Pro Tip – The Real Estate Beat

It’s a holiday morning and you get up before everyone else to start cooking in peace. You preheat your oven and start prepping your turkey. Then, “BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!” Followed by smoke and hastily awoken judgmental in-laws. “How could you have burned something already?” they demand. Although it’s noon somewhere, it’s too soon to crack open the wine. Luckily, this kind of stress can be easily avoided with a little pre-holiday oven and stove maintenance.

Oven

Determine if your oven door has a tight seal and that its hinges are strong

Loose seals or weak hinges on your oven door can lead to heat loss resulting in foods taking longer to cook or cooking unevenly. To check your oven, make sure it’s off and completely cool.

Open the oven door and locate the gasket that goes around the perimeter. Feel around for any warped, torn, or broken areas. Keep these areas in mind for the next step.
Heat your oven, and then place something that sizzles in the hot oven. Since oven seals are meant to hold in heat and sound, check the perimeter of your oven door paying particular attention to any suspected problem areas you found. If you hear crackling or feel more heat in the problem areas, this may mean your oven’s seal isn’t working well and may need replacement. Finally, push against the door and see if that reduces the heat and sound. If it does, this could indicate that your oven door’s hinges aren’t strong.

Check your oven’s internal light bulbs

If you find that at least one of the bulbs is burnt out, you can remove the bulb to determine replacement type, or refer to your owner’s manual for that information. Most oven bulbs are a universal 40 watt appliance bulb. Note: Do not turn on your oven light if there isn’t a light bulb in there.

Cleaning the inside of your oven

Self-Cleaning Ovens

Self-cleaning ovens work by raising the temperature inside the oven to a very high temperature for about two to four hours. This turns all the debris in the oven to ash. If your oven has a self-cleaning feature, refer to your owner’s manual for instructions. Do not clean the inside of a self-cleaning oven by any other method unless approved by the manufacturer or owners manual. If using the self-cleaning feature, use it a few days before you start your holiday cooking. This process can make your house smell and possibly set of your smoke alarms.

Non-Self-Cleaning Ovens

Most standard oven cleaners will get the job done. A more natural way of cleaning your oven is to use baking soda and vinegar. First, make sure that everything in the oven is removed, including the oven racks. Then, in a bowl, make a paste by combining baking soda and water. Use an abrasive pad to rub the paste all over the inside of the oven. Gently spray vinegar over the pasted surface and allow to fizz. This will loosen the debris, so you can scrub it all away.

Stove

Clean or replace all vent filters over your stove

Metal-mesh grease filters can either be washed by hand with dish soap or can be placed in the dishwasher. If they’re made out of charcoal or paper, they should be replaced.

Clean the knobs

Use a damp rag with a little dish detergent. Replace the knobs if you’re no longer able to read what they say.

Cleaning the cooktop

Make sure you only use cleaning products appropriate for your cooktop material. Use with a soft, slightly moistened washcloth. Do not pour the product directly on the surface. Below are a couple of examples of home remedies: For a glass top stove, spray some white vinegar on a damp washcloth to remove any grease and debris. Then, lightly cover the surface with baking soda. Once that’s done, cover the entire cooktop with a warm damp towel. Let sit for about 15 minutes, then gently scrub removing all the baking soda. You can go over the stove again with the white vinegar for finishing. To clean stove grates and drip pans, use gallon-size plastic zipper storage bags and ammonia. For each bag, fill halfway with ammonia and add one or two grates or one drip pan. Thoroughly seal the bag. Let sit overnight or 8-12 hours. Rinse away the baked-on grime the next day. Whew! Now, you have a beautiful oven and stove that are a lot more likely to perform without incident for the holidays and days to come!

I read this article at: HERE

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Raise your hand if your drains are draining you! My hand is raised. My long hair is my worst enemy for my drains – so when I read this article – I had to share. Thanks for reading – Sabrina.

Have standing water in your shower or a clogged sink drain? It could be a lot easier than you think to get the water draining again. Here are a few things to try (besides harsh chemicals) to unclog a drain before you call the plumber.

Clearing a Clogged Kitchen Drain

If you’ve got a clogged kitchen sink, chances are, it’s caused by grease or food particles, or a combination of both.

1. Start by Boiling Water

If you’ve got a partially clogged sink, wait until all of the water drains and then carefully pour at least two quarts of very hot or boiling water (hot tap water won’t do it) down the drain. Repeat if it doesn’t work the first time.

2. Get out the Plunger

If hot water doesn’t work, it’s time to try a plunger–a standard cup plunger works best. If you have a double kitchen sink, seal the second drain with a stopper or wet cloth. Otherwise, the plunger will simply send the water up into the second sink instead of down the drain pipe.

If necessary, fill the sink with enough water to cover the bottom of the plunger. Place the plunger over the drain, and make sure there is a good seal against the sink. Work plunger straight up down and up in quick strokes to clear the clog.

Clearing a Clogged Bathroom Drain

Your bathroom sink, tub, or shower drain is typically clogged by hair, along with residue from soap and personal care products like shaving cream. Before you try to clear the clog, first check if the drain has a pop-up stopper. If it does, you will likely need to remove it.

Start with the same steps as clearing a kitchen sink drain: use very hot water, and then a plunger. If the sink is still clogged or drains slowly, you might want to try a “hair snare” type of drain-cleaning tool. These inexpensive plastic tools are long (about 20”) thin strips with teeth or barbs that you can use to snag clogged debris or hair.

Drain Still Clogged?

If all else fails, it may be time to call the plumber.

Keep Drains Clog Free

As with many home maintenance tasks, a little prevention can go a long way to help keep your drains clog free.

For Kitchen Sinks

Never put fats, oil, or grease down the drain.
Wipe or scrape excess fat or grease from pots and pans into the garbage.
Don’t put food waste down the drain.
Pouring very hot water down your sink several times a month can help reduce build-up.
Know what’s OK to put in the garbage disposal.

For Bathroom Sink and Showers

Use a hair filter or drain catcher in bathroom drains. They are inexpensive and really work to keep hair out of the drain. There are numerous types that will fit different tub and shower drains and covers.

I read this article at: Home Warranty by FirstAm