Shane's Appliance Repair

Appliance Spring Cleaning Tips from 

the Appliance Master's Wife...

When it comes to Spring Cleaning it is easy to over look your appliances.  Appliances are very much like cars; you must maintain them!  If you maintain your appliances they will last longer and run more efficiently.  I have put together a list of cleaning and maintenance tips for your household appliances.  I, like many others, do not like to use harsh chemicals when cleaning; you will see that my tips below do not include harsh chemicals but yet remain simple and effective!  There is also a lot of information contained in this blog post so please feel free to book mark the page for quick reference in the future!  If you are a busy mom and wife like I am then you know as well as I do that tackling all of these in one weekend is impossible without falling behind on your regular duties and responsibilities!  Again, bookmark the page so that you can come back to it!

Many of your household appliances require regular maintenance parts. Here is a link to where they can be purchased. http://www.repairclinic.com/?RCAID=1000160  Simply Click this link, Enter your MODEL Number, Locate the part you need, add it to your cart, pay in the check out and wait 3-5 days for it to arrive on your door step!  Also keep in mind that this site offers parts for everything from Appliances to Furnaces to Lawn Equipment and much, much more!  You can also visit our website at www.shanesappliancerepair.com , Click on the PARTS ONLY tab and follow the link!  Also included on our PARTS ONLY tab is information about where to find the MODEL Number for your appliance!

Microwave Oven Cleaning and Tips:  

Fill a Microwave Safe Bowl with 1 1/2 cups of water and 1/2 cup White Vinegar. Microwave for 3-5 minutes until water boils. Let sit for 5 minutes, with the door shut, then simply wipe the unit out with a damp wash cloth. The Vinegar will remove any lingering smells.  I actually do this process several times per year.  If you burn a bag of Popcorn, you know how the smell lingers in the microwave for awhile.  Worry no longer, when you take the burnt popcorn out of the microwave simply perform this process and the odor is gone.  When your child explodes their plate of hot dogs and baked beans in the microwave and fails to inform you and you don't notice until the next evening when you go to defrost the meat for dinner; simply perform this process and wipe away the mess! Spring is also a good time to change the charcoal filters on your hanging microwave and a good time to vacuum out the front of the vent and give the outside of the unit a good wipe down.  To clean the outside of the unit simply dilute some white vinegar with some water (1/2 and 1/2 is strong enough) and give it a good wipe down.  REMEMBER that behind the touch pad is a control board, DO NOT spray your cleaner directly on this.  This is a sure fire way to 'fry' your control board!  **To purchase new Charcoal Filters for your microwave simply click the link above, enter your MODEL number in the search bar and locate your replacement filters!**

Range/Oven/Stove Cleaning and Tips: 

Sprinkle soiled surfaces with baking soda then spritz with White Vinegar. Allow to sit for 5-8 hours, depending on how 'caked on' the debris is. Then wipe out with damp cloth... If you do want to use your self clean option PLEASE remember to only run the unit on Self Clean for 1 hour then shut the unit off and allow it to cool down. The heat from your oven exhausts directly below your control board. Running the unit for too long can ruin your control board and be a costly repair!  If necessary you can do the self clean twice.  Let it run for an hour, shut it down to cool, wipe out loose debris and repeat.  NOTE:  DO NOT add the Vinegar and Baking Soda then run the self clean.  Choose one or the other or Run the self clean, wipe out loose debris then use the Vinegar and Baking Soda method to shine it up!!  When cleaning the top of the range you can sprinkle Baking Soda on the the spots where grease has built up and spritz with Vinegar.  Allow this to sit for an hour or so, depending on how tough the grime is, and then wipe it away.  DO NOT do this on your control pad, you will risk 'frying' it.  PLEASE NOTE, IF you have a gas range DO NOT use Baking Soda or Vinegar on the spark modules!  IF you have a Coil Top Range DO NOT use Baking Soda and Vinegar on the burners or the outlet where the burner plugs in! 

Dishwasher Cleaning and Tips: 

Turn on your sink faucet. Allow water to run hot. Turn water off at the faucet and start your empty dishwasher without detergent.  Allow dishwasher to fill with water and listen for it to start circulating the water. When the water begins to be pumped through the spray arms, quickly open the Dishwasher and pour in 2 cups of White Vinegar and close the door. Allow the unit to finish the cycle, you can stop the unit when it goes into the 'drying' cycle as it is not necessary to run that part of the cycle.  This process will clean built up debris from your pump and spray arms as well as clean the tub and racks. If you have hard water this process should be done every couple of months rather than once a year.  When this process is complete use a damp wash cloth to gently clean the seal.  Be careful not to rip the seal or make it come off.  Give the front of the dishwasher a good wipe down too!  Again, DO NOT spray cleaner directly onto the touch panel or buttons!  A good solution for getting the tough stuff off is Vinegar diluted with Water, 1/2 and 1/2 is always a good mix!

Washing Machine Cleaning and Tips: 

Turn on empty washer. Do not add detergent. Allow unit to fill with water. When it begins to agitate pause the load, open the door (or for top loads just lift the lid), put it 1 cup Sun Brand Powdered Dishwasher Detergent and 1 cup of Bleach. (Sun Brand Powdered Detergent is very important, DO NOT attempt with any other brand) Close the door and allow the cycle to finish. This mixture will clean your machine better than any of the washing machine cleaners on the market.  Spring is a good time to give the unit a good wipe down as well! DO NOT spray cleaner on to your touch panel, timer or buttons!  It is also recommended that you hire a professional to come out and clean out your pump.  You would be amazed at the stuff that is pulled from washer pumps.  Everything from Socks and Money to Bra Under Wires and Jewelery.   I highly recommend having a professional do this as there are many times that one gets into this process and realizes that they got in over their head.  Another important tip for Front Loading Washers:  You should regularly wipe out the 'boot seal'.  This is the seal that goes between the frame of the washer and the tub of the washer.  It is important to keep standing water out of this area and remove hair and other debris that gathers there.  This 'boot seal' is expensive to replace and the smallest pieces of debris can rip it.  It is important to keep it free from standing water so that the seal does not develop mold.  Finally, it is important that when you are finished using the washer you DO NOT close the door all of the way.  Leave it cracked.  This also prevents mold and mildew from growing inside the unit.

Dryer Cleaning and Tips: 

We recommend hiring a reputable Appliance Repair Technician to perform a preventative maintenance service on your machine. A knowledgable technician will know how to not only open the unit up to clean the lint out of the entire unit, but they will also know how to put it back together... We get calls for Do It Yourselfers who can't put the machine back together...  Having all of the lint cleaned out of the unit will make the unit run more efficiently as well as lengthen the life of you dryer.  Purchasing one of those "do it yourself" vacuum attachments is a waste of money (in my opinion).  These products only get the lint that fell out of your lint trap and down that little shaft.  Lint accumulates in ALL parts of the dryer.  It is highly flammable and can smolder for hours!  The lint also causes undo wear and tear on the unit as well as makes them much less efficient.  This is also a good time to have the rollers, belt, felt and idler checked in your unit.  It is much better to replace these items when they begin to wear rather than wait until they are completely ruined.  It is also important that you check your lint screen.  The air flows through your lint screen during every cycle.  Even though you clear the loose lint at the end of every load, the screens can become plugged due to the nature of the tiny holes in the screen.  Here is how to check if you need a new lint trap.  Clear all of the lint off the trap.  Hold the trap under running water.  If the water does not flow through the trap the air does not flow through it either.  If this is the case you should consider replacing the trap.  Use the link and follow the directions above to look up the lint trap needed for your dryer!

Refrigerator Cleaning and Tips: 

Give it a good clean with Mild Dish Soap. Just give it a good wipe down inside and outside of the unit.  If you remove the shelves be very careful not to break them as they can be expensive to replace! Remember that on Stainless Steel Appliances you should always wipe with the grain!  This is important!  If you wash across the grain you will cause scratches.  Change your water filter!  This should be changed, on average once a year.  If you are just a family of two then you probably only need to change it about every 18 months.  If you are a family of 8 you should change it every 6-10 months.  Follow the directions at the beginning of this post to find the right water filter for your fridge.  Pull the unit out from the wall. UNPLUG THE UNIT!  It will not hurt the food inside the fridge to leave it unplugged for 30 minutes to an hour while you Vacuum out behind the unit. Be very careful not to damage anything.  If you don't feel comfortable doing this call a reputable Appliance Repair Technician. This is also a good time to clean the floor under the unit.  There is a lot of stuff that accumulates under there!  When you push the unit back in place be sure to leave 6-10 inches between the rear of the unit and the wall. This will allow the components in the rear to 'breath' and Prevent valves and water lines from freezing in the winter.  

I hope that you find this information helpful!  If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to find the answers you are looking for!  Please feel free to copy the URL on this page and SHARE it with your friends!