blender longgevity

after many years of burning up the motor in (even expensive) blenders, I was becoming jaded and convinced that these manufacturers were intentionally under-powering these devices just so they could sell us a new one every few years.

And then the other day, epiphany!!   When I was cleaning my blender, I started playing with the blade and noticed that it was difficult to spin.   I didn't hear any noise or feel the graininess that typically goes with a bad bearing, so I studied it further.   Turns out that fruit juice had seeped into the shaft underneath, and was causing serious drag on the spin freedom.

I filled up the blender with very hot water, and let it run for about two minutes.....after that, the blade spun easily with zero effort.

I now realize that I've been overworking my blender motors by not cleaning the the blade-shaft properly.

My new protocol is to run hot water in the blender almost every time I clean it.  I can't say for sure, but I expect this to significantly extend the life of these fabulous devices.