The time of year has come when we start thinking of family, presents, lots of food, and we begin defrosting Mariah Carey for her annual “All I Want for Christmas…” store playlist takeover. It is holiday time, and it’s during the holidays that we here at Metro-Flow Plumbing start to get all sorts of calls about home appliances breaking down. Naturally with the overuse of our usual reliable appliances will come speedy wear and tear. If you are hosting family and friends for the holidays, the last thing you want is a plumbing disaster. Call us and we will get one of our professional and insured plumbing technicians to inspect your plumbing and make any necessary repairs before the holiday madness takes over. This will help ensure that your plumbing is ready to handle whatever the holidays throws your way.
Today we are going to take it a step further and go over 5 easy ways to get your appliances holiday ready!
We want to be proactive and get ahead of any problems that might arise as we near the holiday season. Nothing is worse than having family or guests over for dinner, or even to stay the night, and have a toilet break down or your refrigerator stop working. In today’s blog we are going to try to achieve one thing: making you more knowledgeable on the appliances around your home so you know what to do when something common occurs.
1.Deep clean your refrigerator
So often we start packing the refrigerator with more and more food as we come closer to the holiday season. We recommend taking some time out of your day to do a deep cleaning weeks before a major holiday. More often than not some of us will have expired food that will have been sitting there for some time after its expiration date. Dump this expired food out and pull out all the trays from their slots. Do a deep clean of any food particles that might have gotten stuck over time. This is also a great time to change your water filter if you happen to have a refrigerator that dispenses water. Clean the rubber seal around your refrigerator as small pieces of food and gunk may have gotten wedged along the rubber sea. A damaged seal will let cold air escape, causing your refrigerator to pull more power trying to cool itself.
2.Toilets
When guests come over, the number of flushes your toilet takes on naturally increases. With the holidays we tend to have more and more people come over. Water usage and wear and tear affects all of our appliances differently. Make sure your toilet is operating properly and check it periodically throughout the holidays. Alternatively, you can also look into dual flush toilets, these toilets dispense a certain amount of water depending on what is called for. You do not need the same amount of water to get rid of a number 1 as you would a number 2. For more information check with our certified plumbing technicians by calling us at 214-328-7371.
3.Washer & Dryer
Your washer and dryer are already working overtime depending on how long you have had them but when you have guests staying over for a week or a holiday weekend they tend to get used for extra loads of laundry. Make sure they are up to speed. Did you know you are supposed to clean your washer at least bi-weekly? This will prevent mold and any other weird smells from forming. Letting these go and accumulate will start to make your clothes smell a little funky no matter how much detergent you may use. For dryers, cleaning them out is a bigger time frame of somewhere around six months. We will go more in depth with both of these in a future blog in order to provide step by step instructions on how to safely handle this. Meanwhile, if your machines are more modern, they might have a self-washing option available that will definitely save you some time (and money).
4.Dishwasher Machine
The old reliable. Dishwashers have come a long way since they became available and affordable for everyone to have at home. Older models tend to use a lot more water and were not always wallet friendly and cost efficient. Not anymore, studies have shown that hand washing plates in the average household will use up more water than what the modern dishwasher uses. During the holiday season, especially when we like to host big dinners, the dishwasher is put through some rigorous washing cycles. Worry not, but do be sure to properly understand how to load your dishwasher. A dishwasher that is not loaded properly will sometimes not do its job correctly. As always, rinse your plates in your sink before putting them in the dishwasher so no extra sticky food gets left behind. Here is a video of how to properly load your dishwasher by one of our favorite influencers: @brunchwithbabs.
5.Overall Plumbing
If you want your plumbing to be ready for the holidays, there are a few things you need to do. First, make sure all your pipes are in good working order. This means no leaks or clogs. Second, clean out all your drains, including the kitchen sink and bathroom tub. Third, stock up on supplies so you do not have to make an emergency trip to the store. Things like extra toilet paper is always a good idea and always goes a long way. Finally, if you are having guests over, make sure you know where the shut-off valves are in case of an emergency. By following these simple steps, you can rest assured that your plumbing will be ready for anything the holidays throw your way. Additionally, we leave you 10 Tips to Prevent Clogging Your Sewer Line.
These 5 tips will definitely help to get your appliances holiday ready. Be it a family dinner or an extended stay, the key to your home’s success in surviving the holiday season is preparedness. Keep up with our blogs and feel free to navigate our brand new website to see all the great plumbing services we provide. We always strive to be up to date with the latest plumbing advancements and want to bring the very best to your home. Remember our plumbing technicians are not only certified in what they do but also come insured.
We hope everyone reading this has a very happy holiday season and most importantly gets to spend it with all the people they love under one roof. We sure have a lot to be thankful for and we hope you do, too!
At Metro-Flow Plumbing it has been our absolute pleasure serving the Dallas community with our decades long knowledge of plumbing. Give us a call today at 214-328-7371 for more information and make sure to check back here, now weekly, for more plumbing tips and tricks that will help you keep your plumbing know-how and your home up to speed.
Until next week Dallas!
