Monthly Archives: November 2018

Refrigerator Repair: Refrigerator Mistakes To Avoid

Virginia Refrigerators Repair

While people have been using refrigerators since time immemorial, according to refrigerator repair professionals, many of these people make plenty of mistakes that not only cut the lifespan of the machines, but also make the machines keep on breaking down. To help you out, here are some of the most common mistakes that many people make:

Packing the fridge too full

People make this mistake when they have come from the grocery store. Since they come with a lot of food, they want to preserve all of it. Since the refrigerator is often smaller, they have no way out, other than to pack it too full.

In addition to packing the fridge to capacity putting it at the risk of getting damaged, it has also been shown to overwork the machine. What is the end results of this? It spends a lot of energy thus you have a high energy bill at the end of the month.

For you to keep the refrigerator working optimally you should avoid packing it too full. It’s okay to fill the shelves but avoid overstocking. A tell-tale sign that you have packed the fridge more than its capacity it’s your inability to comfortably reach the back. If you can’t reach the back of it, its time you think about getting rid of some of the items.

Failing to clean the fridge properly

It’s common for the fridge to have spills and leaks. When the messes come about, you should clean them as soon as they happen. While many people know that they need to clean the fridge, they don’t clean them as properly as they should, which is wrong.

The FDA recommends that you clean the fridge as part of your regular kitchen cleaning routine. One of the best way of doing it is mixing a little bit of water with a little bleach. When doing the cleaning, remember to also clean underneath the fridge.

Has your fridge been warmer than it should? The coils might be dirty and require some cleaning. For the unit to function optimally, you should clean the condenser coils a few times a year. The best way of going about it is unplugging the unit, snapping the grate and cleaning the coils using a coil cleaning brush.

Turning the temperature too low

It’s common to leave the refrigerator door open from time to time. When many homeowners do this, they turn the refrigerator too low in order to compensate for this. While there is nothing wrong with this, you should note that you can easily forget and leave the settings too low.

When you let the fridge function at extremely low temperatures, it tends to spend a lot of energy thus you have a high energy bill at the end of the month.

Many people lower the temperature settings as they deem that by doing so they prevent the food from getting spoilt. While it’s true you prevent the food from spoiling, you should know that as long as the fridge isn’t overstuffed and is sealed properly, the fridge can catch up with the temperature loss on its own; therefore, there is no reason for you to reduce the settings.

Even if you have to lower the settings, avoid doing so abruptly. The best way of going about it is making gradual adjustments and give the unit an hour or two for it to catch up.

You keep hot food in the fridge

Refrigerators are designed to take a little heat thus you can store small amounts of hot food in it. While this is the case, it doesn’t mean that you should put a whole pot of soup in the fridge.

When you put extremely hot food in the fridge, you raise the temperature. According to appliance repair Fairfax professionals, when you raise the temperature above 40 degrees F, the bacteria start multiplying rapidly, making the food unsafe to eat.

If you want to keep the food hot and safe, you should divide it into smaller containers. Food in small containers allows more air circulation which cools the food more quickly allowing the temperature in the fridge to remain ideal.

Cooktops Repair: Tips On How To Keep Your Cooktops In Good Shape

cooktops repair

For your cooktops to retain their elegant design and last for a long time you need to take good care of them. To help you out, here are tips given by cooktops repair professionals on how to go about it:

Protect them from damage

Everything starts here. You should know that cooktops are delicate and you need to protect them from damage. One of the ways of protecting them is watching what you put on them. As rule of thumb, never place cast iron or stone cookware on the units as they will get damaged.

The bottom of the cookware might be rough thus scratching the pieces. In most cases, the scratches are permanent thus leaving your countertops with an ugly look.

You also should never drag heavy pots on the cooktops. When preparing your meals, lift and transfer the pot to another area. This protects the cooktops from scratches.

When you are trying to reach out to something at a higher place, it’s common to have the urge to step on the cooktops. Don’t do this. Even if you are doing it for a short time, you should avoid doing it as you will end up damaging the pieces.

It’s common for the cooktops to heat up when you are cooking. What do most people do? They place the stirring utensils on the warm units. Avoid this as the utensils tend to leave permanent marks on the cooktops. In some cases, they burn the countertops giving them an ugly look.

Just as you shouldn’t place pots on the cooktops, you also shouldn’t place glass bakeware on the units. If you want the units to cool down, place them on the counter—not on the cooktops.

Regularly clean the pieces

The other thing you need to do to keep the units in top condition is to clean them regularly. One of the major mistakes that many people make is to use any products to clean their cooktops. The rule of thumb is that if you can’t use a product to clean your eyeglasses, don’t use it on the cooktops.

There are plenty of safe cleaners in the market you can go for. You can also make your own homemade cream cleaners in your home for use. One of the best cleaners you can make is a paste of 50/50 baking soda and blue dawn dishwashing liquid.

Are there tough spots on the cooktops? You should get rid of them using heavy duty cleaners. You can also use vinegar to get rid of the tough spots or stuck food.

When cleaning the units, always use a soft sponge or piece of cloth. You shouldn’t use a rough material that will end up damaging the cooktops.

Remove the discoloration

If you have used cooktops for a long time, it’s common for them to get discolored. For you to keep them looking great and retain the original color, you should get rid of the discoloration. One of the most effective ways of going about it is cleaning the cooktops.

You should use a cream cleaner to do the work. Rub using a soft scrubbing pad following the grains of the stain. In some cases, you might find that the stain is too disturbing and won’t come out. In such a case, you will be better off replacing the cooktop.

Get rid of scratches

Even with the best care, it’s common for the cooktops to get scratched. In most cases, the scratches are minor and you can live with them, but if you have large scratches that you can’t live with, you should go ahead and remove them.

One of the products you can use is an automatic scratch remover. The product is designed to remove scratches from the cooktops giving them a clear, glass-like finish. When removing the scratches, watch out that you don’t cause more harm to the cooktops.

Parting shot

These are some of the things you can do to keep your cooktops in top condition at all times. When the units develop problems, you should fix them as soon as possible. If you have the skills you can do it by yourself but for ideal results, let appliance repair Fairfax professionals handle it.

Oven Repair And Safety Tips

oven repair

While the oven is very valuable at making the workings of the restaurant possible, it can cause plenty of accidents. People can get burnt in the process of cooking and if you aren’t keen enough, you can start a fire.

Due to the hazards that come with having the unit in your home or place of work, oven repair professionals recommend that you put oven safety tips in place. To help you out, here are some of the things you should do to ensure that you are safe when using the oven:

Be cautious when cooking

Everything starts here. There is no way you are going to be safe if you aren’t keen when preparing your meals. Always ensure that the stove and oven hood are s safely and correctly installed.

Do the staff have long hair? Make them understand that they need to keep it tied at the back all the time. They also should tuck in any loose clothing. When moving pots and pans, use protective hot mitts all the time.

At all times, keep the pot handles facing inwards. This is to prevent them from getting bumped into or knocked off the stove top. Some people use the stove as a storage space. Don’t do this.

Keep the oven clean

Keeping the oven clean not only leaves it looking great, it also prevents a fire from coming about. Grease and debris from the cooking can easily ignite, causing a fire. When spills come about, you should get rid of them immediately.

At the end of the working day, even if there aren’t any spills, you should still clean the oven and get rid of any dirt or debris that might be there.

Oven experts also recommend that you regularly run the self-cleaning function on the oven. Before you run the feature, wipe and scrape out any large messes, especially the greasy ones.

If you haven’t used the feature before, you should know that it’s simply a function of the unit going at maximum heat. This means that if the unit has excess grease in it, it’s bound to start a fire.

Due to the dangers that come with having the self-cleaning feature, you should never allow the feature to run in your absence. Always supervise its workings

Don’t line the oven with aluminum foil

Lining the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil is a great way to catch drippings, right? Wrong. Oven maintenance professionals report that doing so blocks air flow or traps heat, causing a wide range of problems such as carbon monoxide buildup, fires, or general damage to the appliance.

You also should avoid using aluminum foil pieces on the racks to catch the grease. This is because it has been shown to lead to grease pooling and as a result, the foil tends to bend and eventually spill.

If you need to prevent the grease from getting on your oven, you should use a real pan instead.

Keep an eye on the pans

For the food to heat up fast, you may want to make the pans as hot as possible. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as you keep a close eye on them.

You should note that when the pan is on high heat with nothing or with just oil on it, it’s bound to heat up very quickly, which can be a fire risk as the oil or grease or even the lining on the pan ignites.

When you are looking to get the pan very hot, whether on the stovetop or in the oven, you should use a carbon steel or cast iron pan. When doing it, ensure that the pan doesn’t have any wood or plastic parts.

As mentioned above, when heating the pan, keep a close eye on it.

Invest in a fire extinguisher

Even with all the fire safety tips in place, fire is bound to come about. For you to be able to put it off as soon as it comes about, appliance repair Alexandria professionals recommend that you have a fire extinguisher in place.

For ideal results, you should have a class B type of fire extinguisher. Having the extinguisher in place isn’t enough, it should be properly maintained so that it can be ready in the event of a fire.