Bugs of Summer: Fleas, Lice, Ticks and Bed Bugs

Can Your Washer & Dryer Get Rid of These Pests? 

One of the things we always love about summer is going out and exploring. New experiences, new cities, new friends and new foods! We even love bringing back souvenirs. What we don’t like to bring back are tiny bitey things that nest in our clothes, our bed or our hair. Fleas, lice, ticks and bed bugs are some of the worst travel companions you can pick up in the summer. While most of us take precautions, sometimes those precautions fail, and you wind up having to get rid of one or many of the little bugs. 

For many of us the first answer is to toss everything into hot water in the washer and then run it through the dryer. But is that always the best answer? Let’s take a look together. 

Courtesy of  Egor Kamelev

Can Your Washer or Dryer Kill Fleas?

Fleas are six-legged wingless creatures that will go after your pets if given half a chance. They love to live in warm, humid areas that are mostly undisturbed. So your pet and their bedding is ideal! An adult female can lay as many as 50 eggs in a single day, and live up to 100 days when left alone. While they won’t live on humans, they can jump up to 13 inches, which means they can easily transfer to you and start to bite on you as well as your pet. 

What are you to do then? Will showering yourself and your pet then throwing all of your soft goods into the washer and dryer solve the problem? No, but it is a good place to start. The hot water in your washer will clean the bugs and any eggs out of your clothes, bedding and all the rest. If you’ve just gotten home from travelling and noticed the problem, go ahead and wash everything you took with you on your trip, and give your pet a good combing and treatment with a flea dip.  If you’re lucky, you’ve caught the problem in time and don’t have anything else to worry about. 

If that doesn’t solve the problem, or if it’s been a few days and you’re just noticing the issue, plus “flea dirt” around the house, you’ll need to kick things up. Start with the same steps as before, wash everything, and especially your pet. Now start on a deep clean. Take your pets outside  and  move all of your furniture around. This gets rid of any hidden areas and exposes them to light and the vacuum you’re going to be grabbing. Now vacuum down everything. If you can’t wash it, vacuum it. When you’re done, either throw away the bag or thoroughly clean the container. Vacuuming is more than just cleaning in this case, you’re also attacking any larvae that are in their coocoons. The  cocoons are resistant to insecticides, so now you can go back through your home and spray things down with the appropriate pet and human safe chemicals, knowing that you’ve gotten rid of them. 

You will need to repeat these steps every other day, for at least 10 days, possibly up to a month, in order to get rid of the infestation, depending on the severity. Make sure to wash your pet’s bedding every week as well. 

Short answer: No, your washer and dryer alone won’t kill all of your fleas, but it will cut out a large portion of the problem. 

Can Lice Be Killed By Your Washer or Dryer? 

Lice - Courtesy of Egor Kamelev 

Lice are another six-legged menace. Lice, unlike fleas, don’t jump. You don’t have to worry about them leaping from person to person, but you do need to worry about them crawling. It’s why lice can go through an elementary school or daycare like wildfire. Fortunately, the CDC has said that head lice don’t survive for long off the human head. 

So, if you had one of the children in your life accidentally bring lice into your home, are you to get rid of it? In this case? Yes, your washer and dryer can kill almost everything.

If the issue is restricted to the bed, this will be the easiest scenario. Start by stripping the bed, down to the bare mattress. Toss everything that can be washed directly into the washer and run it on hot water and then high heat for at least 45 minutes. If it’s something delicate, like that embroidered case from your great-grandmother? It’s ok, just toss it into the dryer and run it for 45 minutes. The heat is what is going to kill the louse and the nits. Everything that can go through one of these two steps can be used immediately afterward. 

Anything that cannot be washed or dried on high heat, stuff it into a garbage bag. These are going to sit for 10 days.  

This is, unfortunately, going also to include your mattress, but you’ll need to do one more step before that. Take your vacuum and go carefully over every inch of it. Any creases, folds or other places that a louse can hide or burrow need to be gone over before you put it into the bag.

After 10 days, you can vacuum everything again and hopefully have gotten rid of your very unwelcome guests. If not, repeat the process as needed, and inspect other soft surfaces around your home as the potential cause of the re-infestation. 

Short Answer: Yes! Your washer and dryer can kill lice, although it shouldn’t be the only step you take in getting rid of them. 

Will Your Washer or Dryer Kill Ticks? 

Ticks Courtesy of Erik Karits

For those of you who regularly venture outdoors, we hear you. We know ticks are *technically* around all year. However, they do tend to be the *most* active between April and September. While these 8 legged beasties can carry some dangerous diseases, you don’t have to confine yourself inside during the warmer months, even in Texas. You can protect yourself, your pets and your home rather easily. Fortunately, most of them cannot survive and reproduce indoors, according to experts.  So your goal is how to get rid fo them if you have you have brought one or more in with you. 

To start with, check yourself and your pets as soon as you get home. Look under arms and legs, behind ears (or inside them for your fuzzy friends), inside your belly button, between your legs and in your hair.  After that, hit the showers. If you’ve been to an area that you know is likely to have ticks, but they didn’t latch on, a shower is a great way to get rid of them. 

What about your clothes, though? For that, toss them in the dryer first on a high heat setting for at least 10 minutes. The high heat not only kills the ticks, it also kills off any young. Since ticks prefer areas with high humidity, not only will they not like the inside of your home, they really won’t like your dryer. If you went camping, you should be able to check the labels and do the same to your backpacks and gear as well.  From here you can wash your clothing as normal and pack away your outdoor gear like you usually would.  

Short Answer: Yes! Your dryer can kill any ticks in your clothing or camping gear, although it should still be paired with prep-work before you go out and careful checks once you come home.  

Are Bed Bugs Killed In Your Washer or Dryer? 

Bed Bugs  Courtesy of  Pixabay

Our final pest is bed bugs. Just thinking about staying in a hotel with them is enough to make you shiver. And don’t think that just because you prefer the nicest hotels means you’re safe. It’s not agree that very few cases of outbreaks are coming from hotels, the vintage ottoman you just picked up, might be a different matter.  Many items like clothing, boxes and secondhand furniture can be a source of bed bug infestations, as they enjoy hiding anywhere people are.  

That’s why it’s not how clean your house is that is going to protect you, it’s being careful about treating things that come into your home. 

If you or someone in your home is waking up with bitchy red bites, especially under their clothes, it could be bed bugs. 

Your first step is going to be to call professionals. Not only do you need to confirm that it’s bed bugs, but you also need to squash the problem as quickly as possible. The longer you wait, the more the bugs can spread within your home, and if you wait too long, outside of it. 

Make sure to get written estimates from anyone you’re considering. They should be licensed experts, able to offer you a written plan of what pesticides they intend to use, what traps or heat treatments and how they’ll use it. While you can purchase over the counter pesticides, they are dangerous to use without proper guidance and it’s unlikely that you’ll be successful on your own. 

When talking to a company, ask all of the questions. A good company will answer them, and a company that won’t answer or tries to pressure you into setting an appointment, is a company you can weed out.  Always ask them about their success rater and if their treatment comes with a guarantee. If it doesn’t, or if they say you don’t need one, that’s another company weeded out of consideration. 

While you’re waiting on the professionals, there’s still plenty you can do, unless you want to burn everything and start from scratch as one of our team suggested. 

Start by sorting anything that’s infested, bedding or clothing, into clean plastic bags. Sort them based on how they need to be washed, and also include a dry-clean only pile.  Then wash and dry everything at the hottest temperature the material can handle. 

While some bugs will die thanks to a dip in your washer, it’s going to be the dryer that kills them. You’ll need at least 60 minutes in the dryer to get rid of them when it comes to the items that you can wash. 

After they’re dried, put everything into fresh clean bags, and do not remove them until the infestation is successfully eliminated.

Thoroughly vacuum everything. Rugs, floors, furniture, beds, any and all cracks and crevices. By cutting down on your existing population, you’re cutting down on the number that can bite you or repopulate. After you’re done vacuuming, put all of the bags or debris into a tightly sealed bag and put it into an outside garbage bin. 

Now it’s time to search all of your furniture. Again, you’re looking for cracks, crevasses, or places that don’t otherwise see much light, like the sides of your mattress or behind the headboard. Don’t forget about inside the beds as well. Look for black stains, blood and fecal matter from the 8 legged biters, discarded skins and the bugs themselves. 

When the professionals have come and done their thing, follow any and all directions that they have, and enjoy having your home free of pests again. 

Short Answer: Nope. Washing alone will not get rid of a bed bug infestation. However it is a very important step in the process. 

Have you encountered any of these summer bugs? How did you handle getting rid of them? Did we miss a step? Let us know over on our Facebook Page. 

Three out of four of our summer bugs can be killed in the washer and dryer, but what if your washer or dryer aren’t functioning properly? That is where we come in. While we can’t protect you from fleas, ticks, bed bugs or lice, Appliance Rescue Service can ensure that your washer and dryer are working properly. You can call us ((214) 599-0055) or go to our contact page to set up an appointment that works with your schedule. We’ll work with you to find the best time to send one of our experts to diagnose and solve the issue. At Appliance Rescue Service, getting your home running smoothly is our priority. 

Places to Avoid: The Paw Version!

Or, Appliances That Your Pets Need to Stay Away From

Appliance Rescue Service has been taken over by the pets! This week we (Murder Mittens the cat and Odie the dog) are talking about our favorite places in the house, the appliances! They offer warm, and cold and food, we can't forget the food! 

Courtesy of Gomez Daniel

Washer

MM: I don't understand why the humans use this one it removes their scent, and then they have ti put it all over things again.  They put their clothes in, the clothes get wet, and then they move them over to another rumbly. 

O: And! They yell at you when you get them wet any other time, even though they also have the rain room that they go into.

MM: That is the bathroom. They put my litterbox in there as well. The wet machine is nice to lay on when it rumbles, but you're right on them griping about getting wet. 

O: I don't like the way everything smells,  but I love watching the clothes tumble round and round.

MM: Of course you do.

Dryer 

O: I hate this one more than the wet machine. It smells and it's hot. 

MM: As usual you have no taste. This one is perfect to curl up inside of when the humans have removed their clothes. You just have to make sure you don't stay in there when they put the clothes back. 

Courtesy of RaGeBe

O: Wait is it that where you go when I want to play?

Oven

O: It's the hot food box!  Humans like to put their food in and then they take it out later and it's a warm and I don't get why they put it in there to make it warm because it's just as good cold but sometimes if you're fast enough you can steal food from it! 

MM: Or if you wait for the right moment you can steal food from it and take a nap inside the warm. It's too hot sometimes, but that is why you are supposed to wait. 

O: And we're not going to talk about how you got your tail singed the one time.

MM: Not if you don't want me telling Ralph where you hid your bone.

Dishwasher 

O: This is my favorite! This one has all of the smells and food, almost every day! 

MM: Yes but the humans always yell at you for standing on it. Whereas I can stand on it and not get caught.

O: And that is just one more reason that I steal your kibble when you're not looking. Anyway, the humans put in the food dishes, and they still have food on them. They don't even lick their dishes clean! And then the machine makes lots of noise and spits steam everywhere - 

MM: Which is the best time to lay on the counter above it.

O: And then when they open it there's no more food! Why do they feed the food to the machine and not to me!

Stove

O: This one is tough Murder Mittens. On one hand, the humans make food up there, lots of food.

MM: On the other hand, even if you can get up to the food, you never know if it's safe.

O: Exactly! It looks like it's the rest of the kitchen but sometimes it's hot and sometimes it's not and sometimes there's fire according to Ralph down the street.

Courtesy of elina-volkova

MM: You trust the Chihuahua? He barks at his own shadow.

O: You have a point. Maybe his has fire but ours doesn't?

Refrigerator

O: The cold box! There is so much food in here and the humans just leave it in there and stare in front of the food as if they expect it to do something. I know the food is dead when they put it in there so why do they stare at it? 

MM: You expect me to be able to explain the humans?

O: No it just doesn't make sense. Anyway this one is also great during the hot months if you're sneaky you can get in there and eat the food and be cold all of the best things in one spot.

Courtesy of luca andrade

MM: As much as I hate it, I have to agree. There's food, there's tight spaces to curl up in, and it is cool when it is unbearably hot outside.

Freezer

O: This one is frustrating. On one hand it's nice and cold when it's hot outside. I love this box. On the other hand it smells like food but everything's frozen and hard definitely not food it's so cruel for the humans to do this. And then they yell at you when you want to stay in there and they put wet things on you. 

MM: The wet things. Perhaps the humans think you don't bathe yourself I certainly don't. As to the cold box, I believe the humans put things here so that they are food for longer like hiding one of your treats so that you can eat it later. 

O: But who would they hide it from? It's not like with my treats and you're going to eat them later. 

A final note from the People of Appliance Rescue Service: Although this has been phrased in a rather light-hearted way these are all places that you want to keep your pets out of for their safety and for the longevity of your appliances. In the event of your pets getting into one of your appliances and you being unable to get them out please make sure to call your vet first and a second. While we love our pets as much as the next person, we are much better at fixing appliances than we are animals. If you want to reach out to us about your appliances, you can reach out to us at ((214) 599-0055) or by heading to our contact page. 

Appliance Deep Dive Round Up

Putting It All Together To See What Makes Appliances Tick

Appliances might not be the most interesting topic in the world, but they are a basic part of the American home. They make our lives easier, most of the time. According to Merriam-Webster, “ an appliance is a device or piece of equipment designed to perform a specific task, typically a domestic one.”  Over the last year we’ve broken down every major appliance in the home, to go deep into what makes the different appliances work and what matters. 

Each of the posts covers the important parts of their appliances. How do the appliances work? What sort of variations are there? What are the differences that are important to know if you’re looking to purchase? What features would you expect to find? So that’s the way each one works. We want to highlight the different posts, make them easier to find, and most importantly, show off something from each of them that might be of interest. 

All About the Refrigerator 

Let’s start off looking at the 5 major styles of refrigerators. When it comes to refrigerators you’ve got freezerless refrigerators, top freezers, bottom freezers, side by sides, and french doors.  Even though the first three are listed by the location or lack of a freezer, they are still refrigerators. Why are they listed by the freezer then? Probably because they’re still refrigerators without much of a change. Even the Side by Sides and the French Door refrigerators are most defined by how they’re set up rather than any change in what they do. While that might seem odd, it’s because refrigerators don’t grow by leaps and bounds in terms of food storage. They grow by tiny moments, small improvements to how long food stays good. So the biggest factor for you as a home owner, is how you want them to look. 

All About the Freezer

The freezer is both very similar and yet very different from the refrigerator. It doesn’t change much from one year to another, but instead, it slowly improves how long food can be kept. Changes to a lack of frostbite or lack of ice building up, they’re great! But overall, the freezer doesn’t change much in terms of its function. Instead, how the freezer is set up is what changes. For the freezer, your types are the portable freezer, a chest freezer,  an upright freezer, and drawer freezers. 

All About the Oven

Ovens are fantastic and have been for quite some time. The earliest ovens have been found in 29,000 BC. The varieties we have now are many, and the features are even more plentiful. We have gas and electric ovens, we have convection ovens, and steam ovens as well.  Our favorite feature though is a toss up between the warming drawer and the steam clean function. No matter how many times we fix ovens that have that feature we have to be grateful for it. 

All About the Stove 

  When it comes to the stove, everyone knows about gas stoves and electric stoves. The fights between the chefs will continue for ages yet, but for us, we love the induction stove. The fact that it’s nigh on impossible to be burned by the stove now is a fantastic thing. We also love that many stoves also offer continuous grates, which is wonderful for making breakfast foods of all sorts. After all, who doesn’t love breakfast? 

All About the Dishwasher

For dishwashers the types you might have include built-in, drawer, portable, countertop and integrated. Dishwashers are constantly changing though and offering new tools and techniques to make them better. When researching this we found that our favorite feature was the sensor wash.  This one feature makes it much easier to manage your water bill, and only uses the amount that’s needed to clean the dishes. 

All About the Washer

We’re tempted to say that the best part of the article is adding ‘laundry’ to the list of things that are consistent in life, but that would be a rather morose thought. Instead, for us it was learning about the existence of washer-dryer combinations. It’s not an efficient machine. It’s not an easy to use machine. The fact that it exists though, is where any appliance starts, as it can’t get better if it doesn’t exist yet. 

All About the Dryer 

And finally we have dryers. There are so many different types of dyers. They can all be said to do the same thing, but how they go about it? That’s wildly different. You’ve got gas dryers and electric dryers, but that’s just the power source. More important are the heat pump condenser dryers which use a technique similar to a refrigerator to make a dryer work many times more efficiently than the dryers any of us grew up with. 

And that’s that! If you’re looking to find out more about the options as of right now (2022) these are the posts to check out. Upgrades will come with time and we’ll update the page as well, diving in and letting you know what we’ve found as always. Let us know on Facebook or in the comments below, which article do you find the most useful? 

If instead you’re here because one of your appliances is making the holidays a nightmare, we can help with that! You can reach out to us on our contact page, or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). Even with the holidays, we’ll work with you to find a time that works best for you. At Appliance Rescue Service our goal is to get your home running smoothly again, whether it’s an oven that won’t stay lit, a dishwasher that isn’t draining or a dryer that’s squeaking.

What is the Most Energy Efficient Clothes Dryer?

The Top Energy Star Rated Dryer And 4 Others That Come Close!

We're back at it again, looking to find the most energy-efficient appliances for your home! This time we're looking at your dryer and seeing what we can come up with. We'll walk through the different types of dryers first, then what makes them efficient, followed by five of the most energy-efficient dryers on the market for 2022, and wrap up with tips for purchasing a new dryer or making your current one more efficient. 

Categories of Dryer 

Vented Dryers

Vented Dryers can be broken down into either gas or electric dryers, with both types working mostly the same.  Both contain a heating element that raises the temperature of the air inside the dryer drum. The moisture that then evaporates from the clothes is vented out through aluminum ducts. 

Ventless Dryers 

These dryers are better for smaller spaces like apartments and tiny homes. Instead of having built-in ducts, They contain all of the heat and moisture inside of the machine. The water can be drained out of a reservoir later and should be done between loads for best use. 

Condenser

A condenser dryer is different from both of the previous models in that it pumps out the water.  It starts by pulling air in from outside the machine and over the heating elements, which then gets pumped into the drum of the dryer. The air is then pulled back out as cooled air, which gets condensed further into water and is pumped out. This process is repeated until the end of the process. 

Heat Pump Condenser

Our final variety of dryer is a heat pump condenser. These are even more efficient than any of the previous options using about 1/2 of the energy that they require.  A heat pump condenser is different because it uses a refrigerant system with both hot and cold coils. Instead of consistently drawing in air the way a condenser does, it keeps the air internal and constantly heats and cools It as needed to remove moisture from the air.  That water is then drained into a holding tank in the dryer that you empty as needed. 

For people who wash a lot of laundry and have high electricity rates, a heat pump condenser is a great choice because of how energy efficient it is. 

Ratings according to Energy Star 

How do you tell, though, when something is efficient vs. when it's not? When it comes to clothes dryers, you're going to be looking at a term we've seen in one of our other articles, Combined Energy Factor. CEF is a measure of energy efficiency based on a couple of different factors, which, combined together, show how much the dryer is going to be affecting your energy bill. The higher the CEF, the more efficient the dryer is. 

Top 5 Energy-Efficient Dryers According to Energy Star for 2022

1- Beko - HPD24414W 

Electric Standard Ventless - Heat Pump

Combined Energy Factor (CEF)Field details:11.0

Drum Capacity (cu-ft):4.5

Estimated Annual Energy Use (kWh/yr):217

Optisense Technology

Internal smart sensors allow you to choose how dry you want your clothes and will stop the dryer when that level of dryness is detected

16 Programs

Unique drying cycles that include: Permanent Press, Delicates, Gentle Care, Express 45, Wools, Jeans, Silent, Super Quick 30, and even Baby Sanitize

2- Blomberg - DHP24404W

Electric Standard Ventless - Heat Pump

Combined Energy Factor (CEF): 11.0

Drum Capacity (cu-ft): 4.5

Estimated Annual Energy Use (kWh/yr): 217

Anti-Creasing Option

The gentle drum action of a Blomberg dryer separates and smooths out individual garments as they dry, so when the cycle finishes clothes come out wrinkle-free and ready to wear. 

Gentle Care

Blomberg's closed loop heat exchange system means the heat pump dryers use a circulating air temperature that is consistently 40 percent lower than conventional dryers. This gentle care helps keep all fabrics-even woolens-at their best and extend garment.

Quick Drying

An 8.45 lb. load will dry in less than one hour. They also save your clothes. Faster drying and cooler temperatures reduce friction and shrinkage for clothes that look their best and last longer.

Direct Draining

A calibrated water-level sensor identifies any deviation from the correct water level in the tank and automatically starts draining if the level is exceeded.

16 Drying Cycles

Choose between Automatic Regular/Delicate Cycle, Automatic Perm Press/Knits Cycle, and Air Fluff / no heat.

3- Miele - PDR908 HP 

Electric Standard Ventless - Heat Pump

Combined Energy Factor (CEF): 9.75

Drum Capacity (cu-ft): 4.6

Estimated Annual Energy Use (kWh/yr): 245

Honeycomb Drum

Less folding, easy finishing: Laundry is dried very gently and evenly in the honeycomb drum.

PerfectDry System

The Miele PerfectDry system dries garments perfectly.

Intelligent Dryers

Gentle and uniform drying thanks to intelligent technology.

Short Program Cycles

Premium commercial technology allows you to benefit from the shortest program cycles.

4- Asko - T411HS.W.U 

Electric Standard Ventless - Heat Pump

Combined Energy Factor (CEF): 9.1

Drum Capacity (cu-ft): 4.9

Estimated Annual Energy Use (kWh/yr): 263

Butterfly™ Drying System

The two paddles inside the machine gently push the clothing in a figure eight, to spread the garments out and allow air to circulate through them evenly.

Soft Drum™ Technology

The new drum design enhances airflow around the load, thereby increasing the drying effect and allowing for even and gentle drying with both small and large loads.

Air Lift™ Paddles

The Air Lift™ paddles are designed to lift the load as high as possible for increased time in the air flow to enhance the drying effect and shorten the drying time while preventing them from bundling.

Multi Filter System™

This is a filter system of five different filters that ensures that all lint and even smaller particles are trapped before they reach the sensitive inner parts of the tumble dryer.

Lint Trap™

The Lint Trap™ is placed in the door and is designed to be easy to empty and clean.

16 Programs

This dryer comes with 16 drying programs to choose from - Auto Extra Dry, Auto Dry, Auto Normal Dry, Auto Iron Dry, Jeans, Synthetic, Terry, Down, Bedding, Silk/Wool, Shirts, Steam Wrinkle Care, Steam Refresh, Quick Pro, Time, and Airing.

Drying Sensor

ASKO dryers with a sensor system will dry your clothes in the shortest possible time and with lowest possible energy consumption.

Steam Wrinkle Care

Repetitive steam injections and heat treatment to eliminate creases in the fabric. Low heat is used to also cater for sensitive fabrics.

Quick Pro Cycle

With this program, you can get your wash completely dry in less than an hour.

Mesh Filter

This filter traps slightly smaller particles than the Lint Trap™ and is automatically cleaned with water.

Foam Filter

As a final step before the air hits the condenser, the foam filter traps the

smallest dust particles.

Lint Cup

Models with a steam function have an additional small filter, the Lint Cup, that protects the steam generator from lint and dust.

65 dB(A) noise level

LCD display

Interior light

Remaining time and program end indicator

5- Samsung - DV53BB89**H*

Electric Standard Ventless - Heat Pump 

Combined Energy Factor (CEF): 8.5

Drum Capacity (cu-ft): 7.8

Estimated Annual Energy Use (kWh/yr): 281

AI Optimal Dry

Automatically chooses the best settings based on what you're drying

Super Speed Dry

Dry a full load in just 30 minutes and achieve a complete wash and dry in under an hour with an added Super Speed Washer

MultiControl™

Eliminate the long reach and operate your dryer right from your washer when the units are stacked

AI Smart Dial

Simplifies your dryer's control panel, learns and recommends your favorite cycles, and allows you to customize your cycle list, making laundry day a breeze

20 Dry Cycles

More cycles to cover almost every washing need for your active family

Sensor Dry

Automatically optimizes the time and temperature of your drying cycle to protect your clothes from heat damage while avoiding excess energy use.

Steam Sanitize+

Samsung Steam Sanitize+ cycle removes 95% of pollen from fabric, while Multi-Steam refreshes clothing and relaxes light wrinkles.

Wrinkle Prevent

It prevents clothes from getting wrinkled

Vent Sensor

Continuously monitors the condition of your dryer's air duct to make sure it's running safely and efficiently.

Drying Rack

The included drying rack provides a perfect place to dry delicate items, sweaters, and footwear gently.

As you can tell, all of these are Heat Pump, ventless, electric-powered dryers. The reason for this is that currently, those are the most efficient and effective models on the market. 

Tips for Energy-Efficient Dryers

If you're looking at buying a new dryer, look for one with these features: 

Sensors to Detect When Clothes Are Dry -Just what it says on the tin. If you make sure that the dryer is no longer running when the clothes are dry, you’re saving energy as well as saving your clothes from additional wear and tear.

Delayed Start- Make use of any time based discounts for energy in your area with a delayed start on your dryer.

Steam Cycle- This helps save you time on ironing or re-running the clothes to prevent or remove wrinkles.

Steam Cycles - Many ENERGY STAR dryers also include convenient features, such as a steam cycle that can help save time on ironing clothes by preventing wrinkles. 

If however you're looking to make the one, you already have more efficient, try these tips: 

-Dry your loads back to back.  Doing this means that the dryer doesn't have to heat up as much by comparison to letting it cool in between. 

- Separate out your lights and your heavier materials. If your dryer already has a sensor for when something is done, this is more effective. The point, though is that your lighter clothes (socks, pajamas, t-shirts etc) are going to dry much more quickly than your heavy materials like sheets, towels, & denims. Save yourself time and energy by separating them so that when you're waiting for a load to dry it's because everything is still drying, not just one or two items. 

-Don't overload the dryer.  If the clothes don't have a way to tumble around and have air circulating, then it's much harder for them to dry.  

-Make sure your dryer vent is regularly cleaned if you have one. Much like in our last tip, if the air cannot get out, the dryer has to work harder, and your electric bill is going to go higher. 

And that is our top five most energy-efficient dryers available on the market as of right now. What did you think? Were you helped more by the new dryers or the tips for improving your current dryer?  Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page! As always, we love to hear from you. 

If you're not looking to replace your dryer, it's just making weird rattling noises, we can help. You can reach out to us at ((214) 599-0055) or on our contact page. Wherever you live in the Dallas Metro area, we will work with you. At Appliance Rescue Service, our top goal is to get your home running smoothly again.  From Addison to Frisco, we're here for you. 

7 Areas to Clean Today to Prevent Home Disasters Tomorrow

Also known as: Seven areas to keep clean if you don't want a bigger mess.

Table of Contents

Gutters

Air Ducts 

Dryer Duct

Refrigerator Coils

Washer Filter

Dishwasher Filter

Shower Drain

The worst thing about washing machines is that they have to be cleaned. Most of us don’t even think about that. The problem is that by not doing so, you can end up with some horrible messes. Absolute disasters of messes if we’re being honest.  It’s not just your washing machine though, it’s also several other places around your home that need to be cleaned regularly to prevent a variety of disasters around the home. 

Gutters

When To Do It: Twice a year, best at the end of fall and spring. 

Why To Do It:  If your gutters aren't cleaned regularly, you will get a buildup of leaves and other debris. Not so big a deal, until that starts to rot in summer or freeze in winter. Then the gutters get heavier and over time will start to pull away from your house. Or they might just overflow in certain sections where you don't see it. Which if you're lucky, will lead to an overwatered section of your garden. If you're not lucky it can lead to a molded wall and destabilization of your home's foundation. 

How To Do It:  To put it simply, you'll want a three-step process. First, you want to go by eye to look for areas that are damaged or overflowing, or possibly pulling away from the roof. From there you'll need a ladder so that you can go ahead and dig everything out. Whether you're dealing with compacted leaves and debris or just some slight build-up, you'll want gloves and a  trashcan at least. Your final step is using a hose, to check that you've gotten everything cleaned out.  For a more in-depth guide, check out the additional reading at the bottom of the post. 

Air Ducts

 When To Do It: Every 3 to 5 years, fewer if you have pets that shed. 

Why To Do It : This one isn't as obvious a threat to your home.  For many of us it just means a little extra hair or dust floating in our homes. Over time though it can lead to mold, mildew, and fire hazard in your home. Which can sound weird. Mold, mildew and a potential fire hazard? Yup. During the wetter times, air can become trapped in the ducts and the build-up, leading to mold and mildew spreading throughout the ducting system and your home. During dry seasons though, when the material trapped in the system is bone dry, you can end up with a fire hazard. 

How To Do It: Call a professional for this one. While all of the others can be done with only one or two tools, in order to do the best job of cleaning out all of the ducting in your home, you want to call a professional in. (Sadly, that's not us.  We'll happily fix your appliances though!) 

Dryer Duct

When To Do It: Twice a year, best in spring and fall. 

Why To Do It: Much like your air ducts, your dryer duct is sucking dust, dirt, pet hair, dander, and other materials out of the air and your dryer. That gets caught in the dryer duct and over time it becomes compacted. This is a fire hazard, especially given how dry it is kept. While cleaning out your lint trap every time you run your dryer is a good start, it's doesn't get rid of everything. Cleaning it out will also make your dryer work more efficiently and effectively, allowing for air to flow freely. 

How To Do It: Always start with unplugging and disconnecting your dryer from any sources of power, be it gas or electric. From there, take a vacuum and clean up as much of the inside of the dryer, and the vents inside and outside as possible. Then, use a dryer tool to work the lint-free inside the duct itself. This is a long-handled tool with a brush attachment that you can pick up at your local hardware store for relatively cheap. Once you've done that, grab your vacuum again and suck up everything from where you were working on the duct and from inside the duct itself.  Reconnect everything carefully, turning the power back on as the final step and you're good to go! 

Refrigerator Coils

When To Do It: Once a year, more often if you have pets that shed a lot.

Why To Do It:  The coils are part of the system that keeps your refrigerator cool. If the coils are covered in dust and hair, then your refrigerator has to work overtime and will have a shorter life for it. 

Image courtesy of Mark Florence

How To Do It: Start by transferring as much of your food to a cooler as you can, to lighten the load. Then unplug it and go looking for the coils. Sometimes they'll be under a panel in the front, on the back, or on top if you have a built-in unit. Once you've found your coils, you'll want to grab your vacuum and a dust mask, these coils are going to be covered in a very fine dust that you don't want to breathe in. Now use a long-handled brush to gently scrape away at the coils. You want to go on top of them and between them, trying to remove as much of the dirt as possible. Once you're done with that, vacuum up all of the ick and go enjoy a hot shower. 

Washer Filter

When To Do It: Once a month.

Why To Do It: Your washer filter, as we've discussed in the past, catches much of the larger debris and soap scum that comes off of your clothing during the wash.  If that filter is covered over, with soap, with dirt, with debris, then the water can't pass through and it will begin to back up. It can even lead to the washing machine flooding over, and you needing to clean or even replace your floors. 

How To Do It: Most of the time, a front-loading washer is meant to save you pain and annoyance... Sadly that's not the case when it comes to cleaning your filters. Look on the front for a  small door, and lay out a towel and something like a casserole dish. On opening the door you should find a hose and a drain pump filter. Pull the plug from the hose and let the water empty out into your dish. There's going to be a fair amount of water in there, and it's probably going to reek and be full of ick. Once nothing else is coming out, unscrew the filter, wait for water to stop dripping out of that, and pull out the filter. It will probably have slime on it, and you might even find coins. No, this isn't where the goblins stash all of your lost socks (sadly.) Dump out the filter, and use an old toothbrush and some warm water to scrub it clean. 

If you have a top loading machine, you're in luck! The filter is going to be in the drum or on the back, but check your manual if you can't quite find it. Once you've located it, it's easy to pull out and rinse with hot water. 

Dishwasher Filter

When To Do It: Once a month 

Why To Do It: Your dishwasher filter is much like your washer filter. It collects dirt and food debris and keeps it from going out with the water. (Because that would lead to the drain becoming clogged over time.) At first, this issue can lead to dishes not getting cleaned properly, and with time to the machine flooding. Not fun!

How To Do It: Remove your lower rack and look for a mesh filter on the floor of your dishwasher. If you don't see what we're talking about, grab your manual to find out where the manufacturers hid it. Found it? Ok, at this point, it should be a matter of unscrewing the filter and rinsing it with hot water and soap, and then pop it back in. Nice and easy, and it keeps your kitchen from flooding. 

Shower Drain

When To Do It:  Some will say when the water becomes ankle deep. We say you should do it as soon as you notice the water is beginning to back up.

Why To Do It: Flooding bathtubs. That's all we have to say. And just. EW.  

How To Do It:  Grab a facemask, some old clothes, and a drain snake. Some people will say to start with a drain cleaner, like draino but as long-hair having people, we suggest starting with a snake. Wriggle it around until it goes all the way down your drain and then draw it out. It's going to be gross. It's going to be a lot of hair, dirt, and soap scum. We know.  Depending on when the last time this was done, you might have to do this more than once. Once you've pulled everything that you can out, grab a kettle, boil some water and send that down the drain. Let that do its work and then an hour later, you can hit the drain with a drain cleaner. For best results, we advise letting that sit overnight, this way it's undisturbed for several hours.  If that doesn't clean up the issues with water backing up, we'll advise calling a plumber as the problem could be more than just a clog in your drain. 

Congrats you've just tackled seven of the most common problems in owning a home. As you saw each of these problems can cause serious issues, many of them involving water, soap, and ick going everywhere. Did we miss any areas? Are there appliances or other major areas that you're curious about how to clean? drop us a line over on our Facebook page or in the comments below. We'd love to hear from you. 

If doing all of this cleaning hasn't solved the issues that your refrigerator, washing machine, dishwasher or dryer are giving you, you might want to give us a call. We'll work with you to set up a time that fits your schedule, and help to not only determine what the problem is, but more importantly, to fix it. At Appliance Rescue Service, we're not happy until we've gotten your appliances back in tip-top shape. 

You can call us at ((214) 599-0055) or reach out to us on our contact page to set up an appointment time that works for you. 

Additional Reading:

Gutters 

Cleaning Your Refrigerator

How to Deep Clean Your Dishwasher

Dryer Duct