Questions tagged [appliances]
Hacks related to cleaning, maintaining, or repairing domestic appliances such as refrigerators and vacuum cleaners.
57
questions
-3
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1
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Dishwasher not draining [closed]
My dishwasher stops while full of water and gives me an error code indicating that it is not draining.
In my case it is a Bosch dishwasher giving code e24.
- 103
0
votes
2
answers
63
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Old mini fridge used to store water starting to stink
I am using a mini fridge to keep waters in my garage/workshop handy. After a few weeks of doing this, I'm noticing a raunchy smell coming from the fridge and it's on the water bottles as well. Could ...
- 101
1
vote
2
answers
87
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How to know right power adaptor from monitor label?
A friend gave me his monitor but forgot the power cable.
I want to buy the power wire but I don't know which one is the right adaptor and plug.
Is there a way to know this from the monitor labels (see ...
- 159
1
vote
3
answers
2k
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How to clean “reddish/ brownish” grime/ deposit marks from the edge of a Zojirushi Water Boiler
I have an older version of one of these: https://www.zojirushi.com/app/product/cvdcc
For taking care of them, the standard procedure is to run them in "cleaning mode" with a full tank of ...
- 123
1
vote
4
answers
352
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How do I prevent clothing from getting stained in the washer or dryer?
We get stains sporadically appear on specific articles of clothing. The stains appeared on brand new Patagonia brand sweater that we washed for the first time as well as an older t-shirt. The other ...
- 111
3
votes
2
answers
2k
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Damaged Gears from a Paper Shredder
I have a paper shredder with some damaged gears, which are from the CD shredding slot.
There are some info over the web about how to repair plastic gears with resin. However, I'm not comfortable ...
- 133
2
votes
1
answer
218
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Opening a contact lens bottle
I was unaware of the usual way to open a "contact lens bottle" (although in my case it isn't a contact lens bottle, rather an ear drops bottle), and I guess I messed up in the first step ...
- 382
5
votes
6
answers
6k
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How can I unclog a sock in my vacuum cleaner hose, when I can't pull it out with a wire clothes hanger?
My grandpa accidentally vacuumed a sock with his Bissell 41221 pictured below. He peered at the pipe, and see the sock clogged at the green arrow.
He detached the Dry Floor Nozzle, but he doesn't ...
user1869
2
votes
1
answer
870
views
Better location for deep freeze: garage or inside the house?
Now with health care leaders advising that we minimize how often we leave the house for shopping and such, a deep freezer chest to store a month (or more)'s worth of perishables has become a pretty ...
- 123
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3
answers
330
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How to cover hair for a barber to prevent cutting that particular hair?
I lengthen my hair to be gathered to a ponytail when the time comes.
I started that process about 3 months ago from starting point, that is, after totally shaving my head.
My problem
My problem is ...
user30701
1
vote
3
answers
5k
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How to build a DIY HEPA filters for a vaccum cleaners (no spare part for sale)?
I bought a vacuum cleaner* from a store (AmazonBasics) which works with 3 types of filters. Unfortunately, the company doesn't sell spare filters. So I'm looking for a DIY way to replace these filters....
- 177
3
votes
1
answer
122
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Transporting a used fridge and washing machine
I will shortly be moving into my first rented accommodation (finally flying the nest!), and a colleague has offered me their washing machine and fridge/freezer as they are remodelling their kitchen. ...
- 133
3
votes
2
answers
395
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How to remove glass cleaner stains from smart tv
Someone tried to clean my Sony smart TV (which is not supposed to be cleaned that way) with glass cleaner and now it is full of white stains. I've tried gently rubbing it with a dry cloth but they don'...
1
vote
4
answers
44k
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Unlock LED TV buttons without remote?
As I had lost my TV remote but I am operating it with side panel of LED. unfortunately I had locked keys and unable to unlock it. I can't change the channel or volume. when ever I press the side panel ...
- 102
1
vote
3
answers
84
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Cannot get blender carafe clean
It's actually clean but it's cloudy.
I have found many things online, but none of them work:
lemon/salt
baking soda/vinegar
vinegar soak
Sometimes it looks clear then it gets cloudy again.
I have ...
- 111
6
votes
3
answers
3k
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How can I remove my dryer's lint filter without creating a mess?
My new dryer has a large lint filter on the top. When I remove it, lint and dust fall off the filter onto the top of the dryer, and the dust floats off into the air as well.
In the second picture ...
- 11.6k
8
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Prevent cables of kitchen appliances from breaking when you coil them
I usually store electric appliances by coiling up their cables. Unfortunately this causes the cable jacket and insulation to break long before any other part of the machine, rendering a perfectly fine ...
user26382
1
vote
3
answers
1k
views
Remove ice from freezer surface
I just discovered that my ice cube tray has been leaking. There is significant layer (1/2" thick) of ice underneath it. It's about the same dimensions as the tray (5" x 12").
Is there an easy / quick ...
- 11.6k
0
votes
3
answers
877
views
Removing Liquified Plastic Layer Residue From Notched Metal Surface
I use old electric hob (as shown in the picture) for preparing my food, which takes a while to heat up and then takes even more time to cool down after use. Today I made a grave rookie mistake - as ...
- 3
3
votes
3
answers
24k
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How to remove water stains from TV
Somebody tried to clean the LCD smart TV (which is not supposed to be cleaned that way) with water and now it is full of water stains. I've tried gently rubbing it with a dry cloth but they don't seem ...
- 575
2
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3
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1k
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How can I carry a refrigerator with a Mercury Sable 2001 (aka Taurus)?
I'm not concerned if a scratch the car, and I can use wood or something to help. I need to transport a regular household-size refrigerator. We don't have one, and occasionally people give them away on ...
- 21
4
votes
1
answer
130
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Common noise levels of reliably constant loudness
This isn't a home improvement question, but one that applies to buying any product that makes noise or sound: how can you ask reviewers to compare the noise level of a product with some reference ...
- 389
6
votes
2
answers
22k
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Remove styrofoam protection from under the fridge by myself
I have ordered a new fridge and it came packed in styrofoam protection, including on the bottom.
I need to remove that but I don't know how. The fridge is to heavy to lift by myself. Even if a ...
- 61
1
vote
1
answer
484
views
How to determine what metal is the inside of my kettle?
It may be aluminium, steel, or something else. I don't feel its attraction to a magnet, but maybe it is because the keetle is too thin?
- 119
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1
answer
1k
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How to straighten board game board?
I have settlers of catan and the water parts of it are bent.The other tiles might also be bent a little bit, but aren't noticeable as much as the water tiles.
How can I make it straight again?
- 235
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2
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158
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How can I improve dish washer performance? [closed]
Besides washing dishes first or changing detergent, are there ways to improve the cleanliness of dishes coming out of an old dish washer?
- 99
6
votes
9
answers
15k
views
Keeping quiet in the kitchen at night while other people sleeping
I live in a shared house with a few other people. Due to my schedule, I'm up when most of them have gone to bed. I often need to eat something after coming home but have received complaints that the ...
- 1,401
10
votes
5
answers
2k
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Remove Broken Lightbulb from holder
The light bulb broke off but the metal portion remains in the holder. What is the best or safest way to remove this bulb from the holder?
- 287
5
votes
3
answers
810
views
Remove Drops of Wood Varnish on LED TV
I noticed that my LED TV have drops of wood varnish on my LED TV's screen. It is annoying especially when I'm playing video games (I keep falling victim, thought it was an island on a horizon of sea).
...
- 151
4
votes
1
answer
389
views
How to avoid tripping a breaker [closed]
I have a microwave (~1200W when running) and a fridge (~600W when starting, rough/approximate measurement) on the same circuit, and whenever they are both running, the circuit breaker (110V, 15A) ...
- 295
5
votes
5
answers
7k
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How to remove dust from fridge coils?
My Whirlpool side by side fridge has the external coils underneath the fridge, with a fan to circulate air. Over the years the coils collect a lot of dust. For some reason the coils are sort of M ...
7
votes
4
answers
7k
views
How to Avert / Deflect refrigerator heat in room?
I am living in a tropical country right now, it gets pretty hot (~45 °C) in here.
Now, I have single room home which has my desktop & a refrigerator. As obvious, in order to make ice in high ...
- 171
8
votes
2
answers
4k
views
How to prevent ice cream from melting without a refrigerator?
There are times when you are at work where you have the best ice cream parlor in town around the corner from your office. But you want to take the ice cream home and enjoy it there. Is there a way to ...
- 445
4
votes
6
answers
13k
views
What is the best way to use a tower fan and an oil heater to heat a room quickly?
I have a finned oil heater and a tower fan. I need to heat my bedroom quickly, during the winter, as this bedroom has no central heating.
The finned oil heater has 7 fins about 4cm apart. The tower ...
- 143
47
votes
10
answers
238k
views
How can I remove ants from my laptop keyboard?
There are ants in my laptop keyboard again. It's happened before and ended up killing my productivity occasionally as the little critters suddenly show up from within the gaps of the keyboard. I had ...
- 1,040
6
votes
5
answers
13k
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How to dry out the gasket on my washing machine between washes?
My washing machine has a thick rubber gasket between the door and the cylinder, seen here:
The space in that gasket fills with water during each wash and, although we let it air dry between washes, ...
- 171
6
votes
1
answer
338
views
Clean blender as fast as possible, or prevent it from accumulating protein powder residue
I use a Ninja Master Prep blender to mix protein powder or Soylent with water. Is there a way to clean it very quickly? The blades are super sharp and I'd rather avoid having to scrub bits of powder ...
- 389
11
votes
7
answers
2k
views
What is an effective way to clean stainless steel appliances without commercial products? [closed]
Stainless steel appliances look nice and modern, but they are a pain to keep clean. So far I've tried soap and water, diluted vinegar, and a damp cloth. None of these really seem to leave it ...
- 1,977
11
votes
8
answers
14k
views
How do I extract a small object from a vacuum cleaner bag?
While vacuuming, I heard the typical 'kaclink kaclink' of a larger solid object being sucked up. I think it might be an earring I lost a few days ago, so I'd like to get whatever it is out of the bag. ...
- 233
1
vote
5
answers
5k
views
Replacement For Slow Cooker
I bought a cookbook a few hours ago and I have just realized that I need a slow cooker. I don't have one and I do not have the money to buy one (I'm saving up money).
What is a good replacement for a ...
- 1,010
0
votes
3
answers
244
views
What is the perfect microwaving time for my food?
Ever since I started working in this company I'm taking my lunch (leftovers of the dinner last night) to the office in a microwavable container, because we have a small kitchen including a microwave. ...
- 3,969
5
votes
1
answer
892
views
When should I remove popcorn from the microwave?
I'd like to know exactly when to remove popcorn from the microwave. If I leave it in a little longer, a few more kernels will pop, but I might burn the popcorn. if I take it out too early I may leave ...
- 3,485
7
votes
1
answer
832
views
How can I clean a glass top oven that has black areas?
I have scrubbed until it's a smooth surface that feels very similar to the original glass top but the surface is so dark it's nearly black. I can slightly see the original pattern in the dark areas ...
- 81
6
votes
4
answers
20k
views
How to remove / prevent burns on a shirt from an iron?
So recently whenever I've been ironing my shirts for work I have found that when I do the collar of cuffs, the iron will sometimes leave a brown stain, almost as if it is burning the shirts. I don't ...
- 6,504
12
votes
3
answers
9k
views
Clean hair from vacuum brush
I own a roomba and while its cool and saves time and everything, cleaning the counter rotating brushes inside it is bothersome. I have long hair.
I usually open the roomba and remove the brushes, ...
- 1,748
10
votes
2
answers
23k
views
How do I prevent my shirt sleeves from twisting in the washer?
I like to wear a suit, and of course, a reasonably formal shirt goes with it. Years ago, this meant ironing the shirts by hand, but these days non-iron shirts are pretty good. However, with non-iron ...
- 271
11
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5
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6k
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How to retrieve items from under a refrigerator?
I dropped a AA battery this morning, which conveniently rolled right under the fridge. Using a flashlight, I was able to see that it was about 12 inches (~30cm) back.
I tried reaching for it with a ...
- 11.5k
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Homemade dehydrator without using the oven
I would like a dehydrator, but rather than spending a few twenties on a cheap one that's going to break after a couple uses, I would rather save up for one that lasts for years.
The only alternative ...
- 1,328
9
votes
2
answers
2k
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How can I fit more dishes in my microwave at once?
I have a 0.6 cubic foot rotating microwave (very small), so I can usually only cook one thing at a time. When using bowls I tried to put them both in opposite corners and they both fit, but one tipped ...
- 11.3k
18
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Cleaning a microwave
What is the easiest way to clean dried/burnt-on food out of a microwave?
Cleaning out the microwave was always one of my least favorite tasks back when I worked the graveyard shift at the local ...
- 4,476