Why You Should Clean Your Dryer & Vents

Keith is here today to talk to us about cleaning your dryer and vents. You might not think that cleaning your dryer is a very big deal, but is actually very important and can even save you from having a fire start.

Cleaning out your vent trap after every dry is a great habit to have an keep. If you don't already, start cleaning it every time! This is important because build up lint can actually get under the cabinet of the dryer and ruin the machine.  

Even when you clean your lint catcher every time, lint can still pass through and carry to the back of your machine and into the vents that lead to the outside of your home. A ton of buildup in these areas can be very bad. Lint is a cluster of small fibers, dust, and debris which is very easy to ignite. If the lint builds up with the 150 degree or so hot air flowing through can actually cause it to catch on fire. Many of us have heard of dryers catching fire. The lint is actually what starts it. This can be avoided by checking and cleaning your dryers.

It is very important to check and clean the back of your dryer and vents once a year. If it's not too clogged, you can clean it yourself. If it's really bad or if you don't want to deal with it, we recommend to have a company come out and professionally clean it for your safety. A local Colorado company that we would recommend is Brand Source Appliance Service & Repair.

We hope that you have learned why it is so important to clean out link in your dryer and vents. Go check and clean them today!

What to Know About Buying Stack-able Washer & Dryer

There are so many different types of washers and dryers. One of the best features about front load washers is that you can stack the dryer on top. This is very convenient when you have little space for your laundry pair as it takes less floor room.



In this video, Richard goes into detail about the different types of washers and dryers that are stackable. Watch out for the depth of the units and how they stack on top of each other. Some washers and dryers actually slope backward at the top. This makes the weight of the unit move to the back. This option does require more depth in the back. Make sure that you have enough room for this features. If you do not have enough room in the back, make sure to get a laundry pair that has a flat front.

5 Benefits of a 3rd rack in a Dishwasher

More and more appliance companies are starting to make a dishwasher with a third rack. From a first glance, it might seem silly to have a third rack; but in reality, the third rack is very helpful. The third rack was first seen in more high end brands like Bosch, but the rest of the industry is integrating this in a lot of their models. Once you go to a third rack, you will never go back.  Here are some benefits of why this dishwasher feature is so amazing.

1. Your spatulas, whisks and tongs have a special place in the dishwasher. The third rack is super convenient in that you know exactly where those extra cooking utensils are. You won’t have to worry about them falling to the bottom and melting. You also won’t have to dig around the dishwasher hunting for where you put your favorite whisk. It can now be organized and all be in one secured place.

2. Third rack dishwashers increase efficiency by providing more space to wash more utensils, dishes and glasses. On average, the third rack gives you 37% more room to utilize in your dishwasher to the fullest.  Without the random utensils in the way, you will have more room in your first and second racks to wash even more dishes. Your mind will be at ease knowing that you only have to do one load at a time.

3. The extra rack can be a great safety tool. You can place your cooking knives flat on the third rack. No one will have to worry about reaching around the utensil basket being overly cautious avoiding cutting themselves. Having a more secure place to put pointy objects is much more convenient and safer for the whole family.

4. The ability to fill your dishwasher with more kitchen items will cut down on the number of times you need to run your dishwasher. This means that you get to save on dishwashing soap, water, time, and energy. Over time, you will find your water and energy bill will be less which is also helpful for the environment.

5. Some of the dishwashers that have a third rack are removable so you can load tall glasses or pitchers on your second rack. This makes it convenient for holiday events all year round. After your special events with your extra large wine glasses or oddly shaped serving bowls, you will be able to wash them in your dishwasher rather than doing it by hand.

With the third rack becoming more popular in the appliance industry, you can find this feature in more brands and models than ever before. With these 5 reasons, the little extra cost of the third rack dishwasher is worth it. Let’s thank the engineers who invented this washing game changer!

Check out the dishwashers now and see which one you like for your kitchen.

Wash Two loads at once with this Washer!

Joe is here to show you the amazing features of a new innovative washing machine. With this Dual Flex Washer from Samsung, you can do two loads at once. Using this washer will save you time, energy, and give you the flexibility.



Here are a few great features of this washer:

• Flexwash- Wash two different loads at the same time.
• Faster Cycles- You can do a load in 30 minutes.
• Steam Wash- This features allows you to remove stains easier.
• Quiet Wash- With the VRT Plus technology, it reduces the vibration of the drum.
• Total Capacity- More space means that you can wash more at one time and do less loads over time.
• Connected- You can start your wash from your phone, monitor the cycle, and have a timer go off when it's complete.
• Energy Star Raited- This is an eco-friendly and energy-efficient machine.

Love the look of this washer? Click here to see more or stop by one of our stores to see it for yourself in person.

Hack: Easily get Rid of that Onion and Garlic Smell

A lot of people love garlic and onion flavor but the smell, well that can be a little overbearing and downright bring someone to tears. The smell can get on your hands and be tough to get out with just soap and water but there is hope.

Stainless Steel when combined with cold water can get rid of most of the smell. Look around the kitchen; you more than likely have plenty laying around.  Knives, spoons, and other utensils will all work. All you need to do is run the knife under cold water and carefully rub the stainless steel.

So why does this work? Well its science! Garlic and onions get their strong aroma from sulfur that gets all over your hands. When you wash your hands it turns into sulfuric acid and has a chemical reaction with the stainless that neutralizes the smell.

Try it out the next time your crushing garlic and cutting up onions. 

How to Select the Right Garbage Disposer

A garbage disposer, it is something that everyone needs. There are a 3 major kinds of garbage disposers. Waste Maid Garbage Disposers sell  1/3 horse power, 1/2 horse power, and 3/4 horse power. Watch the video to see which one is best for you and your family. One even has a magnet built in to stop your silverware from slipping down into the main compartment.



Once you have figured out which one you need, stop by one of our 16 locations to pick one up today.

Spring-Cleaning Shortcuts (Part 2)

We found so many terrific tips for cutting cleaning time in half that we had to separate it into two blog posts! Here are some more little life-hacks that go a long way when sprucing up for spring:

Creative Dusting- Forget the rag and think outside the box when it comes to dusting. Use a lint roller to dust your cloth lampshades and other fabric surfaces (they work great on microfiber sofas and dining-room chairs). Alternatively, you can put a sock on your hand and use it as a dusting mitt for those hard-to-reach places.

Microwave Cleaning- We’ve mentioned before that half a lemon in a bowl of water can work wonders for removing stubborn grease and grime inside your microwave, but if you’re in a pinch and don’t have a lemon on you, just the water will do nicely. The steam will help to loosen all the stuck-on food particles and make them easier to just wipe off.

Toilet Tips- If your toilet is especially stained or grimy, make sure to let some cleanser soak in the bowl for a while before scrubbing the inside. This will help the dirt to loosen, making cleaning much easier and cutting down on elbow grease!

Oven cleaning- Most ovens have self-cleaning features these days, but these can be quite inconvenient, rendering your oven useless for hours on end and making your house unbearably hot, not to mention that smell! Simply spray an oven cleaner like Easy-Off on the inside of your oven on a night when you don’t plan on cooking dinner, then wipe it out in a couple of hours, or in the morning, if you have tough grease stains.

Unload Your Laundry- Nobody wants to face a huge pile of laundry! Cut the amount of time spent in the laundry room down considerably- and preserve your sanity- by aiming to do one medium load per day. At first you’ll think, “Ugh, laundry every day?” But you will soon be amazed how quickly you can sort, wash, dry, fold and put away a small load each day, as opposed to many large loads every couple of weeks.

Spring Clean (Enough)- Shortcuts for Spring Cleaning

Spring is upon us, and with it comes spring cleaning! We all have the best intentions when it comes to wanting to give our homes the thorough yearly cleaning they deserve, but we also have tremendously busy lives and it can be hard to find the time to do a serious deep-cleaning. Here are a few spring cleaning shortcuts that will give you the results you want in a fraction of the time!

Clean (some of) your carpets- Focus on the high-traffic areas of your carpet- living room, main hallways, family room- for the deep-cleaning rug shampoo every spring, and just do the whole house once every couple of years. Not only will you save money but it will cut down on drying time.

Steam clean your curtains- Washing curtains in a machine, or getting them dry cleaned, can be a major time-suck. Not only do you have to take the curtains down, but then you have to wash and dry and re-hang them- the work of at least several hours! With a little wrinkle-releasing, odor-eliminating spray (try CleanFast) and a hand-held fabric steamer, you can steam your way to fresh curtains without having to deal with taking them off the rods.

Bust out the Dustbuster- Using a handheld vacuum to clean your upholstery can be almost as effective as getting it professionally shampooed, with less cost and inconvenience. Use your hand vac to get all the errant crumbs, pet hair and life debris out of the cushions and frame of your upholstered furniture pieces, then use a clean, damp cloth to wipe down the fabric. Use a spot-cleaning stain remover, such as Shout, for any problem stains (make sure to test it on the fabric first).

Don’t stress over windows- While it is an admirable goal to get every window in your house squeaky-clean inside and out, it can also be a back-breaking chore that goes unappreciated. After all, how often do you really look at the windows at the back of your house? Focus on the big windows in front of the house that face the street and give those a good cleaning. Try to clean your windows on a day that is wind-free to avoid being splashed by cold water.

Clean as you go- Obviously, the best way to avoid lengthy spring-cleaning projects is to keep your home clean all year long. You can accomplish this by taking a few extra minutes each day to give specific areas of your home a once-over. Putting laundry away? Take 5 minutes to tidy the closet shelves. Taking winter coats to the dry cleaners? See if there’s anything in your hall closet that can be donated or thrown out. Wiping up a spill in the fridge? Take a moment to wipe all the shelves while you’re at it (and go ahead and toss those mystery containers in the way-back while you’re at it.) Taking a few moments to tidy, putting things back in the place where they go- these are all things that can be done quickly during each day, which can save you hours in the long run.

When Life Gives You Lemons- CLEAN!

With their fresh citrus aroma, acidic properties and affordable price, lemons make the perfect natural cleaning product for your kitchen! Here are a few ways to incorporate lemon freshness into your cleaning routine.

Use lemon peels to make an organic kitchen cleaner. Start collecting peels from lemons, or any other citrus fruits, in a large mason jar. When there are enough peels to fill the jar at least halfway, pour vinegar in until the jar is full, cover with a lid, and set in a dark place for two weeks. When all is said and done, you’ll have an all-natural, effective cleanser that smells great!

 

Clean your microwave. Why bother with scrubbing when you’ve got lemons in your corner? Simply cut a lemon in half, squeeze the juice from both halves into a small microwave-safe measuring cup of water, throw the rinds in there too, and microwave for 3 minutes on high power. Let stand for 5 minutes without opening the microwave door, then wipe clean, starting with the ceiling and sides. Voila!

 

Use lemon and salt to clean your wooden cutting boards. To get rid of grease and grime and freshen your wooden cutting surfaces, sprinkle them with coarse salt, then take half a lemon and scrub the surface, cut side down. Make sure to squeeze out lemon juice as you scrub. Let sit for 5 minutes then scrape all the nasty sludge off with a bench scraper (or other scraping tool, like a spatula), then rinse with a clean sponge. You’ll be amazed how clean they get!

 

No more stinky garbage disposal. Here’s a tip we all know…sort of. Instead of grinding up lemon peels with ice and salt like our moms probably told us, try zesting the lemon into the disposal, letting it sit for at least 5 minutes, then turning on the disposal and flushing with cold water. It’s a new twist on an old classic. (Twist? See what I did there?)

 

Polish your knives. If your knife set is suffering from rust spots as a result of being put back in the block with a little water still on them, try a little lemon juice with a sponge to polish them up and get them looking good as new!

 

BONUS: Use lemons in your kitchen décor. Well, this is all well and good, you’re thinking, but where on Earth shall I store all these lemons I’ll need for all these fabulous tips? The best news of all is that lemons are a great way to add a homey yet elegant touch, not to mention a pop of color, to any kitchen. Lemons can be stored in beautiful bowls or fruit baskets on the countertop, or even on your kitchen table as a beautiful centerpiece. Not only will they make your kitchen smell divine, but they will be right there on hand for any cleaning mission you hope to accomplish.

Chemical-Free Oven Cleaning

It’s getting to be that time of year again. The season of baked goods, family gatherings with large meals and festive parties is upon us, and that means that you will likely be using your oven a lot more than usual! Now is a great time to get your oven ready for cooking and baking, but what is the best way to get it clean? These days, nearly everyone has a self-cleaning oven, of course, but even after running the self-clean cycle, there is still the question of what to do with all that burnt, black gunk that has fallen onto the bottom. Also, there is the fact that the self-cleaning feature isn’t always the most practical method for cleaning out your oven, what with the way it can make a particularly dirty oven smoke, and produces that hideous burning smell. Why not skip it altogether in favor of something natural and, ultimately, easier? That’s right- our old friends baking soda and vinegar are back, and this time they are ready to make this oven-cleaning experience your best one yet!

What You Need:

Oven (obvious, but true)

Baking soda

Water

Dish cloth (preferably not a decorative one you like to display)

Plastic or silicone spatula

Spray bottle

White vinegar

Bathtub (for cleaning oven racks)

Powdered or liquid dish detergent (for cleaning oven racks)

What You Do:

1. Remove the oven racks and set aside
2. Make a paste of ½ cup baking soda and 2-3 tablespoons water. Paste should be spreadable consistency.
3. Spread paste all over inside of oven, avoiding the heating elements. Pay special attention to particularly greasy or dirty areas of the oven.
4. Let sit overnight, or at least 12 hours.
5. Clean oven racks while you’re waiting. This can be accomplished by soaking them in the bathtub overnight with ½ cup dishwasher detergent and then scrubbing with a non-abrasive scrub brush or sponge.
6. Wipe out oven with a damp dish cloth the following day. The spatula will come in handy to scrape off the paste if the damp dish cloth doesn’t get the hard-to-reach spots.
7. Spray with vinegar in a spray bottle to get rid of all the left-behind baking soda residue. The vinegar will make the baking soda foam a bit (hello, science project volcano lesson!)
8. Wipe out remaining vinegar/baking soda foam until all residue is gone.
9. Replace oven racks.

Enjoy the holidays with your shiny, clean oven! Not only will it save you from the embarrassment of pulling a turkey out of an oven filled with stinky black smoke, but it can also make the finished product taste better.

Everyday Items to Clean Your Appliances

Who says cleaning products must be costly to clean effectively? Banish those harsh chemicals and pricey concoctions for good and keep your appliances beautiful using things you already have laying around in your kitchen. You will be amazed how you can keep all of your kitchen appliances sparkling clean and running like new, just by using things like:

 

Baking Soda-

While the uses for baking soda are seemingly limitless, baking soda has long been associated with deodorizing refrigerators. In fact, Arm and Hammer actually manufactures a special container that is designed to be stuck on the inside fridge wall and changed monthly. When it comes to deodorizing with baking soda, why stop at the refrigerator? It can be dusted along the bottom of the dishwasher, rubbed into a microwave with a damp cloth and sprinkled liberally down the garbage disposal, all with the same wonderful effect of eliminating kitchen odors.

 

Vinegar-

Baking soda’s time-honored partner in home cleaning remedies, white vinegar is useful for a variety of household tasks. One particularly inventive use of vinegar, mixed with an equal amount of water, is as an anti-grease agent to prevent buildup inside your oven. If you are concerned about the toxicity of bleach and other cleaning agents on the market, vinegar is a great, safe and eco-friendly alternative. It can be used to wipe down countertops and cabinets.

 

Tang-

The powdery orange drink originally designed for astronauts has a secret identity as a powerful dishwasher cleaner! Using Tang instead of dish detergent in a hot-water cycle can give the inside of the dishwasher an all-over clean, thanks to the acidity of the powder.

 

Coffee-

Another way to effectively eliminate odors in the refrigerator is to place a small bowl of coffee grounds on one of the fridge shelves, replacing every two months for best results. The best part- the grounds can even be used! Talk about recycling!

A Pain-Free Guide to Cutting the Clutter

Be honest - is there a huge pile of stuff taking up valuable space right now in your garage, shed or basement? Is it full of items that have absolutely no functional value in your life, yet you are reluctant to throw or give them away in case you find yourself needing them in the future? Maybe you aren’t particularly attached to anything in the junk pile, but lack the necessary motivation to get in gear and cut out the clutter for good. Not only is it exhausting to sort through everything and haul away what you don’t wish to keep, but it is also quite taxing to decide whether to keep, sell, give away or throw away every object you encounter. While reducing clutter in your home can be both physically and emotionally difficult, it is an important step to helping your living space reach its full potential in terms of aesthetics and functionality. The following tips can get you on the right path to a clutter-free, organized home:

Sort Your Stash-

Probably the hardest step of the de-cluttering process is the very first one you will have to do. You need to go through the items in your pile and decide what you keep and what gets sold, given away or tossed. The easiest way to go about this daunting task is to get four boxes, marked with “Keep,” “Donate,” “Sell” and “Trash.” Items you actually use at least once a month should go into the “Keep” box, and anything you think may actually be of some collectible value should be placed into the box marked “Sell.” If you see anything that may be of use to someone else, such as a household appliance or clothing with little wear, put it in the “Donate” box. Everything else…sorry, it’s “Trash.” The act of physically putting each thing into one of these boxes will help clarify what you truly need and what you can afford to part with. You’ll be amazed at how quickly the process goes after the hard start, and how much lighter you’ll feel almost instantly!

Don’t Lose Momentum-

So now you’ve sorted everything into their respective boxes and you feel really accomplished. Don’t put your feet up just yet- you’re far from done! It’s so easy to feel accomplished when you’re done sorting your pile and then just leave the four boxes sitting there in the same spot for six months. Why not go one step farther and actually bring the “Donate” box to your local charity organization or thrift shop? How about listing some of those “Sell” items on eBay or Craigslist? You can at least walk the “Trash” box over to the Dumpster, can’t you? The follow-through is every bit as important as the initial effort to get rid of the clutter.

Time to Organize! -

Now that you’ve whittled down the items you actually want to keep, it’s time to figure out where to put them. As much fun as those home organizing stores can be, there is really no need to spend a lot of money on fancy storage systems for your living space. Check out Pinterest and other home-improvement blogs for excellent and creative ways to use existing items in your house as organizational tools. The internet is teeming with all kinds of these little “life hacks” to get you organized on the cheap. Be honest with yourself about how you will really end up putting things away on days when you are too tired or busy. An organizational system that isn’t going to realistically fit into your life is not going to help much. Pick what you think will work best for your personality and energy level. Better to have a bin full of odds and ends or a “junk drawer” than to have the junk overtake the entire kitchen counter. Use your best judgment to figure out a system that is right for you.