by Milcarsky's Staff | Dec 24, 2022 | Appliances, How To's
Conserving energy is important for many reasons. Wise use of resources is important for preserving and protecting our environment. It’s also important for protecting your pocketbook from skyrocketing utility bills. Thankfully, a few wise choices and small changes in your daily routine can significantly lower your energy bill.
Energy Efficient Bulbs
If you replace the light bulbs in your home with energy-efficient light bulbs, you can dramatically lower your electricity costs without any noticeable change in your lifestyle. In addition to lower utility bills, these light bulbs need to be replaced far less often than conventional ones.
In addition, some energy-efficient light bulbs are brighter than conventional bulbs. This means you can use only one bulb in a light fixture that usually requires multiple bulbs.
Turn off Appliances When Not in Use.
Develop a habit of turning off the light when you leave a room. Often, a large part of wasted utility costs is keeping all the lights in your home on at all times. Teach children and other family members to turn off the lights also.
If you’re in the habit of keeping your television on for background noise, try turning it off when it’s not in use. You may find that you enjoy the peace and quiet, and your pocketbook will definitely thank you for it!
Do you leave your computer on all the time? Even a small change like turning your computer off overnight can positively affect your energy bill next month. Small changes can add to significant savings without affecting your lifestyle.
One or the Other
Do you like to surf the web while watching television? To save money on your energy bill, try an experiment. When you’re watching television, turn the computer off. When you’re surfing the web, turn the tv off. When trying to do both simultaneously, your focus is limited. Plus, you’re wasting energy by trying to do both at the same time.
Also, consider watching your favorite television shows online. Many of today’s most popular sitcoms and reality shows are broadcast in their entirety online one or two days after they air on television. This will keep you from splitting your focus and save on electricity if you remember to turn the TV off while you watch your favorite program online.
Regulate the Thermostat
During the hot summer months, it’s tempting to crank up the air conditioner so that you can cool off. The cooler temperature in your home is refreshing but also expensive. To lower your monthly electricity bill, keep the thermostat temperature closer to the outside temperature.
In the summer, keep it a few degrees warmer than usual. In the winter, keep it a few degrees cooler. This puts less stress on the air conditioner and furnace and requires less power.
Many modern appliances are designed to use less energy than older models. It can be more expensive to buy energy-efficient appliances upfront, but the monthly savings may be worth it. Eventually, your new appliances will pay for themselves with the money you save on your utility bills.
If you’re willing to make a few small changes, you can save money on your electric bills. All it takes is a willingness to do something different and a desire for more cash in your pocket! Thankfully, you can begin to experience the benefits of your efforts on your next month’s bill.
by Milcarsky's Staff | Sep 1, 2022 | How To's
No matter where you live, chores are a necessary task to maintain the cleanliness of a home. Some people love to do laundry, while others despise doing it. Getting your laundry done is essential so you can have clean clothes to wear for every occasion, from your finest suit to the fire-resistant clothing you wear at work. Today, we will go over five unique challenges you may have to face when doing laundry.
Challenge #1: Cleats, Shin Pads, and Helmets
One of the toughest laundry challenges is washing sporting equipment. Sporting equipment can get particularly smelly, and it is more complicated to clean than the average piece of clothing. Remember to brush off excess debris before putting these into the washing machine. Check the instructions first to ensure your equipment can be washed in the washing machine. It is best to put shin pads and similar padding in a pillowcase or sack to protect them during the wash cycle.
Challenge #2: Fire-Resistant Workwear
When it comes to fire-resistant clothing, always separate these items from your regular clothes. Use laundry detergent (not soap) to wash fire-resistant clothing. Consider turning them inside out to help them last longer and resist color fading.
Challenge #3: Tangled Strings
If you have to wash anything with strings, it is not uncommon for those strings to get tangled with other clothes in the machine. Luckily, there is a pretty simple solution to prevent this problem. Get wash bags and place any clothing items with strings into those to keep them separate from everything else in your load of laundry.
Challenge #4: Blood Stains
Blood stains can be particularly frustrating and difficult to remove from clothes. Handle blood stains with care and begin by cleaning them with cold water as soon as possible. Use your fingers or an old rag to help the blood separate from the clothing. Next, use an enzyme-based stain remover to clear the last remnants of blood on your clothes and put them in the washing machine.
Challenge #5: Skunk Spray
Dealing with stinky smells on your clothing is always a challenge, but skunk spray is one of the worst things. A combination of hot water, laundry detergent, vinegar, and baking soda can do the trick for this laundry challenge. It might take multiple washes for the smell to come out of your clothing, so be patient with the process.
After reading this brief guide, we hope you feel more equipped to deal with unusual laundry stains and challenges. Whether you are cleaning sports equipment or fire-resistant clothing for work, it is imperative to tackle clothing stains as soon as possible. The best practices we shared will keep your clothes neat and clean for years to come. If you are in the market for a new washer or dryer, come to Milcarsky’s Appliance Centre in Lake Mary, Florida. You can also browse through our inventory online before coming to our store.
The Milcarsky's Appliance Centre' team wants to help answer any questions you may have. We'd also like to let you know when we publish a new blog post or have some great news to share.
by Milcarsky's Staff | May 13, 2022 | How To's
Solving clutter in the kitchen gives you more room to work and can free up storage space that you never knew existed. These are detailed tips for getting your kitchen better organized and keeping it that way.
Removing Clutter From Your Kitchen:
- Start with a clean kitchen. It’s easier to tackle the clutter if you clean the kitchen first. You’ll give yourself room to work with fewer distractions.
- Clear stuff out. Take the items you never use and throw them out or put them aside to sell or donate. If you have limited kitchen space, put devices you seldom use into basement or attic storage. If you take your food processor out less than once a month, keep it in those less-accessible cabinets over the refrigerator.
- Plan your counter space. Designate an area to keep open as your primary workspace. Save time by keeping the gadgets that you use every day, such as your coffee pot, within easy reach.
- Arrange products by their function. Store together the items that you use together. Have one spot with all the equipment you need to make a cup of coffee or tea or assemble a salad.
- Organize your cabinets. Stock up on storage products to keep things from getting lost in cavernous kitchen cabinets. It will be easier to find what you need if you take advantage of modular organizers, sliding drawers, tiered shelves, and pull down racks. You can even buy products that require no installation if that’s your preference.
- Hang stuff up. Reclaim unused space by installing hanging hooks. Expensive cookware can be kept safe and accessible on a pre-made trellis. The otherwise wasted space between the cabinets and counters can hold mugs, towels, and other small items. If you have a pantry or kitchen door, add a door rack for more storage.
- Go paper free. If you’re drowning in recipes and take out menus, consider the environment and your own peace of mind. With everything available online, you may be able to avoid much of that paperwork. Limit yourself to one small bin or clip to avoid accumulating documents you don’t really need.
Preventing Clutter in Your Kitchen:
- Keep your kitchen in order. Rejoice in the fact that you’ve got the hard work out of the way. It takes more time to get your kitchen organized than to keep it that way. So strive to do a bit of maintenance regularly. You can break it down into one drawer or section at a time or into short intervals of 15 minutes a week.
- Shop wisely. Now that you know what’s in your kitchen, you won’t be wandering around garage sales wondering if you have enough shot glasses. Be discriminate in your shopping so you get only kitchen products that you really need and have room for.
- Discard unused items regularly. As you discover more items that you never really use, get rid of them immediately. It may make sense to keep a few plastic yogurt containers, but you probably don’t need an extensive collection.
- Indulge in low cost decorating. It’s easier to feel motivated to keep your kitchen organized when it looks pretty. Plus, simple decorating touches will have more impact in a streamlined kitchen. Try changing your dishtowels and curtains to keep up with seasonal colors. If you can’t afford new cabinets, paint the doors or replace the hardware.
Banish the clutter from your kitchen and ensure it doesn’t creep back. Cooking is more fun when your kitchen feels spacious and attractive, and you’ll be able to get more done in less time.
The Milcarsky's Appliance Centre' team wants to help answer any questions you may have. We'd also like to let you know when we publish a new blog post or have some great news to share.
by Milcarsky's Staff | Feb 18, 2022 | How To's
There are few rooms in your home that carry the risk for water damage as strongly as your laundry room. Most laundry rooms are on the ground floor or basement of a home and have all sorts of plumbing hookups that allow for huge volumes of water to leak and cause flooding issues if your laundry room is not set up properly. While your homeowner’s insurance will protect you from a flood in your laundry room, it is always better to just avoid a flood when you can. Here are a few tips for preventing flooding in your laundry room.
Be Vigilant
The first thing that you need to do to prevent flooding in your laundry room is to remain vigilant against the threat of flooding. If you are keeping an eye out for minor leaks and issues, you can catch and fix issues before it turns into flooding. Water can cause all sorts of problems, especially in large quantities, which is why it’s so important to watch out for it in your laundry room. If there is a puddle or a small amount of water on the floor of your laundry room, investigate where it came from and make sure you fix that issue before it’s too late.
Install Water Leak Sensors
The next tip that can help you prevent flooding in your laundry room is to install water leak sensors in your laundry room. Water leak sensors are devices that you install in or around your pipes that can help to sense leaks and other issues before they get out of hand. A water leak sensor can work through any number of ways, from measuring water flow in the pipe to monitoring the sound waves that flowing water creates to identify leaks from flowing water. These devices can help you identify issues as they are developing to fix them before a flooding event happens.
Add a Floor Drain
The final tip that can help you prevent flooding in your laundry room is to add a floor drain to your laundry room. A floor drain is a great backup measure to help prevent damage if there is a major leak in your laundry room. A floor drain is exactly what it sounds like, a drain in the floor of the laundry room that will allow water to flow down and into your pipes rather than flowing freely into your home. This allows you extra time to solve an emergency flooding situation before damage starts to occur.
There is nothing that is quite as frustrating as flooding in your home. The area of your home that is most susceptible to a major flooding issue like this is your laundry room. Follow these three tips to ensure that your laundry room is ready to prevent the worst of flooding issues.
Check out this article on the top things you should buy for your kitchen!
