Maintaining Your Machines
Maintaining Your Dishwasher
Use your dishwasher regularly
It will help prevent food and debris from building up, reducing the need to clean it. Wipe around the edges of the door and around the gasket to maintain the dishwasher in working order. Clean under the bottom of the door, if debris has accumulated, wipe it off.
Run an empty load with distilled white vinegar
The same concept as running a vinegar load in your washing machine, you simply toss a cup of white vinegar into the bottom of an empty dishwasher and run a normal cycle. It cleans out old food particles to keep your dishwasher smelling fresh.
Load your Dishwasher Properly
When loading your dishwasher it is best to stack items facing downwards and inwards. Check that all the arms can spin feely before running the dishwasher.
Not all detergents work the same
Dishwasher detergents vary, make sure the detergent you use works best for your dishes. Look for ratings and reviews of detergents. The next time you buy a new container of detergent, try a different brand and see if you get better results. Favour powders and tablets over liquids and gels, and keep them dry and free of excess moisture prior to use.
Take labels off containers
Do not wash containers with labels that could come loose. Scrape heavy debris and large paricles off dishes before placing them in the dishwasher.
Run Full Loads
To conserve water and energy run full loads, however do not pack dishes too tightly. Dishwashers wash dishes by spraying water over them, so the water needsto be able to get to the dishes to clean them.
Use baskets for small items
Wash small items in the basket with other cutlery so they do not slip through the racks and end up in the bottom. Some dishwashers even have enclosed baskets made especially for smaller items.
Do not pre-wash your dishes
There is no nee to pre-rinse too much, dishwashers and detergents have both improved. If you havent tried putting dishes in dirty lately, try again.
Maintaining Your Washing Machine
Don't overload your Washing Machine
Overloading a washing machine can cause a number of issues some immediately apparent and some take time to maifest themselves it is therefore absolutely vital, if you want your machine to last and to perform at its best, that you load the machine correctly.
Water-Fill hoses
Over time, the water hoses that came with your new washing machines may leak or burst. It's a good preventive maintenance practice to check these hoses from time to time for any sign of weak or weakness. Often there's a small blister in the rubber of the hose, which could rupture. Most manufacturers recommend replacing the hoses every 5 years.
Levelling
Because your washing machine is so heavy, when its not level, it can vibrate strongly during the spin cycle. If your washing machine is not perfectly level with all four legs touching the floor it can bang and rocks back and forth and even begin to "walk" across the room. This isnt good for the machine and may damage anything near the machine.
Run an empty load
With distilled white vinegar in your washing machine you simply toss a cup of white vinegar into the bottom of an empty washing machine and run a normal cycle. It cleans it out and keeps its smelling fresh.
Maintaining Your Electric Cooker
The Grill Element
Each time you've finished cooking, turn on the grill element for about a minute to burn off any fat clinging to it, then turn off and close the oven door. Most chemical cleaners can not be used on the element. The simplest way to clean the element is to turn the heat up to the highest setting and just let the grase burn off. The oven may smoke for a while, soensure the room is well ventilated.
Prevent Oven messes that are tough to clean
The first step to a clean oven is prevention. Try placing casserole dishes on cookie sheets while baking to keep sauces from spilling over onto oven surfaces, You could also line the bottom of your oven with luminum foil if you're cooking cooking a dish thats likely to make a mess. Wipe up any minor spills immediately to keep them from hardening into a mess that tougher to clean.
How to clean an over naturally
It is easy to make non-toxic oven cleaners yourself with basic ingredients like baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar. These natural oven cleaning solutions are frugal, effective and totally free of harmful chemicals and caustic ingredients. For grease, mix non-toxic dish soap like Seventh Generation Free & cleaners derived from plant sources like coconuts to dissolve fats. To tackle bad smells, squeeze two lemons into a baking dish filled with an inch of water and toss in what remains of the lemons. Place the dish in the oven and bake it for 30 minutes at 250 degrees. Not only will your oven smell like lemons instead of scorched food, the citrus oils will soften gunk on oven surfaces, making it easier to remove.
Maintaining Your Tumble Dryer
Cleaning the lint filter
Clean the lint filter every time you use your tumble dryer, as this helps to increase the airflow, making drying more efficient.
Emptying the water reservoir
If you have a condenser tumble dryer, remove and empty the reservoir after each load. If you do this, you'll be able to run a drying cycle with a full load without having to stop mid-way through and empty the tank.
Dont overload your Tumble Dryer
Because of their size, some items will never be suitable for a tumble dryer, so always avoid tumble drying extremely large items such as duvets and blankets. Even if you have one of the new breed of 10kg drum dryers, there won't be enough space for air to circulate and this can overheat the dryer.
Seperate fabrics before Tumble Drying
Simply taking a mixed load of clothes from your washing machine and loading it into your tumble dryer might feel like the easiest way to get the laundry done, but its not the most efficient way to dry clothes. To reduce drying times and save energy, seperate different fabrics and dry similar clothes together. This also increases the evenness of drying.
Loosen laundry in your Tumble Dryer
A tightly bound bundle of wet laundry will take a long time to dry in tumble dryer, however much the machine tumbles the load, some bundled together clothes will end up dry while some will still be damp. So, when you take your laundry out of the washing machine, loosen your laundry. This will help to prevent lengthy drying times, will aid even drying and help to prevent creasing.
