Lightening the Load of Moving

Tips and Tricks to Make Changing Houses Easier

Whether you’re moving down the street, three states over, or to a new country, moving is a PAIN. We know it, you know it, and the moving companies know it. There are a few tricks that can make your life easier though. 

Make a checklist for before, during and after the move. 

This should be based on how you’re going to do things. What order do you want to get things done? The people over at moving.com have a fantastic checklist that breaks things down from 8 weeks prior all the way through your first month after. 

Start at least 3, if not 6 months before the move and go through everything. 

If you haven’t used it, if you can’t use it, or if you don’t care about it, donate it! Why waste time and energy moving it if you don’t need it or won’t use it? Better to get rid of it now! 

Yes, we do mean everything. From clothes, linens and toys, to books, appliances and furniture, there’s always someone out there that could use it. (We would say sell it via something similar to NextDoor but a) they’re not sponsoring us and b) selling stuff takes more time that you may or may not have!) Check out your local goodwill, habitat for humanity and your library to see what they can take and if they  can’t make other suggestions in your area. 

Make a moving folder, or binder. 

This should be both a physical file and a digital one. This way, even if you don’t have signal or battery, you still have access to all of the papers you need. This should include all of the following: 

New addresses

Rental or purchasing papers

Utilities - when you called, who you talked to, the dates for things being turned off and on at your different residences. As well as receipts. 

Any receipts from purchases you’ve made for moving and packing materials. 

Agreements with movers, or truck rental dates and receipts.  

If you keep hold of it, if anything goes wrong, you’ll have the answers to hand. This should stay with you at all times before and during the move. We suggest making sure you know where it is for at least a year afterwards as well, just to be safe. 

Invest in supplies ahead of time. 

The last thing you want while packing boxes or loading the truck is to have to run to the store. 

So stock up ahead of time on these things. 

Boxes

Tape - both colored and packing

Bandages

Paper towels

Garbage bags

Box cutters

Paper plates 

Furniture pads or covers 

Create a floor plan and color code it. 

If you already know where you’re going, that’s great! Grab a couple of copies of the floor plan and some varieties of duck tape. We suggest either bold primary colors, or wild patterns, a different variety of tape for each room.  

Now, every box that goes into a specific room in your new home should have a strip or square of tape on it that matches the room it's going to. This way as you’re unloading the truck it’s easy to say exactly where something goes without having to stop and think about it. 

You can also use a number system to organize your boxes. 

Using a notebook or a document on your phone, you can keep a breakdown of what each box contains. This makes things more organized when you’re unpacking. You can go through the list and pull only the boxes you need at a given time to unpack. 

Pack ahead of time, as far ahead as possible.  

Even if you haven’t found /exactly/ when you’re moving yet, and you just have a general time frame, the sooner you start packing, the sooner you’ll be done.  It also means you’ll have less to stress about as the date comes closer. 

Two places to start are out of season clothes/linens and items you won’t miss.  

Book early 

Moving services, rental trucks, professional movers, all book well ahead of time. The earlier you can book, the better. 

Pack and clearly label your LIFO box. 

Wondering what LIFO means? Last In, First Out. This is the box or suitcase that stays with you during the move , and should content all the things you’re going to need for the first day in your new place, or during a moving trip. 

A change of clothes for everyone, a toothbrush, must have stuffed animals, medications, paperwork, etc. 

When it comes to packing, there are a few rules to run through.  

Size should be inverse to weight. 

Use small boxes for heavier objects like books. 

This means that the boxes will a) be less likely to break open during transit and b) be easier to move. 

Use larger boxes for lighter things like pillows, bedding and the like. 

Put the heaviest things on bottom and don’t leave spaces.

If you don’t have enough for a box, or you feel it’s already heavy enough, use clothing, towels, bubble wrap or packing paper to fill the excess space. Not only does this keep things from shifting too much, but by going from heaviest to lightest, things are less likely to be damaged en route. 

Tape the way professional movers do. 

Use a couple of pieces across the top and bottom seams of the box. Then wrap all the way around the edges of the box, again top and bottom. This strengthens the edges where the most stress is. 

Be extra careful when packing your kitchen. 

We suggest watching videos like this one to learn how to pack plates. This one for packing cups, glasses and stemware. This one for packing pots and pans. And for everything else in your kitchen, we have this post from our archives. 

Know how to pack your TVs or Computer monitors. 

Plasma TVs and monitors require special boxes for shipping due to how wretchedly delicate they are. If you don’t have the original box and foam it came with, you’ll need to hunt down one of those special boxes. Whatever you do, don’t just wrap them in furniture quilts or lay them flat or you’ll be shopping for a new one once you get unpacked. 

How do you go about planning for a move? Do you have tips and tricks that we missed out on? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook! We’d love to get a conversation going to help out more people. 

Whether you’ve been in Coppell and the surrounding area for years, or you’ve just moved in, Appliance Rescue Service is here to help. Whether you need someone to take a look at a dishwasher that won’t drain, or a  fridge that isn’t working, we’ve got you covered. Or if you just want someone to take a look at all of your appliances to let you know how to keep them maintained, we can do that too. You can get hold of us at ((214) 599-0055) or by visiting our website. 

How to Beat the… Freeze?

 Or How to Stay Warm Even When The Power is Out

 In the wake of the massive power outages across 10 states, we’re having to look at things we don’t normally. “How do you keep warm” is not a question Texans typically have to deal with. While we can hope that it won’t be necessary, we also believe that it’s better to be safe than sorry. That’s why we’re tackling 5 things you can do to prep your home for another deep freeze and how to stay warm during one. 

• Seal window and door leaks 

Start off by going around your home and examining every door and window closely. Look at the seals closely. Keep a running list as you go, splitting them into two different categories. One list is for where the seals just need touching up. The second is for if the window or door needs replacement rather than repair. The first is if there are gaps or tears in the caulking or weather-stripping. If the caulk is dried or flaking, or if the weather-stripping is in poor condition, you can fix that. If however the wood around the window is rotted or allowing moisture in, that’s when you need to replace it. The upside to this is that the tighter a seal is on your doors and windows, less air is going to leak in that way. 

Another good idea during winter is to swap out your curtains. Try swapping them out for something heavier, or for blackout curtains. When the weather is nice, you can pull them back to let light in. At night, or when it’s particularly cold out, you can close them to keep more of the heat inside. 

• Get a Generator

This one we advise doing, but not until spring, or fall. Reason being is that during the height of winter and summer is when most people think to get them, and that is when prices will be at their highest. So, if you can, wait until then to get one and keep it in reserve. You can buy a small battery pack one, to just power a heater and your handheld devices. However, we suggest also buying one that’s large enough to also power your refrigerator and a portable heater. You don’t want to buy one after the power is already out, when you’re working by flashlight and might skip a step or miss something. It’s all too easy for mistakes to be made and people do die due to carbon monoxide poisoning related to generators. 

What if though you haven’t had the time to prep as so many of us didn’t prior to Winter Storm Uri? The power’s out and you’re looking for answers now. 

• Stay in a southern facing room

Start by relocating. Figure out which room of your home faces south. That’s going to be the room that gets the most sun during the day, even if the sun isn’t out too much. Something is better than nothing.  Drag everything you’ll need into this room. Mattresses, blankets, pillows, entertainment, bring all of that here. From now until you get power back, this is your base camp. If you  have multiple people in your home, and the room is tiny, you can spread out to a second room, but we advise keeping everyone in one room if you can. 

• Use a fireplace or another heat source

The exception to the above is if you have a room with a fireplace or a portable propane heater. Make sure that you use one which is rated specifically for indoor use and that you’re following all safety instructions. You’ll also want to ensure that you have functioning carbon monoxide sensors on all floors of the home. 

• Camp out indoors

If you have a tent and sleeping bags? Set them up inside the room you’re staying in. It might sound strange, but they are meant to keep heat in and will be especially useful at night when the temperatures drop even lower.  For clothing, you might be tempted to bundle on the thickest clothes you have, don’t. Instead, opt for multiple thin layers with a thick sweater on top. You want to be warm enough to be comfortable, but not enough to sweat. 

Some Don’ts

• Don’t keep your oven running 24/7. Not only is it not meant to do that, but it can produce heat unevenly causing damage to the unit over time, or produce carbon monoxide. 

• Don’t run a generator inside your home, unless it is meant for that. They do produce carbon monoxide which again, we want to avoid. 

• Keep a generator at least 20 feet from your home while it’s running.

While we hope you won’t need these tips, we do also hope that you found them helpful. Let us know in the comments or over on our Facebook. 

If on the other hand you found this page because one of your appliances is busted, we can still help! Whether you’re needing a refrigerator fixed, or your ice maker descaled, we can help. Appliance Rescue Service aims to be the best in Addison and the surrounding areas, and that means taking the best care of you, our clients. 

You can call us at (214) 599-0055  or make an appointment on our website. We’re here to keep your home running smoothly. 

Fire Dangers : What Are You Looking For?

Electrical Fires and How You Can Work To Prevent Them

Did you know that electrical fires are one of the top causes of the over 24,000 fires reported every year? October is Fire Safety and Awareness Month and we at Appliance Rescue Services wanted to do our part to keep you and your families safe. We'll dig in by talking about what are some of the most common causes, how to prevent them, and gear you should have in your home.

Fires: The Facts

Out of the 24,000 plus fires every year, Texas is one of the three leading the nation in fire deaths according to the US Fire Administration. The other two are California and New York. We will point out that these are fires caused from within the home rather than outside sources such as wildfires. Appliances are the number four cause of electrical fires within the home. 

Some of the top causes for electrical fires are wiring, overheating, and improper use of power cords. 

The wiring is the one that is the most clear cut. If cords are frayed,, exposed, or otherwise damaged the possibility of sparking and causing fires is a logical possibility. Some examples are inside of an appliance such as your oven or your dryer,or inside of an outlet that hasn't been properly grounded. 

When it comes to our homes, every year we add more electrical items. Naturally they require more power but we don't always have the number of outlets that we need for our new toys. So instead we might hook extension cord into extension cord and overheat the wiring by drawing too much power through it all. That can cause the internal wires to melt and allow the outer casing to deteriorate which can then cause fires.

Fires: Prevention

So how do you go about preventing these? For the first one, going over cables regularly is a good idea. You should also have your appliances checked out, in addition to the outlets that they hook into. 

It's also a good idea to clean out your dryer every 6 months to get rid of all the built-up lint. (Note that we're not talking about the lint-catch there. We're talking about the outtake duct. Your lint-catch should be cleaned out after every load.) 

Another thing to keep an eye on is if lights start to flicker. This could mean that the wiring from the switch to the light is damaged in some way. If your outlets have an odd smell when running you might look into how they're doing.  As for not having enough outlets; we suggest either having an electrician install new ones or carefully moving items around the room to make best use of the outlets you do have. Hooking extension cord into extension cord is never a good idea. 

Fires: The Gear

Now that we've covered the scary stuff, and the boring stuff, let's get into how to deal with fires. 

In this case the old adage a good offense is the best defense holds true. Your best bet when it comes to fires is to have tools and systems in place well before a fire ever breaks out.

When it comes to a fire it's not just the smoke and heat that are an issue but also carbon monoxide.

Installing dual sensors for both carbon monoxide and smoke is a first and basic step. You should test the batteries monthly and replace them yearly to ensure they stay in working order. The great thing about modern dual sensors is that many of them will be part of a system that you can have send information either to your local fire department or to your home monitor system.

You should also consider a home fire sprinkler system spread throughout your house. 

They can extinguish a fire if it's a small one . They can prevent it from spreading to other areas of the home. And most importantly they can decrease the chance that smoke and deadly gases will reach your family. 

If you're like many of our clients in the Frisco and McKinney areas then you probably have a two-story home. Every bedroom should be equipped with a fire escape ladder. This way in the event of a fire on the first floor you still have a way to get out. The good news is that these are collapsible and easily put away.

Having a fire blanket or two such as in your kitchen or in your garage is a good idea. These are useful for minor fires such as in the kitchen. they can also be wrapped around someone if their clothes have caught on fire.

Fire extinguishers are also something to have scattered throughout your home. You can get training from either your local fire department or a manufacturer. They'll walk you through both the PASS system as well as a few tips for before you use one.

P- pull the pin

A- aim at the base of the fire

S -squeeze the handle slowly and evenly

S- sweep from side to side

Some basic tips:

  Ensure that it's properly charged. This should be something you check once a month along with testing your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Make sure that your back is to an exit before using, you want to make sure that you can get out.

Make sure that everyone either is leaving or has left the house before using the fire extinguisher.

Even with all of this we know that we plan to start a fire in our backyards as the nights get cooler. Fire and electricity  are  like many things we've discussed, a tool to make our lives easier. So as we turn up the heat as temperatures get cooler, remember the boundaries of these tools. Keep your home and family safe and be aware of the way you use electricity. 

If you have any tips that you think we missed or tools that you'd like to recommend for fighting a fire please let us know over on our Facebook. And if you think that there might be an issue with one of your appliances you can always call us or go to our website to set up a maintenance appointment.

Tradesmen: How To Find The Right One For Your Home

A General Guide for Locating Trustworthy Skilled Labor

When was the last time you had your toilet overflow? Or a fuse burn out in your house? If you’ve had it happen we bet you can’t remember it too well. What about when you had to wait around for a plumber or an electrician to come out? We’ll bet you remember that. It tends to stick with you when it messes up your day, having to reschedule and work around their time tables instead of what you have to get done.  We all hate the hassle, but what can you do about it? That’s the price of doing business right? 

To a degree, yes. Some jobs take longer than others and you can’t help it. On the other hand, you can choose who you hire and make sure they have a good reputation. To help with that we’re going to give you our four steps for finding the best people to trust to come to your home, just like you trust us. 

It’s best if you can do this when things are calm and working well at home, rather than when you’re in a bind. This way you don’t have to worry if something breaks, you’ve already done the groundwork. All you’ll have to do is call them up and say ‘Hey, do you have time to fix this?” 

Finding Your List

Let’s start with finding them. There’s pros and cons to each of these methods but they are reliable. Starting off, don’t rule anyone out, just take down names and companies, and rates if you can find them. We’ll worry about crossing them off later. 

Google

Your go to search engine will, depending on your settings, find people in your area.

The downside to this is that business can pay to be in certain sections of that front page. If you look closely at a Google search, whether you’re on mobile or desktop, you’ll see a section that says it’s an ad in small print. 

Below and (sometimes) above that is going to be people who have ranked for that page by having a good reputation and marketing skills. At least as Google’s algorithm decides currently. 

Google Maps

Closely related, although not the same, is the Google Maps app. Again you have business that paid to be seen first and then you have ones that are actually near you. If you’re looking at maps it’s going to be based on which businesses are closest to you rather than who has the best reputation. 

Facebook

Facebook has a business section that can be utilized as well. You probably knew that though. Did you know that you probably shouldn't trust the reviews on the page though? Skip down to the bottom of the post to find out why.

Here you’re going to be given results based 90% on how close a business is to you. Or their defined service area overlapping with where you’ve told Facebook you live. The other 10% is going to be how well their most recent posts match what you decided to search. 

Something to keep an eye on is how many followers does a business have? While that’s not a foolproof indication, it is a mark in their favor. 

Friends, Family and Neighbors. 

Unless you live in a rural area (which if you’re one of our clients, you probably don’t) you have people that have dealt with the same problems you have. Everyone has plumbing issues, or their HVAC going out in the middle of summer. (All you have to do is look at Facebook or Twitter to see it.) So ask them. Who did you use? Who would you avoid? Why do you say that? (That last one is very important as we’ll get to soon.) 

Ways to Check Them Out 

The Better Business Bureau 

This is a good first place to start.  What’s their rating? If they’ve got lower than an A, it’s smart to put them lower on your list, but don’t count them out just yet. 

Angie’s List  

If you haven’t heard of Angie’s List, it’s a fantastic site that verifies everything they put on their site. Businesses, reviews, everything. They even do background checks on the businesses and rate them based on how they’re doing.  This is our favorite for hunting down companies when we need something fixed because their grading system isn't’ a flat grade, but instead is based on professionalism, responsiveness, price, punctuality and quality. 

Nextdoor

We can’t describe Nextdoor better than they have themselves: “Where neighbors exchange recommendations for babysitters, plans for local events, and tips about what to order at that new cafe down the street. Where local agencies connect with neighbors in need. Welcome to Nextdoor.”  It’s a great place to check out what others in your area are saying about a place and to get a recent picture of how a place is doing. You can get as specific or diverse as you like. Here you’re able to ask further questions of your neighbors even ones you might not have met yet. 

Questions to Ask 

We’ve been telling you to ask questions and you’re probably getting annoyed that we haven’t said which ones, right? 

You have your basic ones, that all of us know to ask a company. 

• Can you fix [Insert Your Specific Problem]. 

• What types of payment do you accept? 

• Can I do a payment plan? (We like this one if the problem is insanely complicated and if it ends up costing an arm and a leg.) 

You have the more complicated ones you ask them. 

• Do you offer a free estimate?  

• How busy are they and can they work with your schedule? 

• How does a typical appointment work? 

•  Do they offer service packages? 

If you were to ask all of these of us, our answers would be 

• If it’s a problem with one of your appliances, we’ll do our best to fix it. If we don’t know how, then we’ll learn and we won’t stop trying to fix it until you tell us to stop. 

• We accept cash, check or 

• Nope, we don’t offer free estimates because we value your time and ours. Instead we will diagnose the problem and give you a written explanation of what to expect. This includes all parts and labor. Your technician is often able to provide you with life expectancy, preventative measures, and periodic maintenance that may help you decide whether or not to proceed with a repair. 

• Yes, we do work with your schedule! 

• To read up on what a typical appointment looks like, check here. 

• As of right now we don’t offer service packages, although we might in the future. Check back often! 

And then you have the ones you ask people who recommended them or advised against them. 

• Do they railroad you into doing things you don’t need?

  • We’ve all heard of carpet salesmen or auto repair shops that do this to you. It’s one of the reasons we make sure to ask this, because who wants to deal with that? 

  • Did they explain what was going on or how they planned to fix it? 

  • If you did or didn’t like them, why? What happened? 

    • This one is more important that it might seem. Some people might not have liked something trivial “the repairman forgot to wipe his feet off.” Or it could be a much larger issue “I had something go missing the day they came.” Knowing why someone gave a bad review is just as important as the fact that they did. 

Take Reviews With a Grain of Salt 

With that last question  we come to something very important. With the exception of Angie's List (which we recommended for just this reason) people can say anything they want. They could feel insulted over how the repairman spoke, when really they just had a head cold that day. 

Do you feel better prepared for finding a tradesman for your home? Are you less worried about what’s going to happen next time something breaks? We hope so. If you have any questions, comments or ideas for what questions we can answer next, please let us know over on our Facebook page. We’d love to hear from you. 

Don’t forget, our technicians are always here to help you. We want to keep your home running in a smooth fashion. If something’s broken, it’s not working quite right, or just if you want us to come and give you some maintenance tips, we can do all of that for you. All you have to do is make an appointment on our page. 

4 Kits Your Home Needs

The Bare Bones For Your Home

We put together four kits that will get you through almost any situation. When you’re starting out somewhere new you don’t always have everything you need, or the funds to get it. Whether you’re a business exec moving to a new state or fresh out of college with your first apartment, you tend to pare down. Whether it’s a last minute get together, a broken outlet, or you cut yourself fixing said outlet, we’ve got you covered. 

Let’s talk about the most common type of kit first, the first aid kit. 

Ideally, you should have several around your home. This way in the event of injury you don’t have to go far for what you need. Some of these, like bandaids, are going to make sense. Others, like splint material will confuse many. “We live in the first world. Shouldn’t I just go to the hospital or call an ambulance?”

Well, ideally, yes. What if it’s a major holiday though? Or there’s rough weather, you can’t get out or it’s going to be a while until a paramedic can get to you? In those cases it’s better to have all of this on hand and know how to use it. 

One last one you might not have run into before is lavender essential oil. This can be used on burns and other small wounds, and is kept in many a metalworker’s kit. 

FIRST AID KIT 

Aloe vera gel

Medical Scissors

Nonadhesive dressing

Medical tape

Rolled gauze bandages

Splint material

Lavender oil 

Anti-inflamatory drugs

Anti-bacterial ointment

Ace bandages

Surgical scrub brush

Disinfectant wipes

Sterile compress

Selection of bandages

TOOL LIST

Next up is tools. This isn’t the type of stuff you get for Father’s day.  This is meant to be a “multipurpose, used everywhere around the house, if you don’t have the ‘right’ tool, see if one of the others will get the job done.” That sort of kit. (Not that we have any issues with the nicer or more specific tools, but this is a basics post. 

Screwdriver set - a mix of Philips and flat-heads, or even a multihead screwdriver. 

Tool box- Even if it’s a small kit, it's easier if you can keep everything together. 

Utility knife

Putty knife

Handsaw

Level

Adjustable wrench

Hammers - One 16 lb claw and a small mallet

Duct tape

Pliers - You can pick up a set with a channellock, needle nose and side cutting pretty easy. 

Flashlight

Stud finder

Socket set 

Tape measurer 

The Kitchen

Moving into the kitchen, we have more tools, but this time, we’re focused on making food. While we love our specialty tools like our automatic pan stirrers, crepe pans and multi function blenders, in truth you don’t need them. We know, the horror. Really though, with these 10 tools and persistence, you can make any dish. Is it easy? Not always. But you’ll also have less clutter in your kitchen. 

10” Stainless Steel Skillet

Chef’s Knife

Measuring Spoons

Dry & Liquid Measuring cups

Cutting Board

Sheet Tray

8 Quart Heavy Pot

Peeler -  Either a Y peeler or a straight peeler will work. It’s up to you which you prefer. 

Large Spoon 

Fine Mesh 6” Sieve 

The Pantry

Moving on from the tools in the kitchen, you have basic supplies. We saved this list for two reasons: 

1. It’s the longest

2. It’s broken into 4 parts

The idea here is that by keeping all of these items regularly stocked in your home, you can put your hands on any of them when you need them. Last minute guests? No big deal, bulk up what you were already making for dinner. Your child has a bake sale that they only told you about now? Easy!

Things like fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy and meats aren’t included because they spoil at different rates, and everyone has different food needs. Adjust the lists as needed and as will work for you/your family. 

Common/ Dried	Baking	Herbs and Oils	Freezer
Pasta	Baking Soda	Vegetable Oil	Frozen Spinach
Tomato Sauce	Baking Powder	Coconut Oil	Frozen Green Beans
Lentils	Cornstarch	Canola Oil	Frozen Peas
Peanut Butter	Brown Sugar	Olive Oil	Frozen Corn
Canned Soup	White Sugar	Dried Onion	Frozen Carrots
Potatoes	Shortening	Whole Pepper	Frozen Broccoli
Canned beans	Chocolate Chips	Garlic Powder
Rice	Flour	Basil
Canned Chicken	Yeast	Oregano
Mixed Nuts	Cornmeal	Dill
Cereals & Oatmeal		Paprika
Canned Mushrooms		Celery Seed
Canned Broth		Sea Salt
Mixed nuts		Cinnamon
Dried fruit		Chili powder
		Basil
		Cayenne
		Vanilla Extract
		Cocoa Powder
		Cumin

Common/Dried - These are the foods that will last and last and with just a  few you can throw together a delicious and filling meal.

Baking- These are the core ingredients for most baking recipes that you should always have on hand. 

Herbs and Oils - You don’t need a large amount of herbs in your cabinet in order to bring flavor to your dishes. With 16 spices you can evoke flavors and places all over the globe. (Although we get it if you want to add to your spices any time you can. We do the same.) 

Freezer- Easy to keep on hand, they don’t spoil and you can bulk up any meal  by adding them in, frozen veggies are the best! 

These four kits are ones we think are essential, but what about you? Do you think we missed some? Or just an item or two? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook. We’d love to hear from you. 

While we talked about the whole home this time, don’t forget that we’re also here for your appliances needs. If your  appliances are acting up, or you want to schedule a maintenance check, feel free to reach out via phone or our appointment page. We want to help all of our clients in Carrollton and the surrounding areas.