These cheap gadgets quietly protect my expensive home appliances

You might as well have your back covered. Putting a fail-safe in place makes a ton of sense. I'm not just talking about something like home insurance, which helps you hopefully recoup something in case of an emergency in your house.

I'm talking about adding protection for your everyday kitchen and home appliances. This isn't just making sure that your devices are working properly. This ensures that they are safe for your home and they are protected against problems. Nowadays, you'd think that most devices are safe to use. However, there are plenty of issues that can go wrong within the wiring of your home as well as with the cheap gadgets some people choose for their home. There are some cheaper options I use that add a layer of protection for my home.

Adding a water sensor protects my home from water damage

I have a few of these around my home

It might not be something that you've thought about before, but you need to be thinking about what to do in the event of a water leak. Water damage can cause a serious headache for you and could cost you thousands of dollars if it's not remedied quickly.

A smart water leak sensor like one from Moen is a good investment for your home. I nearly had to deal with a disaster and took steps to prevent it from happening in the future. I opened up the cabinet beneath my kitchen sink one day to find a puddle of water. Luckily, I had put some plastic lining to prevent the water from reaching the bottom of the wood cabinet.

I realized that it was my faucet that was leaking, so I replaced the faucet and installed a new one, something I had been wanting to do to spruce up and add value to the kitchen. But to be alerted, in case something like this happened again, I added a leak detector to my kitchen to help protect the room.

I also added a leak detector in the basement near my hot water heater as well. One like Moen's will send me push notifications to my phone if it detects any standing water, which is better than the older iterations which just made a loud alarm sound. I'm alerted if I'm not home and can potentially get the leak taken care of before I come home to a wet mess.

A smart plug protects my electric kettle

Plus, I get to start my day the right way

This isn't the sexiest of devices to add to your home, but a smart plug can come in handy in almost any room. I have multiple smart plugs throughout my home, many of which are used to control lights that aren't smart bulbs.

The one that I use the most is the one plugged into my SMEG electric kettle. That's because I've automated my morning routine with the help of the kettle and smart plug.

I set my smart plug to turn on at a certain time every morning so that it triggers my kettle to start boiling the water I've poured in it the night before. This provides me with boiling water when I come down in the morning and I can pour my tea as soon as I get downstairs. The few minutes that this saves helps because my mornings are usually cooking breakfast for my kids, packing lunches, and getting them ready for school.

I need that caffeine boost from the tea and the smart plug helps me get there. It also protects my home and kettle by offering strong overheat and overcurrent protection. The tea kettle was a wedding present that is dear to me, so any safeguards that we can put in place are welcome.

All kinds of smart plugs offer automation options and timers. Most offer overheat protection as well with built-in sensors that can detect a surge and automatically shut off. You don't have to opt for expensive ones to find these safeguards.

A quality appliance brush protects your appliances from buildup

This can help them last a long time

Something small can pay large dividends if you use it religiously. If you're like me, you've had trouble getting small nooks and crannies of some of your kitchen appliances clean. Getting into the tougher areas of an air fryer, blender, microwave, and dishwasher can be challenging and food buildup in those areas can lead to mold and rust.

If you want to make your kitchen appliances last longer, you can consider an appliance brush set like one from OXO. These types of brushes are safe for all kinds of devices but can get into those hard-to-reach areas. I personally love using the looped brush to get around the blades of my blender. I've tried to use sponges and they just don't get as far as I want them to.

Being able to properly clean your appliances is obviously good for them in the long run but it also makes the food you make in them safer to eat. Opting for a set of brushes that are soft, sturdy, and won't hurt your gadgets. The set form OXO also comes with chisel heads and bristled ones, giving you options for how you want to attack crevices.

This also gives you the ability to use it in a microwave to get into the lining or one a dishwasher door. I've used them on my coffee machine to get grounds out that were stubbornly stuck. Adding something like this is a good investment.

Protect your important appliances with these gadgets

You don't have to go to the lengths of installing a whole home surge protector to protect your appliances. You can opt for smaller devices, like a smart plug or an appliance cleaning set, to help make them last. Prioritizing your investments is the mark of any smart homeowner, so get the most out of your possessions by putting some protection in place.