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.