62 THE QUEENS COURIER • AT HOME • OCTOBER 10, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
at home
Five time-saving laundry tips
Between sorting, washing, pouring,
transferring, drying and folding, laundry
can oft en feel like a daunting chore.
While you can’t skip laundry completely,
you can stop those baskets from overfl
owing with these time-saving tips from
the laundry experts at Whirlpool.
Sort clothes ahead of time. One way
to make laundry more manageable is to
sort as you go. Instead of tossing dirty
clothes into a hamper, distribute items
into separate bins. While the exact division
depends on your wardrobe, you’ll
want to separate dark and light colors, as
well as clothing that needs special care.
Pretreat stains. Once a stained garment
makes its way through the dryer, chances
are the stain is set for life. Protect your
clothes by pretreating stains as soon as
possible to help keep even the toughest
stains from setting in. If you’re unsure
of how to treat a particular stain, such
as spaghetti sauce or grass, Whirlpool
off ers a Stain Guide within its laundry
app that provides helpful, step-by-step
instructions.
Keep your space organized. Just like it’s
hard to cook in a messy kitchen or work
at a cluttered desk, you’re less likely to
be productive in a sloppy laundry room.
Clean and organize your laundry area
periodically so you have easy access to the
supplies you need and a clean surface for
folding fresh laundry or switching loads.
Take advantage of technology. New
smart home technology is making laundry
faster and easier, such as Whirlpool’s
Smart Front Load Laundry Pair with the
Load & Go(tm) dispenser. Th is innovative
feature allows you to skip a step
in your laundry routine by eliminating
the need to measure out and add detergent
every time you start a load for up
to 40 loads.
Whether you are on the run or across
the room, you can control your washer
and dryer using an app on your smartphone
or a compatible voice-enabled
device for hands-free assistance. You can
track how much time is left on your load
while cooking dinner, assign washing settings
while enjoying family movie night
or begin a cycle when running errands.
Touch-screen technology also guides you
to the correct washer or dryer presets, or
you can pre-program cycles of your own
to tackle specifi c care settings for items
like baby clothing or bulky comforters.
Finish with ease. For some, it’s not
the washing that makes laundry a drag,
it’s the folding. Hitting the tumble button
to shake out wrinkles is one solution,
but there are alternatives. Use your dryer’s
end-of-cycle buzzer as an easy way
to keep track of when a load needs your
attention or make folding a fun game with
your family.
Find more information at whirlpool.
com.
Courtesy Family Features
What you need to clean for a sparkling kitchen
You wipe down the counters, clean the
fl oor and run the dishwasher regularly.
Your kitchen appears clean on the surface,
but there’s probably a lot that could
use a refresh. It’s time to pay attention to
frequently used but oft en forgotten items
in your kitchen.
Make sure to include these fi ve kitchen
items on the next round of cleaning so
you get the sparkling kitchen you deserve.
How to thoroughly clean
your dishwasher
Why would a machine with the main
job of cleaning need cleaning itself?
Because food debris and mineral buildup
from water can clog important components,
causing your dishwasher to work
ineffi ciently. To thoroughly clean your
dishwasher, start by removing the fi lter
and cleaning it out. Th en fi ll a dishwasher
safe coff ee cup with white vinegar, put
it on the top rack and run on the hot cycle
to remove soap scum and other buildup.
Try to do this monthly for a sparkling
clean dishwasher that works great.
Cleaning your coff eemaker
is surprisingly simple
Cleaning your coff eemaker regularly is
an important step for it to work at peak
performance and keep beverages tasting
their best. Don’t be intimidated by cleaning
your coff ee machine, particularly if
you have a Keurig brewer. It’s surprisingly
simple to clean your brewer with this simple
three-step routine:
1. Use Keurig Rinse Pods once a week to
rinse away old coff ee oils and residue, or
use any time aft er brewing a fl avored beverage
to reduce fl avor carry-over between
brews.
2. Every two months, replace your water
fi lter cartridge to help remove chlorine,
calcium and other impurities from water
to improve the taste and quality of beverages.
3. Every three months, use descaling
solution to safely and eff ectively remove
mineral buildup from inside your brewer.
How to clean your microwave
with water and lemon
Food steams, spurts and splatters in
a microwave every day, and even if it
appears visually clean, there’s probably a
lot of grime on the inside walls. Rather
than scrubbing harshly, make it easy to get
off the grime with a simple solution: Fill a
microwave-safe bowl with one cup water
and then slice a lemon in half. Squeeze
the lemon in the water and then add the
halves. Microwave for three minutes and
then let sit for fi ve so the steam can penetrate
the buildup. Finally, open the microwave,
remove the bowl and easily wipe
away grime with a washcloth.
It’s time to clean
under appliances
Just because you don’t look there doesn’t
mean the dirt and dust goes away. It’s time
to clean appliances, particularly the refrigerator
where food, dust and dirt oft en collect
and clog up the coils. Carefully pull
appliances out and clean well underneath.
Start by vacuuming and then wipe down
with soapy water. You should also look
at the back of appliances and wipe off to
remove dust and other grime. If the appliance
has an air vent, make sure to vacuum
it well to help it continue to run effi ciently.
Leave kitchen knobs and
handles looking like new
You make it a habit of wiping down
your faucet knobs when you clean the
sink, but what about the other knobs in
your kitchen? Th e knobs on the cabinets
are sometimes touched hundreds of times
in a month by diff erent people, which can
transfer germs and bacteria, not to mention
grease and other grime on fi ngertips.
Start by wiping all knobs down with disinfectant
wipes. For grimy buildup, use hot
water with a touch of dish soap and wipe
down with a rag to break down grime and
leave knobs looking good as new.
Th e kitchen is the heart of the home
and deserves a good clean. Add these fi ve
items to your next round of kitchen cleaning
and you’ll have a sparkling clean space
you can enjoy.
Courtesy BPT
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