Tips To Save On Appliances

[jeffrey]

1. Extended warranties on appliances are rarely worth the cost, especially if the manufacturer offers a 90-day or 1-year warranty. The cost of an extended warranty is almost always higher than the cost of replacing or fixing an appliance if there's a problem with it.

2. If you are in the market to buy a gas oven or range, purchase one with an automatic electric ignition system. An electric ignition saves gas since there is not a pilot light continuously burning.

3. If you have a light odor coming from your garbage disposal, put 10 to 20 ice cubes down it every two weeks or so. Ice will sharpen the blades and break up grease and residue in the disposal saving you the cost of having to perfume over the smell.

4. If your dishes aren't getting clean in your dishwasher, check the dishwasher screen on the inside. Food particles can build up and plug the screen which blocks water from the pump and keeps your dishes from getting clean.

5. Instead of turning off the oven when you take your dish out, turn it off several minutes before the dish is completely done. The remaining heat in the oven will finish the cooking.

6. Leaky toilets account for more than 10% of water usage in the US. To find out if yours is leaking, put a little non-staining coloring in the water tank which will show whether water is leaking from the tank into the bowl.

7. Newer washers use only about 40 percent of the energy models that are 10 years old use. Replacing an older appliance can save a significant amount in energy costs and end up paying for itself.

8. Protect and prolong the plastic gasket on your refrigerator by taking a thin coat of Vaseline and putting it all the way around. This will make the gasket more pliable so you won't lose as much air and the refrigerator will run more efficiently.




9. Save money and wear on your clothes by using a third of the recommended amount of laundry detergent. Detergent is hard on clothes and builds up in the machine. One-third the recommended amount should still get your clothes clean.

10. Take advantage of ENERGY STAR labels when purchasing appliances. ENERGY STAR is a government sponsored program created to help consumers identify energy-efficient appliances and products.

11. Test your refrigerator door seals by closing the door over a dollar bill so it is hanging half in and half out. If you are able to pull the bill out easily, you need to adjust the latch or the seal may need replacing. Putting a thin coat of Vaseline along the seal may also help.

12. When given a choice, use your microwave in place of your oven. A microwave costs around five cents per hour to operate while a standard oven runs about 11 cents per hour.

13. When purchasing appliances, check for display models that may have minor dents or scratches since these are usually discounted. If you find an appliance that has minor surface damage, ask for a discount.

14. When using the oven to bake, don't open the door more than necessary. Opening the door wastes energy and increases the cooking time of the dish being made.

15 You can freshen the air in your entire house without buying costly air fresheners by simply squeezing a few drops of fresh lemon or orange into the dust bag of your vacuum cleaner.

[Caima]

Hello!

Where can I find the screen in a dishwasher? I've never seen one in mine but maybe I just don't know what it looks like!
Thanks!
Mara

[sdc2027]

Roll out the bottom shelf and you will find it in the middle bottom- atleast that is where mine is.

[acezz4e_tish]

i think the cost of cookin varies on what you cook with in the microwave. circulation for food is as important as it is to you, using round containers with feet on the bottom will cook quicker and more evenly w/o corners to burn. i was also told at a tupperware class, that cooking 100 hrs in the microwave costs 3 dollars vs 75 for a stove for 100 hrs. and the nutrients are higher in a container with a lid for the microwave. the steam dont escape which is the nutrients leaving the food. tupperware has a product for 20 dollars thats round, has feet has a lid and a steamer plate in it. i think its worth the investment.

[Randy]

This may be somewhat off-topic, but there are risks associated with cooking in any plastic. The plastic leaches into the food and can mimic estrogen and cause medical issues.

[cercis]

So the only way to check the screen is to pull out the dishwasher? Any other way? The dishwasher is really in there - she added ceramic tile after it was installed. I have no idea how we will replace it.

[acezz4e_tish]

Originally Posted by Randy

This may be somewhat off-topic, but there are risks associated with cooking in any plastic. The plastic leaches into the food and can mimic estrogen and cause medical issues.

my teacher had cancer and was taught marcobiotics for healthier living. i feel your observation is too broad, some plastics are made just for cooking and wouldnt be allowed to sell as a microwave safe product if it were not safe to use. another item some may not know
now these days they make those colored over white glass dishes for cooking in the oven, they have clear glass lids, most of them are oblong shaped. they used to be exclusive to hospital use, and they were not made for cooking. i seen people selling these at garage sales that they stole while in the hospital and such. these are origanally made for chemology use only. thats where they test your bodily fluids and functions for cancer remition. i only use in my microwave, stuff made for cooking in the microwave. i dont believe your comment about all plastic, im sure tupperware has marketing paperwork to show on this issue. and how thier products are made differently and safe for use. ill be looking for it, if and when i find it i will post it.

[Randy]

A recent report about 'microwave safe' plastics and links to diabetes:
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060121/fob4.asp

Here is an article describing how PVCs mimic estrogen
http://www.anapsid.org/cnd/hormones/sabotage3.html

The link between plastics and breast cancer, alluded to in the article above, more clearly spelled out here:
http://www.fwhc.org/health/xeno.htm

And, BTW, you don't have to cook with plastic to have it leach -- running water through PVC piping has been shown to give off enough PVC to cause acceleration of breast tissue growth (a leading prognisticator for breast cancer).

Check out http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/

I'll try not to go on a rant, but breast cancer rates in women have gone from 1 in 20 in 1950 to 1 in 8 today. Yet most research money is spent on better chemotherapuetic agents and genetic factors with environmental causes getting little attention. I am not an expert, but my hunch is that women today aren't significantly genetically different than they were 50 years ago.
BTW, Zeneca, the company that funds the Think Pink breast cancer campaign makes 100's of millions of dollars in the manufacture of plastic.

[Amorphous02]

What is the FDA doing about this? More importantly, shouldnt the NCI and EPA get involved? Foodgrade plastics are good for temporary storage. TV dinners are packaged in trays that might not be all that safe at 400F.
Not using plastics to nuke food is one thing, but unknowingly ingesting carcinogens....
Good topic, if tangential!

[Amorphous02]

Pyrex glass seems to be a safer alternative. Even Aluminium Foil is unsafe. People use it to bake, on grills and to keep food warm in display units with a high voltage bulb.

[ScrimpAndSave]

Great tips...thanks!