Appliance Cleaning

Whether you’re a keen cook or just use your cooktop to reheat leftovers, you’re likely to have experienced the frustration of cleaning a cooktop. Over time, your cooktop can build up grime, gunk and baked on spills. This can make cleaning an unpleasant chore, but there are some tips and tricks to make cleaning easier. Get the Right Tools Liquid surface cleaners and paper towels are often sufficient for light cleaning of an electric or gas cooktop, but if yours is particularly dirty, you may need additional tools. Cooktop cleaning brushes are inexpensive, but can be used to brush debris off or break up tougher grime spots. Burned on residue can be removed using a razor scraper, just take care not to scratch the surface. Assess Natural Cleaners While you’re likely to find lots of kitchen cleaning sprays at most grocery stores, you may not need these often pricey solutions. You’re likely to have two of the most effective cleaners already in your kitchen: Lemon and vinegar are not only cheap, but also powerful. Lemons can be used to great effect with baking soda. You just need to sprinkle baking soda lightly on the surface and rub it with lemon before you wipe with a damp cloth to clear the remnants. Vinegar can be used in a one part vinegar, two parts water solution. Put this in a spray bottle for everyday cleaning. Wipe When Warm While this is not a great tip for cleaning a mess right now, but

Maintaining Your Major AppliancesHere are some tips to maintaining, cleaning, and inspecting your washing machine and clothes dryer. You can save time and money by following this advice, and avoid breakdowns, or hazardous situations.Washing Machine It's a good idea to periodically check and replace the fill hoses on your washing machine. If you have rubber hoses, you should consider replacing them with braided stainless steel hoses. It is recommended that you replace your washer hoses every 3-5 years. While you are back there, take a look at the electrical connection. The plug needs to be firmly in place, the cord connection to the washer should have a restraint, and should not evidence any corrosion or burn marks. Also, you should periodically clean the inside of your outer washer tub. Whirlpool makes a cleaner called Affresh for this purpose. There are also a variety of home remedies including using combinations of bleach, vinegar, and/or baking soda. You can discover these cleaning remedies online, or just look on the aisles of your grocery store for washer cleaning products. If you have a front loading washer, pay special attention to cleaning the front gasket, especially at the bottom where it's possible for moisture to settle and mold to grow.Automatic DryerMake a habit of cleaning the lint filter in your dryer once a week. It's also very important to regularly clean the dryer vent. If you're lucky you'll have a short direct vent pipe to the outside that you can clean with a vacuum

Myth or Fact? The truth about caring for your appliances. Here are 4 "Truths" that are widely circulated about appliance care and usage. See if you can guess which ones are factual and which ones are false. 1. You don't need to bother with replacing the water filter on your refrigerator on the recommended date. Manufacturers push the replacement date up so that they can sell more filters. Myth There is no doubt that appliance manufacturers like selling add-ons such as refrigerator water filters. However, there is also no evidence that they recommend premature replacement of filters. It's amazing how many folks think so. The only excuse for not replacing your filter regularly is if you have RO (reverse osmosis) water piped to the refrigerator. In that case, you should consider removing and replacing the filter with the plug that originally came with your refrigerator. 2. It's not necessary to self-clean your oven whenever you have a spill or smudge that's bigger than a quarter. Fact If you have a self-cleaning oven, it's really a matter of personal preference, and usage patterns how often you should clean it. We don't do a lot of baking, and our oven stays clean for quite a while. Therefore, my preference is to clean it soon after the holidays. There's usually enough accumulated grime in the oven at that point to warrant running the self-cleaning cycle. 3. Dishwasher pods are more effective than dishwasher powder. Fact I've fought this, and I've not been a

Appliances worth looking at. Names you may not recognize.   Zephyr - Ariston - Liebherr - Eurochef - Scotsman There are dozens of appliance brands for sale in the U.S. Many of them have names that are not household words. Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center carries most of the well-known appliance brands, but they also carefully select appliance brands that fit important needs, but may not necessarily be household names. Some of these brands are leading brands in their field, but are in categories that are not well known. For example, most consumers do not recognize the most popular brands of range hoods. So, we're going to be name droppers here. Most of the brands that are mentioned above you've probably not heard of, but they are brands that make great products that might fit well in your kitchen or laundry room. Zephyr, a pioneer in range hoods, has introduced their new Next Generation Europa range hoods, with a built-in state-of-the-art DCBL Suppression System. These hoods deliver a powerful yet pleasantly quiet cooking experience while barely using 14-watts of energy. The DCBL Suppression System is Zephyr's proprietary technology that powers the first even range hood to use this brushless DC motor technology. 77% Less Noise 77% Less Energy Consumed 30% More Power Exceeds Energy Star Requirements Ariston Laundry fits where others don't. If you have a challenge finding space for laundry, take a look at Ariston. With a leading market share in Europe, Ariston's 24" high performance product line offers

Ever wonder what happens to the smoke, grease, and particulates from your frying pan when you're rustling up some Italian sausage and onions? Well it doesn't literally go "up in smoke". It goes up through your vent hood where a filter captures odor, grease, moisture, and other airborne particulates. Your hood is either vented outside or is set up as a recirculating type hood. Most likely you will have an aluminum mesh filter or a charcoal filter. Some commercial type hoods use a stainless steel baffle. Charcoal filters need to be replaced when they get dirty. Never wash them. Check your manufacturer's directions, but heavy use might be about 6 months. For light use the filter could last a year or more. Aluminum mesh filters are easily washed out as needed, and in fact are dishwasher safe. The stainless steel baffle filters can be washed in a sink full of hot soapy water. Clean the outside of your filter often with a soft cloth using hot water, dishwashing detergent, and ammonia to cut the grease. When you remove the filters for cleaning, also clean out inside the hood cavity including the fan blades if accessible. It gets dusty up there and surprisingly some grease seems to be able to get past those filters.

As promised here is advice from the experts on cleaning and maintenance of your appliances. Today we'll cover the refrigerator. Future posts will cover your oven, dishwasher, vent hood, and microwave. To clean the cabinet exterior you can use any commercial kitchen cleaner or even baking soda. With baking soda, be sure to rinse throughly and dry with a soft cloth. If the cabinet is stainless steel, there are a variety of stainless steel cleaners available. Use sparingly to avoid streaking. Remove the front grill and vacuum under the front of the refrigerator. Clean the drip pan. Slide the refrigerator out and vacuum behind the refrigerator. Also vacuum the coils thoroughly. Clean the inside with a damp cloth. One expert recommends using a sponge soaked with vanilla extract to deodorize. Place an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator to absorb odors. Replace every 90 days. If you have a water dispenser check the filter and replace as recommended. Always replace at least once a year, regardless of usage. Check back in a day or two for tips and tricks on cleaning and maintaining your oven. For recommendations on a new refrigerator, be sure to check with your sales associate at Universal Kitchen and Bath Center at 12050 Ventura Blvd. Suite B-105, Studio City CA 91604 PH 877 696-2982