Kitchen Deals -> Small Appliances

If you want a sink with large bowl dimensions to cope with big-pan washing-up, it is worth considering a tap with a pull-out or pull-down spray rinse. This gives you water anywhere you need it around the bowl area.

Dual-flow mixers provide independent hot, cold or mixed water after leaving the end of the spout. They can be deck-mounted on the sink or pillar/bridge-mounted for a more traditional look. Alternatively, choose a monobloc tap, which is a single-hole fitting that usually has two handles for hot and cold water supply.

You can also maximize the efficiency of appliances you already own through regular maintenance and tune-ups and system upgrades. Examples of some things that you can do are:

• Check air filters in heating and cooling systems monthly during the seasons they are in use and clean and replace them as necessary.
• Clean air vents, baseboards, and radiators regularly and keep them unrestricted by furniture, carpets, or drapes.
• Release trapped air from hot water radiators once or twice a season by opening the valve until nothing but water comes out.
• Follow prescribed maintenance (e.g., maintaining certain water levels in steam heat systems).
• Install an insulating jacket on your hot water heater, insulate hot water pipes, and lower the water heater temperature.
• Clean refrigerator coils yearly and maintain internal temperatures between 36 degrees F (2.2 degrees C) and 38 degrees F (33 degrees C) for the refrigerator compartment and between 0 degrees F (17.8 degrees C) and 5 degrees F (15.0 degrees C) for the freezer compartment.
• Move the refrigerator if it is currently located near the stove or dishwasher.
• Regularly defrost refrigerators that do not have a completely automatic defrost capability to eliminate ice build-up on interior coils.
• Clean dryer filters after each use or as necessary.