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!

LG debuts novel door-in-door super capacity fridge and why you should be wary of it.

We love appliances here at Appliance Direct, so when new products hit the shelves anywhere, we like to go take a look. It's important to us, and we do enjoy new technology and designs. It also gives us a chance to see the product through different eyes, and what we saw from this novel door-in-door super capacity monstrosity, excuse us, french door refrigerator, is not something we would recommend. Why? 

From this view, I have opened up the first part of the door within a door. Nice, little storage area. Kind of like a tall skinny mini bar, which is an interesting concept. While it may be able to save you some energy by keeping the rest of the fridge closed, it'll require a little maintenance. 

What I mean by maintenance is, this little "leave my favorites here so I don't have to open the whole fridge" has a can storage bin for, 4 or 5 cans of soda? If one person in your family drinks one can of soda a day, you will be restocking this little area quite often. And the opening and closing of restocking will be eating into your energy savings (especially if you keep restocking from the bigger part of the fridge). 

And to my favorite part (or least favorite depending on how you look at it). When you open the whole door, you will see that you have more storage on the other side. To get to this storage, there is a little plastic door. (Excuse the blurry picture) I have opened the plastic door, you can see the latch, but the plastic door is a little hard to see. It is flimsy. The shelves are not adjustable, which is a negative, but the bad part is? I almost broke this refrigerator. I forgot that there is another door I had to close and as I closed the whole refrigerator door, I heard the plastic start to snap and I realized what I had just done. 

We are trained to take what we want from the refrigerator, and close the door. I want what I want and I want it now, I don't want to try to remember which compartment I put something in, see that it isn't stocked and have to search for it (at this point I'm not going to restock it into the front part of the door) and heaven forbid I open another door and then close the whole door. 

Basically, More Parts = More Accidents and/or More Repairs

We give this innovative project a "dislike"

Eating out vs Cooking
I enjoy cooking, but after a long day of work sometimes the thought of driving home, figuring out what to cook, finding out that you are missing one ingredient for your meal, debating whether to run to the grocery store or not, deciding not to, and finally cooking just seems exhausting. Understandably it would be much easier if these meals were planned and grocery trips were taken in advance. But as we all know, after a few attempts at being highly organized with meal preparations, life takes priority and somehow you go back to the normal routine of unorganized meal planning. After several months of trial and error, I have realized that cooking after a very long exhausting work day is just not in the cards.

1. Health and Cleanliness 
The number one reason I normally prefer cooking at home is health and cleanliness. When I go to the grocery store or farmer's market I buy organic products, and when I come home I wash everything thoroughly. I know where the products came from and I know that I cleaned them.

It's important to remember that when eating out, it doesn't have to be all fried, or smothered in sauce. It's easier at home to be eating the correct portions and choosing healthier options. Eating out gives you choices that you wouldn't normally get say on a Wednesday night after coming home from work at 9pm. The options do make it harder when eating out, but it can be done if you find the right place. We found a Restaurant that has many vegan and vegetarian options, it's close to work, and the food is delicious.

2. Money - It is said that cooking in is cheaper than eating out.
This one, obviously, can be true the majority of the time. We are not including eating fast food because it isn't healthy. You do have to take into account all the little things that cost you money when you are cooking every night. First is, do you have the time and energy? Then, do you have all your ingredients? If you have to run to the store, you are using time, energy, and money. Keep in mind that if you buy fresh produce in bulk and you forget about them in the fridge or the pantry, the amount you are throwing away is the money, time, and effort you spent in procuring those items. You also do not have to clean at a restaurant. It may be as easy as running the dishwasher, but you are using your energy and water. You are using your power to run your stove, people can nitpick, but we have found that the time and energy is not really worth it after coming home late and needing to get up early.

At the restaurant that we frequent for lunch, we usually order a large portion and take half home for dinner. It's getting two meals and no cooking or cleaning for the price of one. At a reasonable price, this saves us money.

3. Family Time - Dining at home is much more family oriented.
This one isn't necessarily true for our family. We are busy, and we have different schedules. Many times we do not eat dinner at the same time. When we go out for lunch, since we work together, it's much easier to have family time. We plan to eat together, at a specific time, at a specific place. Dinner is usually heated up at different times. Our time out is together and we can enjoy having family time.

The Story of The Appliance Direct Cat

I have received a fair amount of emails asking about my home life and if I have pets. We have one cat, named Sammy. Before you think I have some sort of complex or narcissistic problem, let me state that when Sammy was picked up from the Animal Shelter, he was already named. 

My daughter and her then boyfriend picked him up from the shelter while she was in college. My daughter will go into the Animal Shelter, and instead of coming out with a healthy baby animal, she will bring the sickest one she can find. She set her sights on Sammy and brought him home. This was about 5 years ago, when she picked him from the shelter, they told her that he was previously adopted but the owners brought him back because he was sick. Sammy is severely allergic to fleas, and he was infested with fleas at the time. He was so allergic he began to scratch himself raw and was covered in scabs, "scabby cat disease" they called it when she took him to the vet. He was losing a lot of hair where his scabs were. He was also drinking an absurd amount of water, so she had him tested for diabetes. Luckily, he was not diabetic. He was put on a diet and he began to lose weight. He was given pills and steroids and soon his scabs started to heal and his hair started growing back. Soon after, we found he had a tape worm and had him treated for that. 

Sammy was a gift from my daughter's boyfriend at the time, and when they broke up, since he was so attached to him she let him keep Sammy. Sammy didn't get along too well with my daughter's cat too, so to ease the stress, he kept Sammy. When and how did I get this cat? Let me tell you.

My daughter received an email from her ex-boyfriend asking her if she wanted Sammy. My daughter said no because she was in the middle of moving and she had no place to keep Sammy. And this is where I come in? No not quite yet. The reason he was trying to get rid of Sammy, he said was because he was jealous of his daughter. Yes, that's right, after my daughter broke up with him, he had a girl pregnant within 2 years. My daughter is now with a much better guy. Her ex said Sammy was peeing on the baby's things and scratching up all the wood furniture he can find. My daughter told him she was unable to take him and he assured her he would find a good home for him.

So to her surprise, the very next day she receives a call from the Animal Shelter asking her if she lost her cat. (She had Sammy Microchip-ed and under her name). She explained to them about how her ex has her cat and the email conversation that took place between them the other day. The Animal Shelter explained that a couple had found Sammy wandering around their apartment complex and drove him to the Animal Shelter. My daughter told them her ex's name and phone number so they could contact him about Sammy. About 5 minutes later, they call her back and said that the person she spoke with on the phone was the person that brought Sammy to the shelter saying he was a stray. The Animal Shelter was furious with the "lying couple" and asked her to pick Sammy up. 

After work, my daughter went to pick Sammy up. And was shocked when she saw him. She hasn't seen Sammy in a few years, but when they asked her to identify Sammy, he was huge. All that effort that she put forward before with Sammy had clearly been wasted. He was even heavier than before, he had even less hair than before, he was covered in fleas, and he was terrified. As soon as she signed the papers for him she took him to a vet and started over. 

Sammy is now losing weight, he's lost 3.4 pounds, his fleas are gone, his hair is growing back, and he's not scratching up furniture. He hasn't damaged a thing since she brought him. With her work schedule, we decided it would be easier for us to keep Sammy and for her to keep her cat. Also, Sammy is incredibly attached to my wife. He follows her everywhere, sleeps next to her, and growls when people are at the door.

Save Money with our Featured Washer and Dryer Set!

APPLIANCE DIRECT

THE DYNAMIC DUO $1,497.76

4.6 Cu. Ft. Cabrio Washer WTW8200YW	$798.88
7.6 Cu. Ft. Cabrio Dryer WED7600XW	$698.88
Grand Total	$1497.76

Why the Dynamic Duo?

Capacity: Biggest Cabrio’s Available:

These units are designed to handle heavy duty loads.

With 200 Pound Capacity!

Combines the Perks of Top Loading and Front Loading Sets:

It has Direct Drive, less moving parts, meaning less maintenance.

No Pedestals needed!

Same operational costs as a Front Loader,

But $1000 CHEAPER than a comparable front load set.

The Energy Efficiency alone pays for itself:

The washer saves $2000 on energy during its lifetime.

The dryer saves $1100 on energy during its lifetime.

AVAILABLE FOR SAME DAY DELIVERY

Lowe’s Price			Sears’ Price		Hhgregg’s Price
WTW8200YW	$809.10		WTW8200YW	$809.99	WTW8200YW	$809.99
WED7600XW	$899.10		WED7600XW	$899.99	WED7600XW	$899.99
Grand Total	$1708.20	Grand Total		$1709.98	Grand Total	$1709.98

Which Appliances Are Worth Upgrading To Save You Money?

Over the past several years, some appliances have made some giant leaps when it comes to energy saving. Here is a list of the appliances that are worth upgrading to be more energy efficient.

Air Conditioner

Central and Room Air Conditioners are well known to suck energy in the summer. A Room Air Conditioner’s efficiency is rated by an energy efficiency ratio (EER). Where the higher the number, the more efficient it is. Most modern retail air conditioners get a 10 EER rating. The older models from the 1990s rate closer to a 7. You can find your rating in your manual or a sticker on the side of the unit. If not, you can always search the manufacturer’s site to find it.

The average life of a Central Air Conditioner in Central Florida is 9 years. A Central Air Conditioner’s efficiency is rated by a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). The higher the number, the more efficient it is. If you have an older Central Air Conditioner (which has lower SEER – about 11.5), on average, you will be saving about 48% on your cooling bill by upgrading to a higher SEER.

Tip: Look for rebates with your power company and also for a lifetime warranty on your compressor.

Maintenance vs. Upgrade:

Upgrading will save you more money.

…Especially if you need a service call. If you have an older unit, maintenance can help, but you’re energy usage numbers won’t drop drastically. It helps to replace filters, clean coils, and manage the ducts on a regular basis though. If your unit is over 20 years old, it’s very much worth the upgrade.

Dishwasher

Modern Energy Star dishwashers use an average of 5.8 gallons of water per cycle, older dishwashers can use up to 10 gallons per cycle. That is a significant difference. The newer dishwashers also come a bit quieter and have greater cleaning abilities. The good news about that is that since it’s quiet, you can now take advantage of saving energy by running your dishwasher at night (depending on where you’re living you need to check your utility bill).

Maintenance vs. Upgrade:

Maintenance can save you money only if your dishwasher is a few years old. Check our previous posts about dishwasher maintenance to improve efficiency and save money.

Hot Water Heater

A water heater is another energy saving upgrade that has been made within the last few years. The water heater can amount to about 15 – 25 percent of the appliance energy consumed in the house. The newer models of water heaters are much more energy efficient than older models.

Maintenance vs. Upgrade:

Maintenance will help you save more money because the cost of upgrading a water heater can range from $300 - $1,200. You can increase efficiency on an old water heater by insulating the outside of the tank, or if you have a gas water heater, you can drain a gallon from the valve on the bottom once a month to remove the sediment that settles at the bottom.

Refrigerator

As everyone knows, this one is my favorite. Refrigerators have undergone huge energy efficient upgrades since 2000. The standard refrigerator now uses about 40 – 60 percent less energy than the models sold prior 2000. A top mount refrigerator (freezer on top) is more energy efficient that the side by side refrigerator.

Maintenance vs. Upgrade:

Upgrade.

The best thing you can do for your refrigerator to save money without upgrading to a newer, efficient model, is to keep your refrigerator running between 37 and 40 degrees.

Tip: You need to keep all foods and liquids covered to keep from releasing moisture, which will cause the compressor to kick on more often. For more tips check out our refrigerator basics post.

Washing Machine

If you have an older washer, it’s most likely a top-load (the water fills up from the bottom). The newer models are front load washers and will use 50% less water and uses 37% less energy.

Maintenance vs. Upgrade:

If your washer is either over 10 years old or is a top-load washer, you could see significant savings in both water and electricity by upgrading to a front load washer.

Tip: A good rule of thumb on whether to repair an appliance or buying a new one is if the repair cost is 50 percent or more than the cost of buying a new one, it’s worth the upgrade.

Last Tip: One appliance that hasn’t seen much improvement in energy savings is the dryer. Regular maintenance is best for a dryer. Obviously, some models are much more efficient than others, but if your dryer is working fine, it isn’t the first upgrade you should make for energy efficiency if you’re trying to save money.

Need more time? Change your vocabulary!

Sometimes I get the question, “How do you have enough time to do everything?” My answer is simple. I don’t.

I don’t do everything, I prioritize. Instead of saying “I don’t have time…” I look at it from a different point of view. You don’t have to say it out loud; it can be in your head. Every time you think, “I’d love to start playing tennis again, but I don’t have time” or “I want to read more, but I don’t have time” just start saying “It isn’t a priority”. I’m not exercising because it isn’t a priority…etc.

This helps put everything into perspective, instead of thinking that you can do everything, it’s important to come to terms with the fact that you can’t do everything. Once you realize that you can’t, you’ll suddenly start viewing your time more valuably. From there you can take a good look at what you do. You may be surprised, you can come up with a list of priorities and compare them to what it is you do everyday, there may be some differences. Take a look at what you do, because those are your priorities, whether you say they are or not, and go from there.

How to Load a Dishwasher

It’s easy to throw all the dishes into the dishwasher and turn it on…but with a little more strategy, you can run your dishwasher for the ultimate amount of efficiency and cleanliness. Why not get the most out of your appliances?

Yesterday’s post was about maintaining your dishwasher monthly. This is not only important to help your machine last longer, but keeping your dishwasher clean will also add efficiency.

How do you pick your dish detergent? 

It’s difficult to talk about which particular dish detergent you should choose because there are so many out there. The main tip for dish detergent is to read the directions. Many people don’t realize what a difference that makes, most people add entirely too much. This can lead to detergent residue on dishes, spots on glasses, and quickens detergent build-up on your dishwasher. Reading the directions will save you money, as stated in this New York Time’s article.

A tip for spotted glass problems: 

If you notice an abundance of spotted glasses, or perhaps a series of spots running down one side of your glass, you can fill your rinse agent reservoir with Jet Dry. If you don’t have Jet Dry, you can use some vinegar. This isn’t necessary for every single load of dishes, but if you have a particularly full rack of glasses, this will help.

How to Load it up: 

First things first, appliances are the most efficient when they are full. Contrary to popular belief, less in the dishwasher doesn’t mean cleaner. In order to make it worth the amount of energy and water, you should only run the dishwasher when full. 

Please note that when we say full, we don’t mean everything is in direct contact with each other. Water needs to be able to circulate thorough the dishes to clean.

Load the bottom Rack First: 

Start with the taller items you have and place them on the sides and the back of the dishwasher, this way the bulky items won’t block the flow of hot water to other smaller items. Place the smaller items, such as bowls, towards the center of the rack.

Load the Top Rack Second: 

Glasses and mugs go on top; the racks are made to fit glassware up top. It’s best not to try to fit in as many glasses as possible to the point where they are all touching each other because water may not be able to get between them and they may even break. The heating element is normally on the bottom so you’ll want to keep your plastic containers on the top rack (away from the heat).

Look at the loaded dishwasher for a second. In an ideal world, the pots and pans (that are dishwasher safe) will be on the bottom with the baking sheets on the outside. The dinner plates and smaller bowls will be more towards the center. Keep the dirtiest dishes towards the center; this will help get them cleaner.

For utensils:

Place them with the handle side down. When placing knives in the dishwasher, they will get cleaner with the handle side down, but be careful, since the sharp side will be up. Good knives shouldn’t be put into the dishwasher, they should be hand washed. Don’t place something so large in there that you can’t close the bottom rack without shoving and make sure it doesn’t block the spray arm. If need be, you can always place the large utensil on the top rack and lay it down.

Picking the Right Cycle:

Obviously you won’t be picking “Heavy Wash” for your stemware, but it’s good to familiarize yourself with the available options on your appliance. 

A tip is when you are doing your dishes overnight (which depending on your area, can save you some money) use the air dry setting (if you’ve got it). This setting will save you energy, and since it’s running at night, you won’t be in a hurry to get the dishes out. 

By picking the right setting for the job, you can save yourself the trouble of having to hand-wash something again after it has gone through the dishwasher. You don’t want to have to wash a giant pot again, and you also don’t want to waste water and energy over-cleaning your plate with only a couple of cookie crumbs.

Normally, dishwashers are neglected until they suddenly… stop washing dishes. If you would like to prolong the life of your dishwasher, here are a few easy tips for keeping your dishwasher in great shape with just a little maintenance.

1. Start by keeping your hot water heater set to the temperature that is recommended by your dishwasher’s manufacturer. You can find this setting in the dishwasher’s manual. Don’t worry if you can’t find the manual, in this day and age.. you can find anything on the internet. Just go to a search engine like Google and type in the model number of your appliance, the manufacturers usually post their manuals online.

2. Cleanse your dishwasher monthly. Affresh® Dishwasher Cleaner is an easy product you can use to help reduce mineral build up and to ensure optimal performance. They are available at any Appliance Direct Location.

3. Check the dishwasher racks. If you see that the paint is wearing off, consider investing in a dishwasher repair kit, this will help to prevent scratches.

4. Vinegar is a must have household ingredient. Most everyone has some in their pantry. Every month, soak the spray arm with diluted vinegar to clean off scum build-up.

5. Don’t forget about checking the food trap. 

Show your dishwasher some love just once a month, and it'll give you clean dishes for longer.

Accidental Complaint
This morning, we had an incident that left us scrambling for a moment. We received a phone call from a customer, who shall remain anonymous. This customer was furious, they had purchased an appliance, a brand new appliance, and upon delivery they saw a huge dent. Our sales staff looked up the order number for this customer, who shall not be named, and came up with nothing. But luckily, they heard a delivery man in the background of the phone call. Our sales person asked to speak with the person who had delivered the product and we were baffled when they sounded unfamiliar. When our sales person asked for their name, they introduced themselves and stated they worked for an appliance company... that was not ours! There's nothing scarier than not finding any information in order to help a customer. Unfortunately we could not help this frustrated consumer because they did not buy their product from us.

Thaw Frozen Foods in the Washer!
If you don't want to use your sink for thawing your frozen foods, whether it uses too much water or if you need the sink for other prep work, or maybe it's full of dirty dishes.. whatever the reason, you can opt to defrost your frozen foods in the washer. 


Cold water thawing tip from The Cook's Thesaurus: The more water you use and the more water circulates, the faster your food will thaw. If you put frozen food in the washing machine, fill it with cold water, and use the delicate setting to agitate the water as the food thaws. 


Don't let the washer go into the spin cycle. Most washer models allow you to disable this cycle by keeping the lid open.

For more information about thawing frozen foods: Defrosting = Thawing

Refrigerator Basics

Dear Sam,

This is the first time I am not renting my fridge, what should I know?

Thank you,

First Time Home Owner

Lets face it, even if we upgrade to a bigger fridge, we're probably still going to stuff it full.. It's like a woman's purse, everything is in there and no matter how many times they buy a bigger bag to accommodate "everything".. it's always bulging, and surprisingly much heavier than it looks. Yes men understand, we may complain about the size of your purse, but we are grateful when everything we need is in your bag and not our pockets. Joking - but it is convenient. 

First lets talk about the temperature of your refrigerator. Somewhere between 32 - 40 degrees Fahrenheit is good enough to slow the growth of bacteria but it won't affect the food quality (food won't start to ice). How can you tell what temperature you're refrigerator is at? You can always buy a thermometer and leave it in the fridge to make sure that you're food is stored at a safe level, or you can stop buy you're Appliance Direct and ask a manager for a nice bright yellow thermometer. 

Note: The refrigerator does not improve food quality. It prolongs food quality.

When putting hot foods such as a large casserole into the refrigerator, it's much more sensible to separate the food into smaller containers. It's best to keep it less than 3 inches deep. 

Odor. The air in your fridge, and everybody else's fridge, is very dry. Always cover food when storing it in the refrigerator. Especially foods that are bland or delicate.. they may start to smell like other items in your fridge.. unless you want you're glass of milk you didn't finish to chill and taste like cabbage when you pull it out..the stomach wants what the stomach wants if you want that, I guess.

Overloading the refrigerator is not good. There needs to be space between the food that you store so that air can circulate. This will help the temperature stay even in your fridge. 

Nobody wants to remove everything from their fridge. BUT at least every 3 weeks, you should remove everything from your refrigerator and wipe down the inside. A baking soda solution works well and make sure that everything is dry before putting your food back in. Remember there is the 2 hour rule with the foods you take out!

Hope this helps!