While the aroma of baking pies and browning roasts are welcome in the kitchen, dishwasher and disposal odors are not. To keep smelly kitchen odor at bay and ensure appliance workhorses run smoothly, Whirlpool introduces the new affresh Dishwasher and Disposal Cleaner, the only national two-in-one cleaner for dishwashers and garbage disposals.
If not properly cleaned as indicated in the Use & Care guide, all brands of dishwashers and garbage disposals have the potential for odor. Dishwashers in particular can be a problem when dirty dishes sit for multiple days or when food residue is not completely rinsed away. Until now, no product on the market removed both dishwasher [...]
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One question that often comes up is, should you buy a range or a cooktop?
In short, it is really a personal choice, based on your budget, space limitations, looks, and needs.
Budget
Prices for cooktops, ovens and ranges vary a lot because the prices are changing constantly due to special offers and sales, brands are priced differently to start with, and they also depend on which of many different features they offer.
However, a separate cooktop and wall oven will always cost more than a range, and will also require electrical or gas plumbing to each unit.
Space Issues
With a cooktop and separate oven you are installing two appliances, therefore [...]
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Your budget will normally dictate your choice of products but there are other considerations you need to take into account when working out how much your new kitchen is going to cost.
Prices vary quite a lot, so the figures given below are just a guideline and, as always, shopping around is the best bet.
But work out roughly how much money you want to spend and use this figure when talking to designers and contractors.
Below are some guidelines for establishing a realistic budget.
Budget Guidelines
First of all, if you limit your spending to 15% of your home’s value you should recoup 90% of the costs when you sell. [...]
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Think about what happens to your food and you will get a good idea how an efficient kitchen works. The steps are usually:
Purchase
Storage
Pre-preparation
Preparation
Service
Dish Washing
Bear all these in mind when planning and you won’t go far wrong. For example, put the fridge near the door where you bring in the shopping (to save you walking acros the kitchen each time), put the baking supplies in a cupboard near the oven, the clean-up materials under the sink and snack items near the microwave, and so on.
The Work Triangle
For maximum efficiency, the kitchen’s three primary appliances, the sink, the refrigerator and the cooktop or range should be located in [...]
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With so many choices in materials, appliances and accessories, sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start when choosing the components that make up your new kitchen.
A good designer should be able to point you in the right direction and sites such as this can give you some good hints, tips and ideas, but ultimately the choice of kitchen style is entirely up to you.
If you have any questions about kitchen design that are not covered in these pages then give us a call!
Planning
Obviously, planning is the first and most important part of buying a new kitchen.
The main steps involved are usually the following:
List [...]
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Weekend Project: Install a new showerhead
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to decrease bathing-related water use, and its WaterSense standards for showerheads
will call for flow rates below the current federal limit of 2.5
gallons per minute. The challenge for manufacturers is to meet that
standard without affecting shower feel, since an anemic flow can result
in longer shower times and greater water use.
If your showerhead isn’t looking its best or is delivering less than a
satisfying flow, read our latest report on showerheads (full story and
ratings available to subscribers), which [...]
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