Air Cleaners

Before going out to purchase an air cleaner remember that they are designed to remove smoke and dust but not gases, odors from tobacco and bacteria and viruses. The gases from smoke stick to walls, furniture, and clothing and over time seep back into the air. Therefore, it takes over 10 times longer to remove any odors than the smoke particles themselves.

Refrigerator

Refrigerator Coils

Save some money by remembering to clean your refrigerator’s coils either underneath or in the rear of the appliance. Once a month will be of substantial savings on your electrical bill.

Moving Your Fridge

You just moved your refrigerator from house A to house B, and it won’t start,,,HELP!! Disconnect the power chord, remove the back service panel and check out all the wires. Reattach any wires that have fallen loose from their terminals. Plug power chord back in and your food should be cool soon!

Refrigerator Test

Does your refrigerator have a leaky door gasket? Test the gasket by closing the door on a paper bill. If the bill slips out when you tug on it, either the gasket needs replacing or the door needs some adjusting.

Air Conditioner

A/C Cleanup

Take a few minutes to do some routine maintenance on you’re A/C unit before installing for the upcoming warm season. Replace or clean air filter. Clean coil surfaces and the condensate pan. If you have an outdoor condenser allow an 18 in. clearance around the unit. Double check the manufacturer’s instructions and you should be all set for the summer weather!

A/C Cooling with a whole house air conditioner

To save yourself a few dollars, get in the habit of turning your thermostat up to 82 degrees before you leave the house for 4 or more hours. Keep windows and doors closed to minimize any heat buildup. When you get back home, set the thermostat at a comfortable temperature-don’t waste your money by cooling more than necessary.

A/C Installation

Install your new air conditioner on the north side of your home, out of the sun, if possible. Heat from the sun will make the air conditioner work harder, wasting energy and costing you more money!

Maintenance

Cooling air is costly, so you want to seal all air leaks around your cooling unit. Clean and inspect the filter on a regular basis. On an occasional basis unplug unit and vacuum the evaporator fins, getting the built-up dust off, should help the units performance.

Coffeemaker

Cleaner

You never want to use soap to clean a coffee machine because it leaves a film that affects the coffee taste! Instead mix equal parts of white vinegar and water and run through the machine. Let it run through its cycle, then refill with clean water, and repeat. A once per month cleaning should be sufficient unless you have extremely hard-water. There the mineral buildup inside your coffee maker is more of a problem.

Power Washers

Uses

Power washers are a great tool for home maintenance. The water stream of 800 lbs. or more pressure clean just about everything! Use washer on house siding, eaves, soffits, porch ceilings, driveways, sidewalks, decks and retaining walls. Try a rental first, if you’re not sure whether you would like to own one!

Iron

Cleanout

If your steam iron no longer steams, it might be clogged with mineral deposits. Try cleaning with vinegar in the water reservoir, then set the iron flat on an oven rack, plug the iron in, with the setting at “STEAM.” By the time the vinegar is steamed out, your iron should be clean.

Washing Machine

Cold Water Washes

Cold water washes your clothes as well as warm. Try to eliminate any warm rinse cycles you might be using now, and save a few dollars! Combine two small washing loads into one load, if possible, to also decrease your energy use!