Tip: To remove unpleasant odors from the refrigerator, soak a piece of cotton in a favorite essence like vanilla, lemon, etc. and keep it on the top shelf. After a short time period, opening the refrigerator will greet you with a welcome fragrance! A piece of fresh lime can also help reduce unpleasant odors, especially if you tend to keep chopped onions in the refrigerator.
Keep the top of the refrigerator clear, and make sure there is at least a 1/2-in. clearance on the sides. Make sure the refrigerator is level or tilted back slightly so the door closes completely. Once a month, clean the door gasket with 1 tsp. of baking soda dissolved in a quart of warm water. Besides cleaning the gasket, this will help keep it soft and pliable. A leaky door gasket wastes energy and shortens the life of the compressor. The door gasket can be tested by closing the refrigerator door on a dollar bill at various places along the door and then pulling lightly to see if the bill slides out easily. A couple of times a year, coils should be cleaned with a condenser coil brush. The coils are usually located behind the snap-out grill at the front bottom of the unit. On older models, they may be located in the back and are partially covered by cardboard. Unplug the unit first so that you don’t strike the moving fan. Even when the unit is unplugged, avoid disturbing the insulation or damaging the fan by bending the blades. If you have pets that shed, this process may need to be done more frequently. Once a year, you should slide the refrigerator out and vacuum around and beneath it. Left unattended, this dirt will eventually end up on the coils.
For All Brands: (Admiral, Amana, Asko, Bosch, Caloric, Chambers, Coldspot, Costco, Dacor, DCS, Dynamic Cooking, Dynasty, Electrolux, Equator, Estate, Fisher & Paykel, Frigidaire, Gaffers & Sattler, Gaggenau, GE, Gibson, Haier, Home Depot, Hotpoint, Imperial, Insinkerator, Jenn-Air, Kelvinator, Kenmore, Kirkland, Kitchenaid, LG, Magic Chef, Malber, Maytag, Meile, Modern Maid, Norge, O’Keefe & Merritt, Panasonic, Peerless, Penneys, Profile, Quasar, RCA, Roper, Samsung, Sanyo, Scotsman, Sears, Brand, Sharp, Signature, Speed Queen, Sub-Zero, Tappan, Thermador, Toshiba, Traulsen, U-Line, Viking, Wards, Waste King, Westinghouse, Whirlpool, Wolf)
Tip: Garbage disposals have become fairly common in today’s kitchens. They are a great convenience when they’re working right and smelling good. To keep them running great, here are some things you can do… Turn the water on before you start the disposal and turn it off only after the unit has stopped – this […]
Tip: Range hoods and fans remove grease and moisture from cooking, and thus collect dirt that needs regular cleaning. Exposed metal inside and out should be washed frequently with a solution of warm water and a light detergent. If very greasy, use ammonia and water and then rinse. Never use abrasive pads or scouring powders […]
Tip: Get in the habit of wiping down the range top regularly – a clean surface prevents scratches and stops acidic food from eating away at the appliance finish. Remove the oven racks before running the self-cleaning cycle (they can discolor at high temperatures). Additionally, clean around the door and gasket before starting a self-cleaning […]