

5. Save energy

There are a number of features at play in your smart washer and dryer to save energy. For example, sensors in your washer can not only determine how big the load is, but also how dirty clothes are in order to use the proper amount of detergent and water for optimal cleaning.

Real-time moisture sensors in your smart dryer monitor clothing during the cycle and adjust time and temperature to dry clothes efficiently without over-drying or damaging sensitive items.

Maintain your smart appliances

Even though they’re clearly smart, your appliances can’t maintain themselves. Because smart appliances have sensors and special electronics, we recommend that you have them professionally maintained to avoid problems and keep them working right.

Regular professional cleaning and maintenance will also help your appliances last longer.

Schedule Sears Clean & Maintain service for your smart appliances now. We offer maintenance bundles that can help you save money.

• Laundry appliance bundle. Have your washing machine and clothes dryer conveniently maintained in one trip for $149.99.
• Kitchen and laundry appliance bundle. For only $249.99, you can have a Sears Technician clean and maintain your kitchen appliances and laundry appliances all at one time.

Keeping your appliances in top shape with regular professional maintenance will help you avoid unexpected breakdowns and keep your home appliances working efficiently. You’ll save money on energy bills and avoid interruptions to your busy life.