Major appliances, also known as white goods, comprise major household appliances and may include: air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes dryers, drying cabinets, freezers, refrigerators, kitchen stoves, water heaters, washing machines, trash compactors, microwave ovens, and induction cookers.

Essential home appliances that greatly impact our daily lives include the clock, toilet, refrigerator, washing machine, telephone, devices for recorded sound, television, air conditioning, microwave oven and the computer .

Examples include microwave ovens, kettles, toasters, humidifiers, food processors and coffeemakers . They contrast with major appliances (known as "white goods" in the UK), such as the refrigerators and washing machines, which cannot be easily moved and are generally placed on the floor.