Today - January 16 - is Register My Appliance Day for home electricals.

Ipswich Star: Washing machineWashing machine (Image: Archant)

Today January 16, 2018 is Register My Appliance Day.

It is a day when people are reminded to improve their home safety by registering their fridges, freezers and washing machines on the new streamlined version of www.registermyappliance.org.uk. Developed by the Association of Manufactures of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA), the portal now optimised for smartphone makes registration of over 60 leading brands of old and new appliances faster and easier via mobile, tablet or PC.

Many brands are running prize draws to encourage owners to look around their kitchens and register their older appliances too. Every registration increases their chances of winning a luxury prize and ensures the traceability of their products.

Most makes accept registration of large appliances up to 12 years old.

For manufacturers, local and national government, increasing home safety has never been more important. With an estimated 93 million (92.7m.) wet and cold appliances1 currently in use in our homes, keeping track of our fridges, freezers and washing machines is a crucial safety precaution. By taking just a few minutes to register domestic appliances directly with the manufacturer, via the user-friendly portal www.registermyappliance.org.uk householders can be contacted quickly if a recall or free safety repair is ever needed.

Supporting the initiative, Business Minister Andrew Griffiths MP, is keen to ensure that every UK household is encouraged to take this very simple step, and made aware of how it can help to protect their homes and families.

The latest YouGov survey also revealed that our most important material possessions are our phones (61%) and cars (55%), followed closely by our fridges (48%) and washing machines (48%).

Yet, unlike our 32 million cars, the majority of large white goods, that we keep running for years without a health check, are untraceable. Women placed a higher importance on their washing machine (55%) than their car (54%).

Despite this, only half (52%) of these prized purchases were registered.

Douglas Herbison, Chief Executive, AMDEA says the industry has been working hard to ensure the registration system is in tune with the pace of smart technology, and urges the public to take advantage of this:

“Our industry aims to help the public to understand why registration is important and make it as easy and secure as possible. Recalls are rare and appliances are safer than ever before, but to ensure a long, safe, efficient life, our members need to know where to find their products, if a repair or modification is needed.

“It was interesting that women ranked their washing machine slightly more important than a car, while men gave more importance to their fridge than their washing machine5. But this still made no impact on the perceived need to register. These large powerful machines are indispensable, yet we tend to take them for granted and forget they are there. It is also vital that they are installed and used according to the instructions, and advice on safe usage is also available on the Register My Appliance portal.”

On Register my Appliance Day manufacturers are sending reminders to over 4 million consumers to register their products. www.registermyappliance.org.uk.