Two or three times a year an icon will shine on my Prius's dashboard, reminding me that it's time to have the engine's oil changed. Whereas once upon a time we were told to change our oil every 3,000 miles or so, today's engines wait until the oil needs to be changed, and then notifies you. Pretty cool, yes?
As we work our way through the Twenty-First century (or the beginning of the Third Millenium if you have a wider perspective) so many recent technological breakthroughs are now taken for granted, without the "Wow!" factor they probably deserve. Online shopping, Zoom meetings, streaming videos, texting vs. calling, ete.; we all now live in a very tech-assisted world.
So if my car can tell me when it's time to change the oil, why can't our appliances provide similar services?
Actually, we are starting to scratch the surface in a few instances.
For example, some dryers will notify you when the lint filter is clogged (I'll come back to the lint filter in a moment.) French Door and side-by-side refrigerators include a consumable water filter and turn on a panel light when it's time to change the water filter. (Truth be told, that light isn't as tech-oriented as my car's oil change icon - it's usually just a timer!) Stoves and other appliances sometimes have Bluetooth capability which can tell you, for example, that your clothes are done washing or your oven is preheated. And while we haven't reached the point where a computer or robot can put the lasagna in the oven, or move your clothes from washer to dryer, at least we can be told when it's time to get off the couch, put our phone down, and attend to our chore!
So, until the day when our appliances can completely take over these day-to-day necessary chores such as cooking and cleaning, we still have to occasionally attend to their care and maintenance ourselves.
I'm going to share some helpful hints on some of the more important things you can do to get the most out of your appliances.
First: Cleaning your dishwasher trap.
(Full disclosure: This chore is first on the list at my wife's, umm, "suggestion".)
The most important thing here is to actually clean the trap!! Older American dishwashers used what was essentially a mini-disposal to chop, grind, and flush out debris. Today almost all dishwashers utilize a filter trap system which European-based models have used for decades.
It's really not that difficult: It just takes a couple of minutes to perform this; I'll even save you the Google search:
Clean the filter under warm water to remove loose particles. If it's stained or has stuck-on debris, you can use mild dish soap and a brush or sponge to gently scrub the mesh filter for a thorough clean. This helps remove stubborn food particles and can even help get rid of hard water stains.
As to the question "how often?", once every month is reccommended. If the dishes start to feel gritty after washing, you may want to check and clean the filter sooner. Personally, we clean ours at least twice a month.
Second: Your dryer vent.
Talk to a fireman (or fireperson) and ask them about fires started by dirty lint filters. Each person in this profession I've spoken with has a story, usually not a happy story, about house fires that can be traced back to a dirty, clogged, lint filter.
Please realize! Lint is flammable!
How often should you change your vent hose? It depends. At home my tube stretches out about 13' from dryer to the outside with a slow, gradual downward slope. I change this hose completely every other year. For a more common setup, one in which the tube is only a few feet long, you don't have to replace as often.
You should still clean your setup regularly; twice a year should be sufficient. As to the "how to", I'll refer to Bob Vila's advice:
Here's the simple answer, courtesy of BobVila.com:
- Unplug the dryer.
- Detach the dryer vent hose from the wall.
- Remove and clean the hose and vent cover.
- Reattach the hose and clean the exterior vent.
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