Keep your washer and dryer running like new with a simple tip from Angela Warner at Warners’ Stellian: keep it clean! Regular cleaning ensures your appliances stay in top-notch condition, maximizing their lifespan and performance. Let’s give our washers and dryers the TLC they deserve for years of reliable service!
Tag Archives: Maintenance
New Year, New You
Out with the old, in with the new. It’s a new year, a perfect time to give your home a little TLC. Our Spokesperson, a.k.a The Appliance Whisperer, Angela Warner, welcomed Housing First Minnesota into our Edina showroom to walk through some appliance care tips to kick off 2024.
Cleaning Your Dishwasher
Do you remember the last time you cleaned your dishwasher? If you notice a change in performance, it’s a sign to clean your dishwasher. Regular maintenance helps keep your appliances running smoothly as detergent residue and food build up over time. If you don’t have any dishwasher cleaner from brands like Affresh, you can put vinegar in a dishwasher-safe bowl on the top rack in an empty dishwasher and run as normal. The vinegar will break down residue and food buildup. New dishwasher models have filters on the bottom of the tub. Remove that every so often and give it a good rinse.
Stainless Steel
Notice fingerprints on your fridge? Grab a bottle of Cerama Bryte, spray directly on the surface, and with a microfiber cloth, wipe the cleaner with the grain. You can also use baby oil and a towel, wiping with the grain for added shine!
Dryer Vent
If you notice your clothes are drying as well as they used to, check your dryer vent! It should be cleaned at least once a year as it can become a fire hazard in your home with all the build-up of lint. Always remember to clean your dryer’s lint filter every time you use it.
Furnace Filter
Here is another one you might forget about. To keep up with regular maintenance for your heating and cooling system, change out the filter in your furnace regularly. Without changing it will affect the performance, and in the Midwest, we would rather avoid heating issues during the frigid months!
Microwave Vent
This one may be forgotten about but don’t worry, it’s an easy one! Head to your microwave and underneath you will find the vents. Give those a good clean for optimal use and you’re good to go. The grease and grime from cooking can build up and not make your microwave work as well as it should.
We hope you found this blog helpful! To learn more about Housing First Minnesota and their upcoming events (did someone say Parade of Homes?!) check them out online.
The Dog Days of Summer: Preparing your home for the heat.
It’s heating up and your air conditioner is probably running constantly this time of the year. We put together tips to help keep your home cool during the hottest days of the summer.
Start by closing the blinds during the day. If you are looking for a way to keep your house cooler during those hot summer days, before you leave for work close the blinds.
Keep doors and vents open. Our friends over at Rheem suggest you keep your doors and vents open to keep good airflow. When they are shut, your cooling system is working harder, and using more energy.
Maintain a healthy heating and cooling system. If you haven’t check out our maintenance articles, it acts as a checklist for you to make sure you heating and cooling systems are ready for our Midwest weather. You know, when spring is in the air, but we get 6″ of heavy snow on April 1st? Yes, that Midwest weather we all know and love. In short, remember to change your furnace filters, and schedule tune-ups in the spring to prepare for these hot summer days.
Adjust your ceiling fans! A good rule of thumb is to set your ceiling fans to rotate counterclockwise during the summer to push the cool air down.
When you need support, we can help. Warners’ Stellian has experienced Heating & Cooling specialists ready to provide the home solutions you need to live comfortably. There is never a good time for your A/C to go out, but we make it stress-free for you. Learn more about our air conditioner repair.
Read more about heating and cooling resources on our blog.
Holiday Prep Guide
All Warners’ Stellian wants for Christmas is to make sure your appliances are in working order for the rise in cooking and baking that will be happening! So we created a holiday kitchen prep guide to help.
Don’t Self-Clean Your Oven
You may remember our 10 Kitchen Tips for Thanksgiving blog, which still rings true. However, if you are prepping to cook for Thanksgiving, skip the self-clean function and take the extra steps to clean manually. To quote our Easy Oven Cleaning Tips blog post, “Self-clean ovens have a setting that allows it to reach very high temperatures and burn leftover food mess into ashes.” What we have seen is people during the holiday season clean their oven, but their oven can’t take the heat – literally. Putting our customers in a tough spot needed a new range or repair appointment before turkey day.
Change Your Water Filter
To start your holiday prep, every six months you should change the water filter in your refrigerator. The build-up from minerals in your water can stop your fridge from working. If your water dispenser stopped working when was the last time you changed the filter? Not to mention, your guest probably wants to drink fresh-tasting water.
Clean Your Dishwasher… and the Filter
It might come as a surprise for some, but your dishwasher has a filter that needs to be cleaned frequently, depending on how often you use your dishwasher. We talk a lot on our social media sites (insert shameless plug here – Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or yes, even TikTok), where we show where to find your filter, clean it, and the benefits of cleaning it which helps keep your dishwasher running smoothly. Also using a cleaning aid can help rinse the hard water build-up and remove bad odors and bacteria.
Furnace Maintenance
Furnace maintenance might be over looked, but being proactive helps prevent future problems. The last thing we want is your furnace to go out while hosting guests! Make sure your filter is changed, get a tune up, and you might find our furnace checklist blog post helpful.
Vacuuming
It’s true! When you are excited about solid vacuum lines and getting a new vacuum that gets all the pet hair you didn’t know even existed… you’ve reached adulthood. All jokes aside, running the vacuum is a core piece in preparing for guests, but having one that truly picks up all the pet hair, dust, and food crumbs makes this chore more enjoyable. If you are in the market for a new one, you might want to click here.
What happens if you are in the middle of your holiday prep and something happens to your appliances? Don’t worry, we have a handful of options for you to get ahold of us. While our stores are closed on Thanksgiving day, you can head to our website and schedule a repair.
Appliance Tips to Maximize Your Kitchen
Carla Warner visited KARE 11 News@4 to share some tips for making the most of your most-used kitchen appliances.
In case you missed us, here are those tips:
Microwave Tips
1. To get rid of that popcorn smell or other odors, squeeze a lemon into a bowl of water and boil it in the microwave it for several minutes. Allow the bowl to cool before opening the microwave door and then wipe down the interior with a soft cloth.
2. Take advantage of different power levels. Most people only cook using 100% of the microwave’s power and just nuke everything. But you can effectively use your microwave to soften and melt gently, too. To quickly soften butter, cook 1 stick for 1 minute on 10% power level.
Refrigerator Tips
1. A small amount of condensation on the fridge or freezer is normal, especially during humid weather and summer vacation. If you see more condensation than normal, check the seal (or gasket) for any obstructions and clear them. If there aren’t any, try moistening the gasket with Vaseline by rubbing a thin layer on the seal where it meets the cabinet of the fridge. This should create a stronger, air-tight seal.
2. Use refrigerator space wisely. Brands might create the perfect space for gallon-jug storage on your refrigerator door, but consider how quickly you will use highly perishable foods (like milk) before storing them here. Why? Consider the temperature fluctuations of this region of the refrigerator. Accordingly, produce like broccoli, asparagus and apples benefit from colder temperatures located near the rear, while corn and berries — for example — benefit from the warmest spot in the refrigerator, so choose those for the front. (Alternatively, fresh herbs like basil thrive in slightly warmer-than-fridge temperatures, so I keep mine in the door!)
3. Use your crisper. Those clear drawers in your fridge aren’t just for convenience. Many models allow you adjust the humidity of your crisper drawers to suit their contents. Consult your use & care manual for specifics on your model, but in general, separate your fruits from vegetables and set humidity to high for green, leafy vegetables and low for fruits and vegetables with skins. Meats should be colder – often just above freezing – so keep them in your deli drawer, which is usually designed to stay colder.
Range Tips
1. Keep your burner caps and drip pans clean. Maintaining a tidy cook surface isn’t just about impressing company. Dirty surfaces don’t reflect heat as well as polished surfaces, thus wasting energy and potentially your time. We sell range top cleaner made specifically for cooking surfaces that will help you keep your range or cooktop looking – and cooking – well.
2. Match pots and pans to the size of your burners. Unless you’re using an induction cooktop or range, you’re heating a lot of air while you try to heat your food. For instance, induction cooking – which only heats the cooking vessel and not the air – is 20% more efficient than electric and 70% more efficient than gas. To lessen energy loss, choose the appropriate-sized pot or pan for the size of burner you’re cooking on (i.e. don’t put a 1-qt saucepan on a ginormous “power burner”).
3. Cover your pots while boiling water. When you think about it, it makes no sense to boil water in an uncovered pot. Using a cover helps water boil faster while creating pressure and preventing evaporation.
What are your best appliance tips and tricks? Share them in the comments section below!