No one is under the illusion that a washing machine will last forever, but a broken one always brings up the eternal question: should it stay or should it go? In this era of so many single-use products, we’ve become pretty accustomed to just replacing our appliances when they break down, so we don’t have to deal with figuring out what’s wrong with it or coughing up the repair expenses.

It’s hard to imagine what life used to look like without the convenience of appliances until one of yours breaks down and temporarily throws your routine for a loop. When the dryer breaks down it can be especially frustrating, as it’s easily one of the most-used appliances in our whole arsenal.

If you opened your dryer after the heat cycle and discovered that your clothes were still wet, your first reaction was probably panic. Why is your dryer not heating? Can I fix it myself or will it be a major repair expense? Am I going to have to buy a new one?

The washing machine is one of those modern luxuries that makes our lives so much easier—until, of course, it stops working properly. If you’ve noticed that your clothes are coming out smelling worse than they did before you put them in or that there are still stains on the fabric after going through a regular cycle, it may be time to examine what’s going on with the machine.

Doing the dishes isn’t exactly America’s favorite pastime, but a hard-working dishwasher makes the task much more tolerable—and quicker—so we can get back to things we actually enjoy (like anything but the dishes). So, when your dishwasher suddenly won’t start, it’s easy to panic and think you’ll be shelling out a hefty amount to replace it, but there are actually a few things you can do to troubleshoot what’s wrong and fix it on your own.