Preventive maintenance is the regular and systematic inspection, cleaning and replacement of parts, materials and systems. Maintenance helps prevent improper or substandard operation, or outright failure, in mechanical systems. Many of these tasks will also save energy because the cleaned or maintained equipment will operate more efficiently. Examples of preventive maintenance include:
- Replacing or cleaning furnace/air conditioning filters each month;
- Discarding a full vacuum cleaner bag and replacing it with a new one, or clearing wrapped-on debris from the beater bar on an upright vacuum cleaner;
- Cleaning dust and dirt from the fins of an air conditioning evaporator and condenser;
- Removing lint from washing machine and dryer filters.
