Ignition Lighting?

Gas powered appliances depend on some sort of ignition process in order to work.

Often times these igniters can get covered with soot and buildup.

If your appliance isn't working, you might just need to clean the igniter. Regardless, once a months its a good idea to check on the igniter to see if it needs cleaning.

The Dollar Test

Refrigerators work hard, and often they work harder than they have to. The seals on fridges often wears out, leaving the cold air the ability to escape.

A good test to see if you need to replace this seal is the dollar test.

The test is simple: take a dollar and close your fridge on it half way in the fridge. If it stays, the seal is fine. If it slips, you need to replace the seal.

a good seal lowers energy bills and keeps your food chilled and ready to eat!

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!

Sure-fire way to ruin your washer

Having laundry the size of Everest in a pretty common thing. The laundry just never seems to end!

You may want to try to pack your washer to get rid of all of it quick. You must resist this temptation! Overloading a washer may cause flooding and may ruin your motor.

Slow and steady wins the race, and keeps your washer alive!

Condenser Coils

Condenser coils are the coils in the back of the fridge or freezer that cool and condense the refrigerants, which keep your food cool.

When these coils gather dust on them, these coils have to work even harder to remove heat, which means they need to work even harder.

You should clean these coils at least twice a year. Why not clean them this weekend?

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.

Summer is in full swing!

Summer is here and it feels so good!

If you're reaching into the freezer to enjoy a popsicle, you may see a lot of ice building up in there.

This ice prevents your appliance from running as well as it could, and this makes it use up more electricity.

To correct this, take all of the food out of the freezer and put it into a cooler on ice. Unplug your freezer and leave it open. Let all of the ice dethaw. Once it has, wipe up excess water. Then sanitize it all down before you plug it back in.

Enjoy your otter pops this summer!

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 208-344-6700

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!

Summer is almost here!

We're starting to use our air conditioners more and more! How ready is your air conditioner for the summer season?

It might be a good idea to get your filter cleaned or replaced. Remember: You should be doing this at least once or twice a month for your air conditioner to run most effectively.

If you're unsure how to change your filter, our friends at Antlerdreamer have made a great video on how to do this here.

Do not slam the doors!

Doors on any appliances such as washing machine, dryer, fridge, freezer, or dishwasher can be broken with relatively little effort. If you slap the doors it could break the lid's switch or latch. Some replacements for something like this could cost upwards of $200.

Instead of taking care of the problem after the fact, take precautionary measures; don't slam the doors!

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.

Washer Making a Racket?

Is your washer rocking back and forth and making a bunch of noise? You need not suffer! There is a quick fix that only takes about 10 minutes.

The only things you'll need are a level and maybe a wrench.

The legs on the washer are adjustable, and if it's rocking back and forth, that means its not level. You simply need to readjust the legs so that the machine is level. You could need a wrench for this, but its also possible that you could do it with just your hands.

Electric Range Not Working?

One common problem with electric ranges is the prongs. Sometimes they can get bent inwards and they don't handle the electricity right, which means the element doesn't heat up.

Luckily, this is an easy fix.

When the element is 100% cool, unplug it and take it out. This would be a great time to clean it if it's in need of a great scrubbing. Then bend the prongs (pictured red in the diagram) outward. This makes it much more likely that the element will be able to have the electricity flow through it and heat it properly.

Everything Is Defrosting, So Should Your Freezer!

Its starting to warm up, the sun is coming out more, and you may have even seen some squirrels running around.

While everything is coming out of the big freeze, it might be a good idea for your freezer to do the same.

Take everything out of your freezer and into a cooler, unplug it, and leave the door open. Let it completely defrost. When the entire freezer is room temperature, sanitize it.

Finally, you can put everything back in and enjoy a more functional freezer!

The Secret to a Long Life For Your Appliances

The secret to a long life for your appliances is a simple one. Cleaning is the secret to appliance longevity. When gunk builds up, it makes the appliance work harder and thus shortening the life of the appliance.

By using this one trick, you could keep your appliances for years longer than if you didn't.

So now you know! Now go and clean every nook and cranny of your appliances!

How to check if your gaskets are good

This is a very simple fix to ensure that your gaskets on your fridge or freezer are still good. Open the door and shut it with a dollar bill in it.
When you try to pull it out, there should be a little tension - you can't just pull it straight out.

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.

The Month of Smells, Week 4: Garbage Disposal

This is the appliance that probably gets the least amount of cleaning, because you never know when to clean it until it is in desperate need. Luckily cleaning it is a piece of cake! Here's the best tips:

• Put citrus peels down the disposal. 
• Plink - a garbage disposal cleaner 
• Don't overload it. Give it stuff it can handle.
• Baking soda and white vinegar