DRYER OVERLOAD!

As a young adult, I went over to my grandmother's house to do my laundry. I didn't want to be an imposition to her, so I tried to stuff the machines to the brim. One day, my grandma walked by the dryer as it was running and heard it "moaning and groaning". He opened it up and found that it was much, much too full to run effectively.

A dryer needs enough space for air to circulate over all the clothes. If you overload it, it ruins the motor, leaves your clothes with a musty or burnt smell, and wastes energy.

Don't clean under you oven's knobs

While we all know a clean oven is a happy oven, you shouldn't clean under the knobs. The knobs to your oven are a part of an electrical system that tells the oven how much to heat it's coils.

When you put water on an electrical system, it could short circuit it, electrocute you, or both.

If a short occurs, then it'll be a service call for us to come out and fix it for you.

If its an electrocution, a hospital trip or funeral would be in your future.

The best plan of action: don't clean under your knobs!

Washing Machine Hoses

You should inspect your water hoses to your washing machine at least once a year. Make sure that they're securely connected  and are free of cracks, or bulges.

If there is any damage present, contact us immediately and we'll help you get it fixed before it floods your house!

A Gas Stove MUST

Gas stoves tend to live longer than their electrical counterparts by a couple years. However, they only do if you do this one thing to them:

CLEAN THEM!

Debris and spills build up can prevent the gas from burning the right way, and create more wear and tear on the stove.

When cleaning, make sure the gas is off and you take all the proper safety precautions.

Warning signs of a clogged dryer vent

Each year there are 2,900 house fires caused by a dryer that has been improperly maintained which resulted in 31 injuries and 5 deaths. There is a great need to make sure that your dryer vent is clean, because it is life threatening if it's not. You should clean your vent out at least once a year, and clean out the lint trap every time you use the dryer. Here is a quick list of some signs that you need your vents cleaned out:

• The top of your dryer is hot when in use
• clothes take a long time to dry
• There is a burning or musty smell when dryer is in use
• Your clothes smell burned or musty
• Your clothes are unusually hot after being dried
• You can see lint coming out of the vent from outside
• Excessive amounts of lint are caught in the lint trap
• The room is hot when the dryer is in use
• Dryer just stops working
• The exhaust termination ( the flap where the airflow goes outside) doesn't open when dryer is on
• For gas dryers there's a carbon monoxide leak

If your dryer vent is clogged it should not be delayed. Give us a call today at 208-385-9074

Is the self clean cycle on your oven enough?

Having your oven clean itself is a very tempting chore to do, or in this case, not do. You can just switch it on and it takes care of itself, right?

Unfortunately, the self-cleaning oven feature isn't as effective as a good old fashioned scrubbing. It just can't be beat.

If you're wanting to put some elbow grease in, make sure the oven is unplugged and the racks are taken out. This might also be a good time to check to see if the seal on your oven is damaged.

This simple maintenance may help keep your oven staying hot for years to come!

Do not overload your washing machine!

Your washing machine is a delicate piece of machinery. It needs to be used properly in order to function as intended. Failure to do so may result in damaged clothes, still-dirty clothes, managing the motor, and drainage issues.

The exact amount of clothes that you're supposed to put in varies depending on manufacturer, size, and model. However, a good plan of attack is to leave at least 6 inches between the lid and the top of the load. Feel free to get a ruler and measure it out exactly so you can gauge how full in the future.

Christmas is Coming! Is Your Oven Ready?

If you're wanting to ensure that your Christmas dinner goes off without a hitch, NOW is the time to check your appliances. If you find that your appliance is in need of maintenance or a new appliance, call us at 208-385-9074 or stop by 530 N Orchard St, Boise, ID 83706 Mon-Fri 9:30AM-5:30PM.

The Month of Smells, Week 5: Dryer

Since they handle water, dryers can get smelly too! Luckily there's some easy tricks to prevent put a stop to this:

General deodorizing

Pull out your lint screen and clean it. After that, get your vaccuumm and put the hose attachment down the lint trap to get any further lint. After that, vaccuum behind and around your dryer. You may also want to go to your exterior vent and clean that out - ensure there's no clogs. If you're feeling particularly thrifty, you can open up your dryer and vaccuum the drum, but this is typically for professionals only.

After that wipe down the inside with a disinfectant like white vinegar.

Burning rubber

If you smell burning rubber, it means your dryer is broken. Continuing to use it will just break it further and increases the risk of a fire. Give us a call and we'll fix it for you.

Smell of gas

If your dryer is gas powered and you smell gas, you should shut your gas off immediately and check for leaks.

Crumb Tray

Toasters are an appliance that may not be used a whole lot. You might even keep it in your pantry when you're not using it. Because of this, you might not think to clean it very often. Cleaning your toaster is important, and ensures that it doesn't burn anything or catch anything on fire.

The first thing you want to do is unplug your toaster. The last thing you want to do is have it accidentally turn on!

After that, you should see a tab of some sort. This tab rather opens up the bottom of your toaster or slides it out. This is called the crumb tray. Throw all the crumbs away and wipe it down if necessary!