Appliance Spring Cleaning: The Refrigerator Edition

Throughout this spring season, Appliance Rescue Service – the best appliance repair company in Dallas, Texas - will provide a series of appliance spring cleaning tips, designed to extend the life of your investment! So today, let's start with the refrigerator.

How often do you clean your refrigerator? Are you cleaning it properly? Follow these steps below to ensure everything continues to run smoothly and to avoid costly refrigerator repairs.

Step 1: Clean the Compressor Coils

This first step is one that many people skip completely! Twice a year, your refrigerator’s compressor coils – or evaporators as some manufacturers call them – need a good wipe down. Invest in a good coil brush (sold at most appliance stores) and quickly clear the coils of any debris or dust that might have floated in. Clearing away the gunk allows for the coils to run at their maximum efficiency.

Step 2: Throw Out Old Food & Condiments

When was the last time you used that fish sauce sitting in the door of your refrigerator? If you’re like most Americans, you tend to keep food items in the refrigerator long past their expiration. Give your refrigerator a good clean out and help it run more efficiently. Overfilling the refrigerator with food can lead to Dallas refrigerator repair because an overstuffed refrigerator runs overtime to keep the food cold.

Step 3: Wipe it Down

While wiping down the exterior of yoru refrigerator along with the shelves inside is an essential part of appliance spring cleaning, pay special attention to the gaskets. Sometimes food and spills can make the door gaskets sticky, cuasing them to breakdown and not seal properly.

Hopefully these spring cleaning tips will help you avoid refrigerator repair! Should you ever need Dallas refrigerator repair, call the experts at Appliance Rescue Service! Proudly serving Dallas, Plano, McKinney, Garland, and all of the DFW Metroplex.

5 Ways to Save Money When Running Your Dishwasher

At Appliance Rescue Service in Dallas, Texas, our goal is to help preserve the life of your appliances, saving you money in the process. When one of our expert appliance technicians arrives at your home, not only will he give you an estimate for the Dallas appliance repair, but he will also offer tips and tricks for extending the life of your investment.

So today, Appliance Rescue Service wants to share a few tips on saving money while running a dishwasher:

1.  Read the Owner’s Manual

This may seem like a no brainer, but it’s an easy step to skip! Each dishwasher is different, but most manufacturers will provide tips and tricks for using their appliance in the owner’s manual. Slow down and take a peek in the manual for ways to optimize the performance of your particular machine.

2.  Only Run a Full Load

It can be tempting to run a partial load, but if you want to save on energy costs, wait for a full load instead. This practice maximizes each dollar you are spending on energy costs and your water bill. Can’t stand the idea of dirty dishes lurking about? Load them into the dishwasher as you dirty them and then run a rinse only cycle if you just can’t stand to wait a day for washing.

3.  Do Not Pre-Rinse

Did you know you can save 55,000 gallons of water over the life of your dishwasher, just by skipping the pre-rinse in the sink? That’s huge cost savings! Instead of rinsing, just thoroughly scrape all the scraps into the trash can. Today's dishwashers are equipped to handle the grime and grit that might be leftover.

4.  Run Your Dishwasher at Night

There are several cost savings benefits to running your dishwasher at night, as opposed to during the day. For one, many energy companies charge less for “off peak” hours than they do for daytime hours. Secondly, running your dishwasher can create heat, which adds to the strain on your air conditioner. And since we live in Texas, we know this is used during the majority of the year! Running the dishwasher at night, when the home is naturally cooler, reduces cooling costs.

5.  Skip the Drying Cycle

Simply choose not to run the drying cycle and you’ll save money in the process. Instead, invest in a high quality rinse aid that will dissolve spots and water marks, then pop your dishwasher open to let dishes air dry right after the cycle ends.

Appliance Rescue Service in Dallas, Texas is committed to helping you make the most of your appliances. As always, should you ever need Dallas appliance repair, call us today! 

5 Refrigerator Storage Hacks You Need to Know About

Refrigerators – and food – have a lot in common. Both can last longer if properly cared for. Here are 10 simple refrigerator storage hacks from Appliance Rescue in Dallas, Texas that will save you money by extending the life of both your appliance and your food!

1.         Milk Doesn’t Belong in the Door

Once upon a time, a refrigerator manufacturer created door slots to store milk and consumers began to think this was the best place for their milk. That’s just not the case. Milk and other highly perishable dairy items need to be in the back of the fridge where temperatures fluctuate less.

2.         Declutter

When your refrigerator is jam-packed with food, it just isn’t as efficient. Air needs to be able to circulate freely around the food, maximizing refrigerator efficiency and preventing hot and cold spots that lead to spoilage.

3.         Store the Meats Low

Avoid any liquids from flowing down and contaminating any other parts of the refrigerator by keeping meats stored at the bottom of the refrigerator.

4.         The “Rot Low, Wilt High” Rule

Properly storing items in your crisper drawers is key to extending the life of fruits and veggies. Use the “rot low, wilt high” rule: if something will rot easily (fruit), it needs low humidity. If it wilts (veggies), then it needs high humidity.

5.         40 Degrees or Bust

In order to prevent harmful bacteria from forming on your food and premature spoilage, be sure to keep your refrigerator set to 40 degrees or below.

At Appliance Rescue Service, we hope these tips help to extend the life of your appliance – and your food. Should you ever need Dallas refrigerator repair, give us a call for the best appliance repair in Dallas! Ever wonder, “is there appliance repair near me?” Don’t wonder any longer! Appliance Rescue Service serves nearly every zip code in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Call us with all your repair needs!

Are You Cleaning Your Stainless Steel Appliances The Right Way?

Who doesn’t love the look of stainless steel appliances? They are beautiful! That is – unless they get smudged and dingy from everyday use – and then they’re not so beautiful.

Having trouble keeping your stainless steel appliances looking good? The appliance repair experts at Appliance Rescue Service are here to offer our advice on how to make that stainless steel sparkle!

Trick #1: Don’t Go Against the Grain.

Take a look at your stainless steel appliance. Can you see the grain of the steel? Always clean your appliance by cleaning in the direction of the grain. If you don’t, you’ll leave your refrigerator dingy and dull due to residue getting compacted in the ridges.

Trick #2: Never Use Paper Towels

Paper towels are one of the worst products for cleaning stainless steel appliances! Your best bet? Cotton or microfiber cloths. Paper towels not only leave paper “lint” on your appliance, but they can also absorb the cleaner or polish – taking if off the appliance and leaving a dull finish.

Trick #3: Use Cleaners from the Pantry

You don’t need a fancy stainless steel cleaner! In fact, many of them are just too harsh for your surface and can damage the stainless. Instead, use hot soapy water or white vinegar to create a perfect, non-abrasive clean.

Trick #4: Olive Oil is the Perfect Polish

After cleaning, grab a cotton cloth and your bottle of olive oil and go to town! The oil leaves a beautiful shine on your newly clean appliances.

Trick #5: Dry Completely

Always dry your stainless steel appliances to avoid any watermarks or splotches that can occur.

Happy Cleaning!

And as always, if you ever need Dallas appliance repair for any of your stainless steel appliances, call us at Appliance Rescue Service – the best appliance repair company in Dallas!

Is your Washing Machine Shaking? Appliance Rescue Service Explains Why!

It never fails.

You’ve started a load of laundry, settle in on the couch to watch your favorite show, and the washing machine starts convulsing. You know what we mean – that “my washing machine is shaking uncontrollably and waking up my sleeping kids” kind of convulsion.

So why is your washing machine shaking? Let Appliance Rescue Service in Dallas, Texas shed some light on the issue!

Reason #1: Uneven Load

The number 1 reason why you’ll hear this noise is because your load of laundry has gotten unbalanced in the wash. It will sound like your washing machine is rocking uncontrollably, and it’s generally a simple fix. Simply go into the laundry room, pause the wash cycle, redistribute the load, and then resume load. Do not delay in rushing in to fix the issue, as a rocking washing machine can move around the floor, putting you at risk of damaging the machine or things around it.  If this doesn’t fix the shaking washing machine problem in Dallas, then you need an expert like Appliance Rescue to diagnosis the issue.

Reason #2: Foreign Object in the Drum

Did you check the pockets of your clothes before starting the load? Sometimes toys, pocket change, or other small objects can get stuck in the load, making clunking noise as they are “cleaned” in the load. If you’ve already attempted to redistribute clothes and it didn’t work, wait until the load cycle has ended, then look through the clothes for any objects that might be causing the washing machine shaking.

If neither of these solutions fixing the issue, you may be experiencing a more serious washing machine repair in Dallas. Call the appliance repair experts at Appliance Rescue Service! Our trained appliance technicians will be out in no time to diagnosis and repair the issue, allowing you to wash your clothes without being interrupted by a clunking washing machine!