How to Remove Scratches from Stainless Steel Appliances

Stainless steel appliances remain the most popular appliance finish out there, and this doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon. After you’ve had your beautiful stainless steel appliances awhile, you may notice an unsightly scratch here or there and wonder – is there a way to get that out?

While removing a scratch may be impossible without professional help, there are some home stainless steel scratch removal techniques you can try to remove the scratch yourself:

Mild Abrasive & Water

Start by purchasing a dry powder cleaner with mild abrasive properties. Examples include Comet, Ajax, and Barkeepers Friend. When combined with water, each of the products forms a paste that can buff out mild scratches and water spots from your stainless steel appliances without major stainless steel appliance repair. Simply apply this solution to a soft cloth and rub WITH the grain of the stainless to watch those scratches disappear.

Stainless Steel Scratch Removal Kit

There are several products on the market that are specifically designed to restore the stainless steel and remove scratches and abrasions.  We recommend trying the Scratch B Gone Stainless Steel Scratch Removal Kit or the Siege 63001 Stainless Steel Scratch Remover. Both products give you step-by-step instructions with specially designed products included to give you the best results possible.

Before attempting any scratch removal technique, always make sure to check the owner’s manual to determine any tips and tricks from the manufacturer specifically and make sure you aren’t doing anything that would negate an appliance warranty!

If you are nervous about attempting a stainless steel appliance repair on your own – even if is just a scratch removal, call Appliance Rescue Service in Dallas, Texas! We’re happy to help with your Dallas appliance repair needs – big and small! Proudly serving Plano, McKinney, Allen, Frisco, and the entire Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

4 Reasons You Must Change Your Refrigerator Water Filter

When was the last time you changed the water filter in your refrigerator?

Chances are you might not remember – or it may feel like you just did it! But bottom line: if it was longer than 6 months ago, it’s time to replace your water filter again, and here’s why:

1.  Your Filter Will Stop Filtering

This may seem obvious, but a water filter won’t work forever. When it has been overused, it gets clogged and can no longer filter out new impurities, microbes, and chemicals in the water. Instead, it just runs your water through, leaving everything in it from the tap. This is not necessarily bad, but it’s not optimal either. A filter can’t do its job if it’s been overused and become clogged, so replacing your water filter is vital.

2.  Shortens the Life of your Refrigerator

Okay, so maybe your whole refrigerator won’t be affected, but certain parts of it can be. If hard water is consistently run through the dispenser or ice maker, mineral deposits can build up inside the tubing or dispensers, creating issues that can lead to Dallas refrigerator repairs, or worse, a new refrigerator purchase.

3.  Cloudy Ice

Freeze unfiltered water and you’ll be surprised at how cloudy it looks! The cloudiness represents the mineral deposits, chemicals, and other impurities that haven’t been filtered out yet. If you want crystal clear ice, then replacing the filter is a must. 

4.  City Water is Not Always Perfect

We’re not saying that a new water filter makes your water perfect, but it certainly provides additional protection against unnecessary microbes, heavy metals, and chemicals that appear in the water. Our local municipalities do their best to produce water that is safe and held to the highest standards, but the truth is that they can’t always remove everything.

Check your refrigerator’s owner’s manual today to find out where your water filter is and how to change it. Need help? Call Appliance Rescue Service in Dallas, Texas, the leading appliance service in Dallas, Plano, and McKinney.

Refrigerator Buying Guide: Pros and Cons of French Door Refrigerators

Maybe you’ve had our team of appliance repair experts at Appliance Rescue Service out to the house to assess your broken refrigerator.

Maybe you’re buying a new home and your old refrigerator just doesn’t fit in the new home.

Or maybe you’re just in the market for a newer model.

Whatever the reason, buying a new refrigerator can be daunting! French door refrigerators are one of the most popular refrigerator styles these days, but they aren’t for everyone. Here are the pros and cons of the French door refrigerator to help you decide what’s right for you:

PROS

Ease-of-Use:

French door refrigerators are a big draw because everything you need in your refrigerator is easily accessible at all times. No need to bend down and look for things in the back of the fridge. Freezers get a lot less use on a day-to-day basis so it’s just common sense to put it on the bottom.

Spacious:

French door refrigerators provide more room for storing large baking dishes, platters, etc. – particularly those that need more width than a side-by-side refrigerator or a traditional freezer-up model.

Aesthetics:

Because French door refrigerators don’t need the same range-of-motion as a traditional refrigerator, you can often find more compact models to fit tight spaces. There are also considered very stylish, with many stainless finishes available.

CONS

Large Objects in Freezer:

If you store large turkeys or meats in your freezers, they could be cumbersome to lift out of a bottom freezer.

Clutter:

Some models have drawers or shelves within the bottom freezer; some do not. Without some way to separate out where food is stored, it can be difficult to find what you need, when you need it.

Cost:

 French door refrigerators are more expensive that more traditional styles. Also, opening and closing two doors can let more air out than a normal refrigerator, which can lead the refrigerator to work harder, thus costing you in refrigerator repairs, longevity, or energy bills.

And as always, if you begin having issues with your French door refrigerator, do not hesitate to call Appliance Rescue Service in Dallas, Texas! We do French door refrigerator repairs daily!

Are Your Appliances Tripping Your Circuit Breakers?

A tripped circuit breaker can be a nuisance.

And when it happens repeatedly, you often wonder if your home appliances are to blame.

Here are the ins and outs of tripped circuit breakers in the kitchen and what you can do to fix it.

What are Circuit Breakers?

Circuit breakers are installed in the home’s electrical box as a safety mechanism. Before circuit breakers, many homes had fuses, and fuses had a tendency to overheat and create home fires. Not a good situation! A circuit breaker is designed to “trip” when it receives an overload of power that the circuit cannot handle.

I lose power every time I run two kitchen appliances. Do I need appliance repair to fix the issue?

While you may see that two kitchen appliances – refrigerator, stove, oven, microwave, etc. – are plugged into two different outlets, chances are they are on the same circuit. And when those two appliances start working at the same time, they are sending too much power to the particular circuit and shutting down the whole operation for your safety. So in this case, the issue is not with your kitchen appliances, but rather with the electrical system. Call a licensed home electrician to come remedy the issue. Chances are, they will put the two appliances on different circuits to avoid further Dallas appliance repair.

Which appliances are most likely to trip the circuit breaker?

Refrigerators require a lot of energy to operate, and older model refrigerators are one of the top culprits for tripping circuit breakers in the kitchen. Thankfully, refrigerators are getting more and more energy efficient, reducing the risk of a tripped breaker.

If you are constantly having a circuit breaker issue when running your kitchen appliances and aren’t sure what the issue is, you can always call Appliance Rescue Service in Addison, Texas to get you a consultation and determine where the issue lies. Our technicians can evaluate your appliances and make sure they are in proper working order before it's too late!

5 Freezer Myths – BUSTED by Appliance Rescue Service!

Over the years, our technicians at Appliance Rescue Service have learned that people have many preconceived notions about what their freezer does and does not do, so we’re here to set the record straight. Here are 5 common freezer myths – BUSTED by Appliance Rescue Service in Dallas, Texas:

Myth #1: You Can Keep Frozen Food in your Freezer Forever

Wrong! Wondering whether or not you should cook up that roast that’s been sitting in the back of your freezer for over a year? While food will still be safe to eat a year later, its quality diminishes over time. You can’t just leave food in the freezer forever. Check with FDA guidelines to find out how long each type of food should be kept in the freezer for optimal quality and taste.

Myth #2: Freezer Burn Means the Food has Gone Bad

Wrong! Freezer burn is not a sign that your food has gone bad in the freezer; it simply means that air has gotten into the food’s packaging. Freezer burned food is still safe to eat, but again, the quality may be subpar.

Myth #3: You Can’t Refreeze Thawed Frozen Food

Wrong! This should come as a relief to all of those who have thawed meat to cook for dinner and then changed their minds. As long the thawed food has not been sitting out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours, it’s safe to refreeze it. 

Myth #4: Frozen Produce is Less Nutritious

Wrong! Frozen produce is picked at the height of freshness, and then flash frozen for superior taste and nutrition, making it an excellent choice for out-of-season fruits and vegetables.

Myth #5: If you Freeze Food, You Kill the Bacteria.

Wrong! It’s a key reason you can’t just put expired meat in the freezer and then pop it back out in a few months to cook it. While the bacteria goes inactive when frozen, it’s still there. The only way to remove it from your food is to cook foods to the proper temperature.

So there you have it! Common freezer myths debunked! As always, if you need freezer repair in Dallas – or any other appliance repair for that matter – call the experts at Appliance Rescue Service in Dallas, Texas.

Additional Reading

Freezer Deep Dive

Frozen peas with frost on them.