Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Prevent a Holiday Dishwasher Disaster!

Consumer Reports has come out with it's annual list of holiday dishwasher strategies.  Here are a few:
  • Load It Smartly. Try loading dishes, glasses, utensils, and other items the way your owner’s manual recommends. The manual was written by engineers who best understand how your machine's sprays are situated.
  • Try Quick-Wash Cycles. A quick half-hour wash could handle a lightly soiled load—running over a break between dinner and dessert. A few one-hour cycles throw more water and energy at the load to do roughly the same cleaning in a fraction of the time.
  • Consider Hand-Washing. With a large holiday crowd, you might not be able to fit lots of dishes, glasses and a pot you used for sauce or gravy. Why not take a quick break and wash that one by hand?

The perennial worry at this time of year is that appliances tend to fail while they’re working the hardest. If your dishwasher seems to be going out with 2014, contact Express Appliance today to see our dishwasher models.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Diagnose Dishwasher Leaks

Dishwasher leaks generally develop from four areas:

1.  Around the door.

Go here to see how this can be easily fixed.

2.  A component under the tub, like pump seals and water valves.

To prevent this kind of leak, every six months or so, consider detaching the dishwasher's kickplate.  Next, turn on the dishwasher and look in with a flashlight for a drip.  Because such leaks may go years without being detected, the tile or linoleum in front of the dishwasher may be slightly raised.

3.  Bad soap

Don't use regular dish soap -— it can really foam up and can lead to leaking.

4.  Over-Filling Your Dishwasher

Sometimes, placing a pot or pan the wrong way can lead to leaking.

If you need further assistance with your dishwasher, give us a call!

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Take Care of That Smelly Garbage Disposal

We sometimes get calls from people wanting to know how to eliminate garbage disposal smells.  This YouTube below gives some terrific suggestions.  Note: We never recommend getting your hands and fingers near a garbage disposal when it's running.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Homemade Glass Stove Top Cleaner

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, people are increasingly being drawn to -- and buying -- stoves with glass tops.

However, cleaning these modern-day technological marvels may require buying some special stovetop cleaner.  The chemicals in some of those products can be downright nasty.

Below is a YouTube video that's based on some more natural products.  Enjoy!

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

What To Do With Your Used Dryer Sheets

Feel free to check out this video for some terrific ideas on what you can do with used dryer sheets.


We're happy to add an eighth suggestion: kindling for campfires!

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Dry your clothes better!

Many people throw their clothes in the dryer, then when the cycle is done, they discover their clothes are just partially dried.

Below are some ideas to ensure your clothes are dry...the first time you dry them:
  • Make sure your exhaust vent behind dryer isn't kinked. The shorter the better.
  • The exhaust duct should be metallic, and made of semi rigid or flexible material. Avoid vinyl -- it's easily crushed and won't withstand heat as well as metallic ducting.
  • Check and clean the outside vent hood, outside your home. Doing so will keep rodents and birds out of your exhaust.  The best vent hoods have a flapper that opens when the dryer is in use and closes when off.
  • Faithfully clean the lint screen between dryer loads.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Keep Your Meat Fresh in the Freezer for Years

Properly freezing food will help save you lots of money and ensure tasty food in the future.

To effectively preserve meats or other foods, you need to ensure several things:

1. Check the freezer's temperature.  It should be at zero degrees.

2. Make sure to have an alternative means of powering your freezer in the event of a power outage. A common misconception about frozen foods is that once they are frozen and thawed, they can't be re-frozen. This is false.  Foods that are thawed can definitely be re-frozen.

3. When you package your food into freezer bags try to remove as much air as possible in each bag before sealing them.  For best results, purchase a food vacuum sealer. Anytime you can remove the air from food and reduce the moisture, you guarantee a much longer freezer shelf life.

Following these tips can ensure your meat is edible for the long stretch, staving off freezer burn and ensuring tasty meat for future meals.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Naturally Cleaning Your Oven's Innards



Have you ever noticed that black, sticky grime on the inside of your oven?

You can clean that off and out of there by running the auto-cleaning setting. But all that does is turn up the heat to a point where anything left inside will be burnt to a crisp, leaving you to wipe out the residue once it cools. The bad news: doing this may actually set off your  smoke detectors.

You can also buy oven cleaner sprays that have chemicals that eat through inner oven debris.  Those tend to work.

However, if you're looking for a non-toxic, safe alternative, try a little vinegar, baking soda, and elbow grease.


  1. Mix a 1/2 cup of baking soda and 3-4 tablespoons of water in a bowl.  
  2. Adjust the consistency until it's a paste.  
  3. Then spread the paste all over your oven's interior (NOT the heating elements). As you do this, it's natural for the baking soda to turn into a brownish color. 
  4. Let it sit overnight.  
  5. Afterwards, wipe or scrape out as much of the dried baking soda paste as you can with a damp dish cloth or spatula. 
  6. Next, spray a little vinegar everywhere you still see baking soda residue in your oven (the vinegar will react with the baking soda and gently foam).  
  7. Finally, wipe out the remaining foamy vinegar/baking soda mixture. 

Thursday, September 18, 2014

How Express Appliance Goes The Extra Mile For You

Do appliance repairmen actually go the extra mile in serving customers?

In this video, Express Appliance customer Darin Maughan describes how we go "above and beyond" the call of duty to ensure you have the best appliances possible for your home...


Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Dryer Lint Traps = Heating Unit Burnout?

It's been an internet rumor for years:

Fabric sheets can create a light film on your dryer's lint filter, then burn out your dryer's heating unit.  The remedy? According to the internet rumor, is soaking the filter in warm water and soap.

Ummm, partially true.

We're big fans of regularly cleaning your lint trap.  Doing so may help your dryer work more efficiently.  But we doubt that not cleaning it will eventually make your dryer's motor burn out.

Consumer Reports says,
"At Consumer Reports we've tested hundreds of clothes dryers for our ongoing dryer Ratings and recommendations. CR's appliance director, Mark Connelly, says it's possible that over a long period, fabric sheets, fabric softeners, and laundry detergent ingredients contribute to an unseen film or waxy buildup on the dryer lint screen. But 'it's highly doubtful,' he said, 'that any such invisible buildup alone leads to heating-unit burnout or a fire.'" (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/appliances/laundry-and-cleaning/clothes-dryers/truths-and-myths-of-dryer-fires/overview/index.htm)
We always recommend you remove the lint from your lint trap after every load, and clean out your dryer vent at least once a year (more on that later)...

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Have Super Looking Stainless Steel Appliances!

Ahhhh, stainless steel.  You look marvelous.

However, scratch up stainless steel, and your cool-looking appliance will quickly look much cheaper.

What's the best way to clean stainless steel?

Although Martha Stewart says, "Try Windex,"  we beg to differ. Online comments frequently say that Windex tends to leave streaks on your SS.  Oil-based products also tend to build-up on SS surfaces.

One cleaner does have a squeaky-clean reputation among scores of stainless steel enthusiasts: BarKeeper's Friend.

To use it, simply apply this cleanser onto a clean, damp rag and wipe along the stainless steel grain.  Then use another towel to remove the residue.

One online commenter said, "a metal cleaner/polish like Barkeeper's Friend made all the streaks, smudges, fingerprints disappear."  Another said, "It looked even better than when it was new."


Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Say Goo-Bye To That White Stuff On Your Dishes and Glasses

You've seen it before -- white film left on your glasses and dishes.

So, what do you do?  You re-wash them, right?  Only to find...the same result.

Is your dishwasher be dying?  Are hard water ogres now invading your home?  Did someone at home put something in your dishwasher to make it so "filmy"?

Um...probably not.  Instead, do this:

Add some LemiShine in your dishwasher.

It's thought that LemiShine is made of citric acid hemihydrate -- dehydrated, concentrated citric acid. But does it do the trick?  Seems like it -- LemiShine has a 5 out of 5 star rating (among 30 ratings at the time of this post) on WalMart's website, and 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.

Want a free sample?  Come get one!  Visit our store at 609 N Orchard, Boise and we'll give you one, or go here to find a store near you.

You -- and your dishes and glasses -- will be thrilled with the results!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Get Super Clean Smooth Stove Tops...Everytime!

It's the LAST thing your glossy, glass smooth-top stove needs: an abrasive cleansers.

They're everywhere!  While it's true that they're a godsend when used on the right stuff, smooth-top stoves aren't one of them.

They'll leave scratches.  Bad ones.

Here's a better idea:

  • Prepare: Apply warm water and 1 tsp. dish soap to a paper towel or non-abrasive scrubbing sponge.
  • Remove the big stuff: Wipe the stove top with the damp paper towel or sponge to remove any loose food or residue, then rinse with a wet, clean paper towel.
  • Clean: Apply a dime-sized amount of cooktop cleaner to another damp paper towel, then clean the stovetop.
  • Rinse: Dampen a paper towel and wipe over the stove top to rinse the excess cleaning cream.
  • Dry: the stove top with a paper towel.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Clean Your Refrigerator's Condenser Coils...For Free!

Cleaning your fridge's condenser coils about every three months or so is a free, easy and important way to keep your refrigerator running longer and much more efficiently.

In this video, Doug shows you how...


Need help with your condenser coils? Call us at 208-371-8676 or visit our website at www.expressappliancerepairs.com.  We're happy to help!

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Help Your Appliances Beat the Summertime Heat

'Tis the season for the refrigerator and freezer constantly opening and shutting, sweaty clothes and swimming pool trips loading up the laundry and more.

To keep your appliances in tip top shape this summer,

1. Run a cup of vinegar through an empty dishwasher to remove food residue from your dishwasher.

2. To clean the interior of your microwave, wipe a mixture of 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda and one quart of water.

3. Clean your refrigerator's condenser coils (we'll address that later).

4. Place a box of baking soda in the refrigerator (the baking soda should be changed out once every 90 days) and wipe your refrigerator walls with a mixture of some vanilla extract which has been poured into a bowl to keep your fridge smelling nice.

5. Wash refrigerator shelves and drawers with soap and warm water.

6. Put citrus peels and a handful of ice cubes down the garbage disposal. Turn the water on low and run the disposal for 20-30 seconds. Then turn it off and rinse with hot water.

7. To eliminate grease buildup in your garbage disposal, run some hot water and turn on the disposal. Squeeze a tiny amount of dish detergent into the disposal. Continue to run the hot water for 30 seconds. Turn the disposal off and continue to run the hot water until you no longer see suds.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Keep Your (Freezer) Cool In The Summer!

If you have a freezer in your garage, you may discover that it's struggling (along with the rest of us) to keep cool this summer.

With extreme heat, the sides of your freezer may become too hot to touch.

That's because it's working harder and longer to maintain a cold temperature inside the unit.

One of the best strategies: ventilate your freezer.  Make sure it has at least 4 inches of ventilation on all sides.  This will allow the heat on the outside of the freezer to escape without getting something else hot.

If you're concerned that ventilation isn't solving the problem, feel free to give us a call -- 208-371-8676 -- or visit our website at www.expressappliancerepairs.com.  We'd be happy to inspect your freezer and make any recommendations, if necessary.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Wow, That's A Hot Fridge (or Freezer)!

Summertime is killer for refrigerators!

It's during this time that most refrigerator failures happen. That's because rising temperatures make refrigerators work harder than ever so they can  maintain constant internal temperature.

These high temperatures stress your fridge, forcing the motor to run constantly.  This is especially true if your garage temperature exceeds 110 degrees. Yes, your energy bills may spike. At worst, the motor could burn out.

You can do a few things to increase your fridge's efficiency -- even during summer's hottest days:
  • Keep the door closed. Every time you open your refrigerator door, you release cold air and make it work extra hard to cool the air.
  • Inspect door seals so they are not letting cool air escape.
  • Before placing them in your fridge, cool down hot foods to room temperature.
  • Defrost refrigerators and freezers, making sure they don't accumulate more than one-quarter of an inch of frost.

Take care of your appliances -- they'll last longer!

Quit fighting your fridge a little more often than usual this summer. Give us a call at 208-371-8676 or check us out at www.expressappliancerepairs.com.  We're happy to help!

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Dishwasher repair: What to do when your dishwasher won’t drain properly

Many people will agree that having a dishwasher beats washing your dishes manually. However, the only issue with a dishwasher is that it needs of a bit of tending to now and again.

One of the most common problems people experience with their dishwashers is the fact that they stop draining properly. This may be something which you could fix yourself without having to phone a dishwasher repair company. Read on to discover the basic steps you should take before picking up the phone and seeking help.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Dryer Vent Maintenance - Make sure your dryer is working properly, save time, save money, avoid calling the appliance repairman


Are your clothes taking longer to dry than normal? If so, chances are that your dryer vent is squished, needs cleaned, or needs replaced.

In this video, Jonathan Hill, the Boise appliance repair man discusses common issues related to dryer vents. Please have a watch, and let us know how we can be of help.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

From Dispair to Repair - Appliance Care

Few things are as aggravating as having an appliance stop working.  We all use them, rely on their work, and are used to them just working.  When they don't, it seems like the worst time possible.

For example, a refrigerator might stop working at night, on a weekend, with it full of food and perishables.  (We work weekends).

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Washing Machine Water Hose Replacement


Jon discusses why and how to change washing machine water hoses, to prevent flooding and leaks, as well as explaining common issues. This could help avoid costly repairs, and should be done every 5-7 years, or when moving your washing machine.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Customers Appreciate Appliance Repair

We serve a large customer base in Boise, Nampa, Meridian, and throughout the Treasure Valley, and one thing that we love, is the appreciation received from a customer. We understand that when your appliances need repair, that your daily routine is thrown off and the inconvenience can be tremendous.

A dishwasher that isn't washing dishes can cause a lot of extra work. A washing machine or dryer that is not doing it's job on laundry is no good, and, of course, a refrigerator or freezer that doesn't keep your food cool is a bit of an urgent situation.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Appliance Repair For The Do-It-Yourselfer

Some people tinker, and in doing so, work to repair their own appliances. We support a variety of do-it-yourselfers here in Boise. We have a large selection of parts, and a tremendous amount of expertise with specific repairs.

Each brand, make, and model can have their own nuances which can make repairs quite simple and, in some cases, a tricky repair.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Getting Fixed Up – What To Look For From An Appliance Repair Company

So many modern homes are full of appliances. That means things that can go wrong. And invariably do. But when appliances break down it shouldn't cause too much of a headache.

That is, not if you find a quality appliance repair company. But let’s imagine a few horror scenarios first before we examine what to look for from the professionals.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

When Appliances Go Wrong – Finding A Quality Refrigerator Repair Service

Our modern homes are stacked full of everyday appliances we've come to rely on. In fact, we tend to only realize how much we value them when something goes wrong. And we all know what a headache broken down appliances can be. For starters, you’re immediately inconvenienced.

Let’s take a refrigerator as an example. Your food is in danger of perspiring now that it’s not in a chilled environment. Then you have the hassle of finding an engineer to fix the problem. You check your warranty first of all hoping to find a chink of light.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

How To Remove The Shell Of A Washing Machine


Boise's best appliance repairman, John Hill, shows you how to easily remove the shell off your washing machine. This allows you to reach your pump, motor, and motor cover and continue repairing your appliance.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Freezer Tips

If the unit is not self-defrosting and the temperatures begin to rise...

1. Check the frost buildup on the inside of the freezer. If it is heavily frosted, manually defrost the freezer by turning it off at the thermostat. Unplug from the wall and allow 12 hours for the unit to defrost, with both doors open. If the unit is not an automatic self-defrosting model...

2. Defrost the unit once a year or as often as needed. Follow the proper defrosting methods. DO NOT USE a knife, pick, hammer, chisel, screwdriver, etc. or any sharp object)

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Disposal Tips

If the unit jams/hums...

1. Turn the unit off. After turning the unit off, remove anything that has fallen into the grinding chamber.

2. Turn the unit off. After turning the unit off, insert an "unjamming" tool, (if originally supplied with your unit) into the bottom and turn clockwise. Once the tool turns freely, remove whatever was causing the jam.

3. If the unit is dead, press the red reset button located on the bottom of the disposal - if the unit begins to hum and the reset trips again, it is still jammed. Repeat step #2 and #3.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Dryer Tips

If the clothes are not getting dry...

1. Make sure the dryer is not pushed back against the rear exhaust duct causing an air flow restriction.

2. Make sure the clothes are coming out of the washer spun damp dry. If the washer is not spinning the clothes damp dry, the dryer will not dry the clothes in a normal amount of time.

3. Turning your clothes inside out and using the delicate cycle can reduce the pilling effect on certain fabrics.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Washer Tips

If machine is dead...

1. Make sure the lid is closed properly.

2. Make sure the timer and all of the controls are set properly.

3. Make sure both water faucets are turned on.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Dishwasher Tips

If the dishes are not getting clean...

1. Make sure the water is hot enough. It should be at least 140 degrees, which is hot enough to burn you - VERY HOT! If it is not hot enough, turn the hot water heater thermostat up to a higher setting.

2. Make sure the lower spray arm is unobstructed and turning freely.

3. Make sure the bottom inside the dishwasher is clean and free of debris.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Stove Tips

Electric - If your burners are not heating...

1. Make sure they are sitting straight in their proper positions. Electric - If your oven is not heating...

2. Make sure the clock is set on manual cycle and not the automatic time bake cycle. Gas - If the top burners are not lighting...

3. Wipe off the burner with a hot, damp rag and then dry completely. Gas - If your oven is not heating...

4. Make sure the clock is set on the manual and not the automatic cycle.

5. Raise up the top and keep the area clean and free of grease build-up.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Refrigerator Tips

If your refrigerator is not running or is not cold enough...

1. Turn the thermostat up to the next highest setting. If it comes on, let it run for 24 hours and check temperature to confirm it is working properly.

2. Clear and/or remove anything blocking the air flow around the outside of the refrigerator (on top, underneath, behind, beside, in front of, etc.). Allow 3" of clearance all the way around.