Remodeling Your Kitchen Guide: Part One

Have you ever looked around your kitchen and thought “I hate the way this looks. I really need to change it,”? 

It’s not unusual to have that feeling, whether you’ve been in a place for a while, or after you’ve just moved in. And certainly many of us have been staring at our walls long enough that we’re starting to daydream about ways to change things up. 

This poor man is bored silly.

Starting this week we’re going to be walking you through how to plan a  kitchen remodeling project. 

Before you get to start tearing out cabinets or painting walls, you need to create a budget.  After all there’s no point in picking out tile if you only have the funds for replacing cabinets and painting.  It’s also a good idea to prioritize. 

Start by taking a look around at what exactly you want to change. Make a list.  Do you love the window you have but want to re-frame it? What about new cabinets and appliances? Or are you looking even larger and wanting to take the room down to studs so you can expand or shrink it?  Or change it from a galley kitchen into something like a U shaped one?

This is where you start, by figuring out what all you want to do, and how much of it needs to be right now vs what you’d like to do in say 10 years. 

Based on the numbers prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus, a major remodel should be roughly 15-20% of the value of your home. So if your home is valued at $300,000, you should be setting aside something between  $40,000 -$60,000 for accomplishing this. Making this type of investment in your home can see a return of up to 85%. 

We took a look over at Lowes.com and found that they had a breakdown on doing a Refresh, vs a Minor Remodel, vs a Major Remodel. Many of the items repeat at every level because what changes is not what you are doing (say replacing a sink) so much as the cost of what you’re purchasing (such as that all granite sink.)

Refresh $1,500-$10,000 

MAY INCLUDE:

• Painting existing cabinets

• New cabinet hardware

• New countertops and backsplash

• New sink and faucet

• New lighting

• New window treatments

• One or more new basic appliances

• Painting your walls 

So if you're wanting to do a weekend project, this is what you are going to be looking at spending.

Minor Remodel $10,000-$25,000

MAY INCLUDE:

• New window treatments

• All-new budget-friendly appliances

• New countertops and backsplash

• New lighting

• New basic cabinets and hardware

• New ceramic tile or laminate flooring

The first three on this list would be able to be completed in a weekend, either by yourself or with someone else installing them. The second four though, unless you have someone installing them, are not going to be done in a weekend. 

Major Remodel $25,000+

MAY INCLUDE:

• Mid-level or premium cabinetry

• Professional-style appliances

• Stone countertops and backsplash

• Apron-front sink and pull-down faucet

• New island

• Stone flooring

• Multilevel lighting

• Designer window treatments

• Tearing out walls

• Redesigning your kitchen's layout 

Again, the first four are going to be something that can be done in a weekend. The remaining six not so much. These are ones that are going to take far more planning.  

According to Architecture Design Pro, 

" Costs of American kitchen remodels are as varied as the styles of homes across the nation. Spending ranged from $1,024 for a single replacement to upwards of $19,000 for a full remodel, with more than 48% of respondents indicating they spent over $15,000 on a complete renovation. If you're wondering what your fellow homeowners are splurging on, the study found that 48 percent of total spending went to appliances and cabinetry, whose average costs are $3,995 and $3,903, respectively. Some things are worth the investment."

The thing is you don't want to cut corners, but you also don't want overspend if you don't have to. Why pay someone else to paint your walls if you can buy the paint and get it done on your own in is how we look at things. By that same token though, and to continue the analogy, you don't want to buy the cheapest paint you can just to save money because it's going to look terrible not long after the paint dries.  It is a delicate balance that you have to consider when you’re organizing a project. A poorly done remodeling job doesn't just look bad and reduce the price if you ever decide to sell. They can also land you with structural problems for your home and expensive safety hazards that you then have to pay to have repaired. 

So, while you are considering your project at this phase, also look into these important questions. 

-Do you know the entire scope of what you're wanting to do? From the budget, to the materials needed, to the codes that your city and state requires? 

- Do you have the skills, knowledge and tools that are needed for every stage of the job? 

-Do you have the time needed for the project? 

-Can you deal with acquiring permits, licenses and having people do inspections? 

If the answers to some of these questions are no, that's alright. There are plenty of skilled tradesmen who are willing to take on the project for you! We commend you for knowing when you cannot do something yourself, and when to call in others. We'll circle back around in a later post to cover how to find contractors/builders/designers to help you in your remodel. 

If you answered yes to all of these questions, consider checking out this free printable from Lowes that covers everything from what layout you want to why you're doing this project and how you can pay for it. 

Thank you for starting this journey with us, and we hope to see you next time when we'll be talking about inspiration, layouts and features. 

If you have any questions, please, let us know either in the comments below or over on our Facebook. Or if you have any suggestions or topics that you'd like us to cover in the future, let us know about those as well. 

If on the other hand you need help with your appliances now, go over to our scheduling page and set up an appointment with one of our technicians. We're here to help for any all of your appliances and keeping your home running as smoothly as possible. 

Does DIY Dish Detergent Ruin Your Dishwasher?

 Have you started to look around your home to find what you can make or do without? When things in the economy look so uncertain, many of us try to find ways to save money. 

Some people have been doing this for ages, and it's nothing new to them. For many of us though, with the shortages in grocery stores and supermarkets it seems like making things ourselves might be the way to go.  

Bread

Diapers

Masks 

Cleaning supplies

Just to name a few of the many. 

For many people cleaners are one of the first things to be moved over to the DIY pile. And given that you can make your own for a fraction of the price, saving you hundreds of dollars a year, we get it! 

But before you rush off to check your cabinets and get the hottest recipe off Facebook or Pinterest, take a moment to consider these facts. 

We surveyed the top 20 posts about DIY dishwasher detergents, including posts from Huffpost and The Spruce and The Kitchn.  (Scroll down to the bottom to check out the breakdown of the most common materials.) 

From looking at these recipes we found 3 major issues. 

1) Vinegar

2) Not prepping your dishwasher beforehand

3) Dish soap. 

Vinegar

Roughly 1/3 of the posts we surveyed called for vinegar. While vinegar DOES work for dissolving light sediments on your dishes, it's not the most effective for daily grime. Whether you use it as part of the detergent or put it into the rinse compartment as some suggest, not enough of it gets out to be effective for your dishes. 

On top of that, if you read our post about vinegar, then you know that it can be a serious issue. As we pointed out then, we've had many clients destroy the seals and gaskets on their dishwashers this way.  Even if you just 'use it occasionally' to clean out the grime and build up in your dishwasher, you are still cutting down the lifespan of your machine. 

Prepping Your Dishwasher Beforehand

Now, out of the sites reviewed, we found only 1 that suggested preparing your dishwasher prior to switching over. As Heather of Mommypotamus points out, 

     "It's important to clear away mineral deposits and or other residue from your dishwasher. Otherwise the citric acid will loosen them, and they will redeposit on your dishes."

"Aha," you say,"I just won't use citric acid, problem solved!" 

Except if you look at our list again dear friend, you'll see that 17 of the 20  sites we checked called for citric acid either as part of the detergent recipe or as part of the rinse aid paired with it as Heather does. 

And with good reason. While the commercial detergents have enzymes to break down food, grease, and grime, citric acid does the same. It also suspends the sediments i the water, preventing them from settling back on the dishes. 

So if you /do/ want to go homemade, your best bet is going to be using citric acid as part of the recipe. 

Dishsoap.

It makes so much sense to use it. If you can use it for your hands or washing things in the sink, why can't you use it in your dishwasher? Even Huffpost used it! 

Because, quite frankly,  there's a host of problems with using it. 

No matter the amount you use, it cuts down on the amount of cleaning your dishwasher can do. According to Travis Robertson of Sears, over on The Kitchn, any amount of dishsoap is going to create suds. Even if you don't see them spilling out, they are there. 

This means that

- Your dishwasher can't spray or circulate the suds the way it would a water and detergent solution. 

 -  The suds are likely to create a film on your dishes and WILL create one inside your dishwasher. the suds are difficult to flush out, no matter the age of your dishwasher, so it sits and builds up. 

  - It all boils down to the same thing according to Robertson "lots of suds and no wash action." 

Dish soap works as well as it does because of the mechanical motion of washing by hand. Because your dishwasher doesn't have that type of motion, it's not effective. 

On top of that, with build up inside the washer, or if it leaks because of the amount of suds, the gaskets, synthetic parts, seals and plastics can all be damaged. if that happens, you can very easily void your warranty, which means you'll be paying for all repairs out of pocket. 

If you look at our graph, you'll see that only 2 of the sits surveyed suggesting using dishsoap. This is only representative of the number of sites that listed it as an ingredient, not the ones that suggest to use it on its own as a replacement. 

"So is there any hope for doing this? Or do I have to give it all up?" we hear you crying. 

Fret not! You still can use DIY recipes, such as the one over on Mommypotamus.  There are just a few precautions that we suggest taking. 

- Avoid any recipes that call for vinegar or dishsoap. 

- Make sure that you ONLY use as much as is needed. Just like with commercial detergents you CAN have too much. 

 - Be sure to prep your dishwasher before you make the switch. 

- Keep notes. Not only is every dishwasher different, but you also have to consider how hard or soft your water is, and how much food you leave on your dishes before putting them into the machine. All of these things will affect the dishwasher and determine which recipe is going to work best for your family. 

So yes, it can be done, but it might be a process to find exactly what works for you. 

We want to hear from you. Are you making anything at home in light of the Stay At Home order or just because groceries have run short? Have you used your own dishwasher detergent in the past? How did it work? Let us know over on our Facebook post! Help us share effective ways to cut back on costs so that all of us can benefit in these strange times. 

Remember, if your dishwasher is giving you trouble and you live in any of the areas we service let us know! We're still here for you and we want to help. You can click over here and schedule an appointment today. 

What is An Air Fryer and Does It Really Work?

Can you tell us what tastes better than french fries? Or donuts? What about fried chicken? 

There's something about frying that makes your brain just go 'yum'. But... it's not particularly healthy is it? All that oil makes it very easy to gain weight even when you're careful about what you eat. And let's not even talk about what it can do to your heart. 

This conundrum of "yum" vs "wanting to stay healthy" has been a problem since we first discovered that all of the delicious foods could clog your arteries. People have tried everything to keep the delicious flavor and still stay healthy. 

Air fryers are the latest attempt by the appliance industry to give us the foods we want, while still maintaining some semblance of health. 

We had a bunch of questions though and set about trying to answer them. 

What is an air fryer and how does it work?  

Do they REALLY work? 

Are there any rules to using them?

Should you get one?

Feel free to click through to your most pressing answers, or keep reading to get to all of them. 

First up, what is an air fryer? 

An air fryer is, at its most basic, a small convection oven with the footprint of a five gallon bucket, and the ability to cook, at most, a 2.5 lb chicken. (Which is actually really small if you look it up.) The food is placed in a  wire mesh basket, and the air is rapidly circulated around the chamber, allowing the food to cook approximately 20% faster. 

Air fryers can also be used with a variety of different accessories, from cake pans, to pizza pans, to griddles which expand how useful it is, provided you do the additional research for using those extras properly. 

Do they REALLY work? 

Yes, they really do. The trick though, after extensive reading and polling people, is that just like any other tool, there's a learning curve. You need to be willing to research the particular quirks of your machine and what's needed for the best outcome. Yes, we know it means you can't just plug it in and start having fun. It bites. BUT the good news is that you can make those delicious doughnuts and not have a guilty conscience? Does that help? (It did for us. Hence why this post is so long.) 

Not everyone agrees on whether air fryers work or not, but we think that the biggest issue there is that not everyone is taking into account a few rules that you need to follow for optimum working conditions. 

So what are the rules? 

You use too much oil / You use too little oil

Let's start with the biggest one. If you use too MUCH oil, you're forgetting the basic principle that this is an 'air fryer' not a 'deep fryer'.You don't need to soak the food in oil for it to get the crispy exterior. By the same token. you do need a little bit. (We suggest a quick spray of your favorite oil using something like a misto.) We think that's the majority of what went wrong with WIRED's testing of their air fryer.  While you can get a crunchy exterior just using the air fryer without any oil, at that point you're using it like a convection oven, not allowing the air and light oil to circulate around the food. 

You don’t preheat the air fryer

Yup, just like every other cooking appliance, your air fryer does need time to heat up. It does take less time than your traditional oven, but it needs that heating time all the same. 

 Your air fryer isn’t getting any air

If you have your air fryer crammed onto the counter, surrounded by different things, how is it going to pull air in? Answer, it's not. Without external air flow, the air fryer cannot work. So make sure it can breathe! 

You cook in the air fryer without cleaning

You wouldn't cook in a frying pan without cleaning between uses, treat your air fryer the same way. After you're done using it for a meal, clean it up and you'll be good to go for next time. Otherwise things can get into the heating elements, burn and then your kitchen, and your food is going to be smelling horrible. Not fun! 

The foods are too wet

If your food is soaking wet or covered in a drippy batter when you put it into the air fryer, it's going to run into a problem. Much like having too much oil, the fryer isn't going to be able to 'breathe' so to speak and it'll be more like steaming your food instead of 'frying' it. 

 The foods are too light

If you're trying to cook foods that are too light, say spinach leaves or something similar, they can float around. The rapid air circulation in the oven will cause things to go all over the place. 

 The food is too small

If you're working with the mesh basket rather than one of the attachments, it is possible for food that's been chopped too small to fall between the gaps and end up getting burned. To avoid this, just shake the basket over your sink or garbage can to make sure nothing falls out. 

You don’t check the food’s temperature

This is more of a food safety thing than anything. An air fryer is still cooking your food, so you still need to check the temperature of all foods before you eat them, especially if you're dealing with meats. 

You put too much food in the basket

Much like the outside of your air fryer needs space to allow it to pull in air, the inside needs space for that air to circulate. If you cram the basket full of food, the air isn't going to circulate properly and you're going to end up with something inedible. 

Should you get one? 

We think that for those with small apartments, or if you're living in a dorm, a good air fryer is a solid investment. Especially if you're willing to do the research and get a multi function one, this can easily replace a majority of the major kitchen appliances, without having to take up a ton of space. If you are going to get one, make sure that you buy the one with the best reviews, and that is large and durable. You'll want it to stand up to time and regular use. 

If you're just wanting one to try out the process, or to be part of the fad, (which is fine, we still don't judge ;) ) then go ahead and get a smaller one. You wouldn't want to purchase one with all the bells and whistles if you aren't sure it's something you'll use regularly.

Are you going to take the plunge and test out an air fryer? Do you have one already and have recipes you’ve mastered? Let us know over on Facebook! 

And if your other appliances are having issues give one of our techs a call and we’ll be happy to help! 

What Does Energy Efficient Even Mean?

Why is it that every time you turn around your electric bill seems to be creeping higher? While we could go into energy resources, global resistance to renewable energy, inflation,  yadda yadda, let’s address something simple that all of us deal with. Our appliances. 

Yup, your appliances. Your appliances account for between 10 and 30% of your yearly electric bills.  And if they aren’t cared for, maintained and repaired regularly? That amount can go even higher. There are ways around that though, including purchasing energy efficient appliances, helping your current appliances be more efficient and making other small changes around the home. 

But what does energy efficient really mean? 

When people say ‘energy efficient’ they’re meaning that the appliance in question uses less energy to get the same amount of work done. So if you were to compare the non-efficient dryers to the efficient ones, you’re going to end up with fewer kiloWatt hours used for the same amount of time and the same load of laundry. 

Fortunately, there is a way to easily find appliances and other household items that are energy efficient. 

You’ve probably seen that big blue label on boxes at the appliance store, or in bold letters: ENERGY STAR. Or seen it advertised next to computers, dryers and lightbulbs CERTIFIED BY ENERGY STAR, as part of the list of features. These appliances have been developed and tested to the Energy Star standards. 

Energy Star is a program that’s run by both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy(DOE). It was developed in 1992 to promote and develop energy efficient policies, procedures and products.   An appliance that has the Energy Star label on it is one that has been tested by their scientists and been found to save energy, money and to reduce the carbon footprint. 

According to their website, what makes a product worthy of the Energy Star label is the following: 

-Certified products must deliver the features and performance demanded by consumers, in addition to increased energy efficiency.

-If the certified product costs more than a conventional, less-efficient counterpart, purchasers will recover their investment in increased energy efficiency through utility bill savings, within a reasonable period of time.

-Energy efficiency can be achieved through broadly available, non-proprietary technologies offered by more than one manufacturer.

-Product energy consumption and performance can be measured and verified with testing.

-Qualified refrigerators are at least 15% more efficient than the minimum federal efficiency standard.

-Qualified TVs consume 3 watts or less when switched off, compared to a standard TV, which consumes almost 6 watts on average.

-Office equipment that qualifies automatically enters a low-power "sleep" mode after a period of inactivity.

-Qualified light bulbs (CFLs) use two-thirds less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and must meet additional operating and reliability guidelines.

-Qualified furnaces offer a rating of 90% AFUE or greater, which is about 15% more efficient than the minimum federal efficiency standard.

What changes are there that make an appliance energy efficient? 

All sorts of changes have been made to appliances over the last 30 years, working to make them more efficient. For many this means better sensors and insulation to keep temperatures at the needed levels and seal them in properly.Refrigerators for example are becoming better at sealing in cold over the last few years with a change in their insulation. Others change how much water they use and how it’s heated.  Washers, for example, have been engineered so that they use approximately 25% less energy and between 70-75% less water per load. 

What does that mean for you? 

Like we said above, your appliances can account for roughly 20% of your household’s yearly electric costs. By replacing older models you can save between 10% and 50% of the energy you were using before, depending  on the models. “Households are saving hundreds of dollars annually as a result of increasing appliance efficiency standards,” says Shannon Baker-Branstetter, the senior energy and environment policy council at CR. Buying one major energy efficient appliance can save you over $100 in a year. The more appliances you buy, the more that number goes up. 

If you can’t replace, or you want to do more research, you can still cut back on your energy bill in unexpected ways. 

-Wash your laundry on cold rather than hot, and consider throwing a dry bath towel in when you dry them.  (This lets your clothes move around more easily and helps them dry faster. )

-Check around all of your appliances for dust or lint. Having blocked ventilation areas is an easy way for an appliance to overheat and thus draw more electricity. 

-Unplug! If you have appliances you only use once a day (say your toaster or coffeemaker) unplug them. Most models, especially older ones, will still draw power even if they aren’t turned on. 

-Set timers for devices such as tvs and computers so that they shut themselves off at night. 

These days more and more Energy Star certified appliances are being created over non-certified ones. While it used to be that you had to pay a high price by comparison, these days it’s possible to save money on the initial purchase and over time. If you’re looking to keep your current appliances for the time being, but would like to give them a check up, schedule an appointment with our technicians. We’d love to help you cut back on your energy bills. 

The Most Ridiculous Smart Devices On The Market

Have you ever wanted a remote controlled tea kettle?  What about a gesture controlled salt shaker? Or a voice controlled toilet? 

When we were researching for our post last month about smart tech, we ran across several very strange items. All of them, naturally, claim to be ‘smart’ devices. They take the idea of “Internet of Things” a bit too far, though.  Because really, why would you need a gesture controlled salt shaker?

We thought to share 17 of the strangest and funniest devices that we came across in our hunt for information. Let us know below which one was your favorite! 

Egg Minder 

While the video is amusing, it doesn’t tell you much about Quirky’s Egg Minder. All you can gather from this video is that it keeps track for you on just how many eggs you have? Presumably this means you would have an app just for this. Which really, when it comes to space on our phones vs not having to  count how many eggs we have on hand, personally, we’re going for the phone space. 

Miliboo Smart Sofa 

Miliboo claims to be the world’s first smart sofa. With  connection to your smart assistants, a wireless charger built in, vibration and smart speakers built into it, and led under lighting. The question is: why? If you really love the IMAX experience we could maybe see it, but at the same time is it really necessary? 

Aevena Aire 

Our next strange product is Aire, a flying robot for your home. It’s meant to work indoors and move itself around people, while still being quiet. It’s one part security camera, one part NannyCam? Which just leads us to question “ if this got hacked, how hard are we going to get hit in the head by it?” 

Laurastar smart iron

Do you ever  question how to iron something? No? You look it up on youtube? So do we! Which is why we don’t get the point of this iron. It teaches you how to iron, beeps at you when it needs more water, and it adjusts temperatures to the fabric in question. “A system that thinks on your behalf and is thus a guarantee of the best possible ironing and effortless premium care.” Yeah we prefer thinking for ourselves, thanks? 

Hatch Baby Smart Changing Pad 

This one we’re torn on. On one hand, the app seems rather intelligent, if a bit much. You can track your baby’s weight, how much they’re eating, going to the bathroom, etc.  On the other hand, the changing pad doesn’t seem to be much more than a changing pad with a scale and a cushion. To top it all off, the app is free? So what’s really the point of the changing pad? 

Onvi Prophix 

You know that the obsession with cameras has gone too far when we’re putting cameras into our toothbrushes. It doesn’t take photos of your face mind, it takes photos of the inside of your mouth as you’re brushing.  

Kuvée Bottle 

Kuvee is one that while it didn’t meet its mark, it did have potential to grow into something great. They created a wi-fi connected wine bottle with a touchscreen that claimed to keep wine fresh for up to 30 days after being opened. Whether they managed that claim is up in the air as the company shut their doors in 2018.

Juicero  

Juicero had SO much potential. As a juice delivery service they could have been great. Instead they focused on a fancy, smart connected product that you didn’t actually need? It turns out that the packets (which were supposed to taste rather good) could be squeezed by hand and you would get the same amount of delicious juice. And you still didn’t have to clean anything other than the glass you drank it out of. 

Chip Smart Cookie Oven  

Ah.. The Chip Smart Cookie Oven. Let’s face facts, this is an Easy-Bake for adults. It came with single serve ‘dough packets’ (think Keurig but for cookies) but you could only make 4 at a time. They still took 10 minutes to cook properly and you didn’t even get to lick the spoon. For the same amount of time, and less money you can make at least 4 times that AND you get whatever dough is left in the bowl. ‘

HapiFork 

HapiFork is a haptic feedback fork that aims to, according to their website,  “ helps you monitor and track your eating habits. It also alerts you with the help of indicator lights and gentle vibrations when you are eating too fast.”  While we understand that their is a link between eating too fast and weight gain, we question why we need a fork that vibrates? 

Bruno 

The Bruno can is both a trashcan and a vacuum cleaner, although not in the usual sense. You simply sweep things in front of the inlet in the bottom of the can and it will suck up anything in front of it. It also bugs you to take out the trash and lets you know when you’re low on trash bags! 

Kérastase Hair Coach 

Have you ever wondered if you’re brushing your hair too hard? Or maybe if your hair is frizzy? No? Neither have we. And yet still this product from Keratase and Withings exists. The list of features includes a gyroscope, a microphone, an accelerometer and conductivity sensors. All of that, in your hair brush.  

Do you have any to add to the list? Or ones that you want to purchase or have purchased for yourself ( we don’t judge)? Let us know in the comments or over on Facebook. And if your appliances aren’t cooperating, reach out and we can schedule an appointment with one of our technicians to get you back on track.