Cleaning Filters Saves Appliances...and Lives

Cleaning Filters Saves Appliances...and LivesBy Sherry Silver
We'd been annoyed that the through-the-door icemaker in our year old fridge was freezing up and we frequently had to open the door and pound on it to break up the ice so it would dispense. We were ready to call the repair man, if it was covered by warranty.

The electronic message center had been telling us to change the water filter for quite awhile. We finally did. And guess what? The water dispenses much faster, in a thick stream. And the ice isn't freezing up anymore. Imagine that.

Our Keurig hot beverage maker started giving weird error messages and only filling cups half full, then waiting and filling them more. I figured it was time to buy a teakettle. Hubby dug out the owner's manual, and lo and behold the error message meant it needed to be delimed. Guess what? Vinegar saved the Keurig. Imagine that.

My two year old washer is giving weird error messages. One was for an unbalanced load. I don't stuff it as full as I used to, so this was unexpected. The other message doesn't match anything in the owner's manual. I'll ask hubby if there is some way to clean it's filter to.

Change or clean your furnace filters on the regular schedule recommended by your manufacturer. It will really help if any of your family members have breathing problems, and it will save energy if the filter isn't clogged. In a prior house, we had a metal one on furnace which was dishwasher safe. That was awesome. We just have the cardboard ones in the intake vents in this house. 

By the way, please make sure you clean your dryer lint trap after every use. Dryer fires are the second cause of residential house fires. Food forgotten cooking on the stove is the first. And we can't forget about falling asleep smoking.

Anyone else have filters in need of cleaning?