To Pedestal or not to Pedestal?

Front loading Washers and Dryers as you know, are much more energy efficient than their Top Loading Counterparts. But bending down and reaching into them can be a pain. 

The proper way to bend would be to spread your feet apart to give your body a wide base of support, stand close to the object you are lifting, bend at your knees, not at your waist, and tighten your stomach muscles as you lift. It is important not to twist your back while you bend to reach the object, lift the object, or carry the object. Most of the time though, we bend at the waist and pick up whatever it is we need, but this 90-degree flex is the source of a lot of trouble. It puts strain on your back and can lead to muscle aches and pains, or worse.

To make life more convenient, there are pedestals for our front loading washers and dryers. They give the average person more comfort when working with Front Loading Sets. People will tell you, it's a Marketing Scheme, or a waste of money, and that may be true for certain people. But what pedestals are really about is you. 

Do you want to fold your laundry on top of your machines? 

Then you shouldn't get pedestals because they will make the top of the machines too high for you to fold clothes on top of. (I personally like to fold laundry in front of the TV)

Do you want more storage?

Some people say they never use storage, some people like to store their detergent on top of the machine, and some people have cabinets in their laundry room for storage. Again, it's personal preference. (I personally store rags and cleaning supplies in my pedestals)

Do you have back problems?

If so, and bending makes it worse, pedestals would be a definite plus.

Try going to one of our showrooms and taking a look at those on pedestals vs those without. Open up the door and pretend you are reaching in to retrieve a sock way in the back and see which one is more comfortable for you. 

Built ins vs Pedestals

Built-ins can look especially nice in the laundry room underneath Front Loaders. And there are many DIY blogs that tell you step by step instructions. In my first house, I had a built in and in my second house I got pedestals. Again it's all about personal preference, but the main reason for me was that with built ins, they are just that, built in. I found that I prefer pedestals because they can be moved much more easily. Which is especially important when it comes to maintaining your dryer, and you have to move it around, which we outlined in this post here. 

The best advice is to go try it out, see what fits for you. You can find our store locations here.

Use a Dry Erase Crayon to Label Leftovers

When storing leftovers in your fridge or freezer, an easy way to label your containers is with a dry erase crayon. They write on plastic containers and lids easily and clean off quickly either in the dishwasher or with a wet paper towel.

How to Make your Dryer Safe, Efficient, and Clean

There is a little more to it than just removing the lint from the lint filter when it comes to Dryer Safety. Your lint filter catches lint, but it doesn't have the ability to catch everything. If you're finding that your dryer has been taking longer than usual to dry a load of clothes, you can benefit from doing a quick, deep cleaning.

When you maintain your dryer with this quick and easy cleaning, your machine will become safer (since dryer lint build up is a fire hazard), more efficient (lint build up will prevent your dryer from drying loads like it should) and will save you money. 

Always consult your owner's manual first. If you cannot for the life of you find it, you can Google your model number, manufacturers post their manuals online in a PDF format for your convenience. 

Usually, Dryers can be opened from the top or the front panel. Simply unscrew the top or front panel and you will be able to clean the inside. From there, just take the extension from your vacuum cleaner around the inside to clean up any lint build-up around the drum and inside the lint filter tray. Done.

For a more deep clean:

Clean the Dryer Ducts

The exhaust duct is where lint will accumulate over years of usage. When lint accumulates here, it is a fire hazard as well as a money pit. The lint will build up inside the exhaust and cause a narrowing of the vent. This will cause your dryer to work harder and longer to dry your clothes. 

As always, consult your owner's manual. Before starting, you'll want to unplug your Dryer. Next remove the duct from the back of the dryer and use a cleaning brush to remove any lint. 

Vent Brushes can be very helpful

It's best to repeat this process where the duct exhaust exits your house. It is a good habit to get into to check outside to make sure there is no blockage, such as a rodent nest. The duct work should be maintained yearly.

Save Money and Extend the life of your Refrigerator with Just 5 Easy Steps.

The best way to save money with your Refrigerator is to have an energy efficient machine. We talked about which Appliances are worth upgrading in this previous post, a refrigerator is one of the items you can benefit from replacing if your machine is not currently energy efficient or over 10 years old. If you are happy with your refrigerator, and would like to save money and extend its life (who wouldn't?), just follow these 5 easy steps.

1. Empty the Ice Maker Bucket Monthly

Once a month you need to throw out all the ice left in your ice bucket. Clean the tray with a mild dish detergent and once it is dry you can return it to the freezer to make more ice. The reason you need to replace your ice monthly, is because ice cubes will absorb odors.

2. Every 3 Months, Clean the Refrigerator Coils

This should be done at least every three months. The coils need to be cleaned monthly if you have pets because when the refrigerator is running, it pulls air through the coils to keep the compressor from overheating. If you have pets, it will pull in pet hair along with the air and clog up the coils. When the coils become clogged, the motor must work much harder which will eat into the life span of your refrigerator as well as your energy bill. Make sure to check your refrigerator manual before cleaning the coils. If you cannot find your manual, manufacturers post manuals on their website for their products in PDF form, you can Google your model number. For most refrigerator coils, you can simply vaccum the fan and condenser coils on the rear or bottom of the refrigerator with the brush attachment.  Or you can purchase a refrigerator brush (shown in picture above), that will remove dust from the coils.

3. Clean the Gasket or Door Seal every 3 Months

The gasket is the seal on your refrigerator door. Wipe the door gasket with warm soapy water and towel dry. One of the most common reasons a gasket will become brittle or cracked (which will eat into your energy bill big time) is due to residue build up. Eventually the residue build up can cause cracks or tears. But you can prevent this by simply giving them a good warm wipe every 3 months. When the gasket is clean and dry, you can add a very thin layer of Vaseline with a clean cloth to help keep the seal soft.

4. Check the Drip Pan Seasonally

If your refrigerator is a model with a drip pan that collects condensation from the refrigerator, you need to check on it every so often. Make sure to consult your owner's manual for the manufacturer's instructions on taking out the drip pan. If you cannot find your manual you can Google the model number of your refrigerator and find an online manual by the manufacturer. You'll want to clean your drip pan because they can become moldy over time. Be safe and wear gloves, sometimes you may need to use bleach. Once the drip pan is clean and dry, return the drip pan and grill to their rightful place in the fridge.

5. Replace the water filter every 6 months

Many models nowadays have a change filter indicator. This is very helpful because you should change your water filter (if you have one) every 6 months. This will ensure clean water and ice and help to prevent clogs and leaks. 

Some helpful Tips:

• Keep food covered when storing in the fridge to prevent odors from sneaking from the fridge to the freezer. 
• Keep an open box of baking soda, label the date it was opened, because it will absorb odor-causing acids for up to 3 months.
• Make sure to clean spills immediately after they occur.

The Secret to Fresh Smelling High Efficiency Front Loading Washers?

The secret to a fresh smelling HE Front Loading Washer will also help stretch it's life span, which is important because they are pricier than the Top Loading Machines available. The Secret? Regular Maintenance. 

In order to reap the maximum benefits from our energy efficient, money saving machines, we need to give them a little monthly loving. 

First lets talk about how High Efficiency Front Loading Washers a little. They save us money by using less water. Because they use less water, they require special detergent that is low-sudsing. The detergent will have a "HE" logo on it. The reason for this special detergent is because of the way HE Front Loading washers clean. They use small, high speed water pumps. HE detergent won't create a lot of suds, however, if you use a regular detergent, this very fast water pumping motion along with the spinning of the drum will cause a lot of suds to develop in your washer. What will happen when there are too many suds is that the pump will lock down. When the washer senses this lock down, the washer will then shut down. This can cause your machine to malfunction and require a service call. Luckily, you can avoid this problem completely by using HE detergent.

The most common reason a Front Loading Washer becomes musty or smelly is because of lack of maintenance. Above I mentioned they use less water and energy (less hot water) which has money saving pros. With saving money comes a little monthly maintenance. If you do not maintain your washer monthly, detergent residue, dirt, mildew and minerals can build  up in the machine, which is the cause of the odors.

But there is an Easy Fix!

The easiest way, is to use a product called Affresh. It is a washer cleaner and it removes and prevents odor-causing residue that can occur. One tablet a month.

The next thing to do is to wipe the rubber gasket. The easiest thing for me is just wiping it down after every use and leaving the door open while it dries. If you do not maintain this piece, you may need to replace it later. Read more about that here. We will discuss a deeper cleaning method for the rubber seal in more detail in a bit. 

Cleaning with Vinegar

If you don't have any Affresh on hand, but you do have vinegar available, this method is a little more time consuming but works.

Long & Hot Cycle

1. Pick a long cycle that uses hot water (if your machine doesn't have a clean cycle that is, if it does, use that one) 
2. Do not put any clothes in, you will be running your washer without any clothes inside.
3. Pour 1 cup of vinegar (if you have a large machine you can use a little bit more) in place of the detergent. (Do not mix the vinegar with the detergent)

Door and Gasket Cleaning

1. Use a mixture of 1 part vinegar and 1 part water to wipe down the door seal, gasket, and door interior with a rag.
2. Next you will use a wet rag without any vinegar to wipe down the door seal, gasket, and door interior with a rag. This is to wipe off the excess vinegar to prevent deterioration.

Run another Hot Cycle 

This will sanitize and rinse out any leftover vinegar. 

Air Dry

Wipe the wet surfaces and allow to air dry completely. It will help if you leave the door open during the air drying process.

Bleach and Fabric Softener Dispenser

1. Remove the bleach dispenser and the fabric softener dispenser and soak them in warm water.
2. After a good long soak, about 20 minutes will work, remove them from the water and clean them gently with a mild dish detergent or a mild all-purpose cleaner. 
3. Dry and then return the dispensers to the washer.

Tips for Ongoing Maintenance:

• Occasionally running a hot cycle (this is good for a load of towels)
• Remove clothes after the washer has finished. If you leave clothes in there damp, you are inviting the smell back. Washers do come with an option, such as the Fan Fresh Option, that will tumble your clothes until you take them out. This will prevent your clothes from mildew if you have to pop out for a second.
• After use, wipe the rubber gasket.
• After the washer is finished, allow it to air dry by leaving the door open (but be cautious if you have small pets or children)
• Perform the regular maintenance with Affresh (is ideal)

The most important meal of the day...

And we normally don't have time for it. Waking up is hard enough, adding time to cook a big healthy breakfast into the mix before work, is typically too much to handle. Grab and go is normally the motto for breakfast when it's a workday. The Yummy Life has posted a very healthy recipe for overnight, no-cook refrigerator oatmeal. In pint-sized mason jars with old-fashioned (not instant, quick, or steel-cut) oats with milk, Greek yogurt, and chia seeds. (I prefer ground flax seeds to the chia seeds)

This way you can quickly make a couple batches on the weekend for several days' worth of healthy breakfasts on the go. 

Will have to try this over the weekend!

 Retro Fridge Found at Appliance Direct in the Melbourne Warehouse!

Check out this Frigidaire Elite side by side, it's definitely seen some better days. But he's got some spunk! It's definitely a change from the giant stainless steel french door refrigerators there are nowadays. It just has that homey charm to it.

 I am secretly hoping nobody snatches this bad boy. Perhaps I can come up with a way to breath new purpose into this guy.

He's even got his own Ice Making Compartment.

How about that, a separate labeled compartment for cheese AND spreads. It makes me want to organize more aspects of my life.

Check out the interior color. How times have changed.

Well Mr. Frigidaire Elite, I hope somebody finds you. There are cool projects out there that you can do with old fridges, an intriguing one would be this one, it wouldn't be perfect for this fridge, but it is something I'd like to try someday. Perhaps someone will see your potential!