It is the first of July and this weekend we will be celebrating Independence Day with a 3 day weekend … and you may be thinking about extending the weekend for a longer vacation away.
If your home will be empty while you are away, it is wise to prepare your appliances for you being away to avoid coming home to an unexpected appliance emergency … like a puddle of water under your refrigerator or worse, a washing machine hose that sprang a leak.
01. REFRIGERATOR & FREEZER
YOU MAY BE TEMPTED TO UNPLUG YOUR REFRIGERATOR, BUT DON’T. IT ISN’T NECESSARY.
IF YOUR REFRIGERATOR HAS A “VACATION MODE” SETTING, ENGAGE IT. YOU WILL ALSO WANT TO TURN OFF THE ICE MAKER. OR, EVEN BETTER, TURN OFF THE WATER TO THE WATER LINE. DON’T FORGET TO DISPOSE OF ANY FOOD INSIDE THAT MAY SPOIL WHILE YOU ARE AWAY.
02. DISHWASHER
MOLD AND MILDEW CAN GROW WHILE YOU ARE AWAY. TO PREVENT THIS, COMPLETELY DRAIN YOUR DISHWASHER BEFORE YOU LEAVE.
TO ALSO HELP PREVENT MOLD OR MILDEW FROM FORMING WHILE YOU ARE AWAY, EMPTY IT OF DISHES AND LEAVE THE DOOR SLIGHTLY OPEN TO ALLOW ANY DAMP SURFACES TO DRY.
03. STOVE, OVEN & RANGE
IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO UNPLUG OR TURN OFF THE GAS OR ELECTRICITY TO YOUR STOVE, OVEN OR RANGE.
YOU WILL WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE BURNERS AND THE OVEN ARE OFF BEFORE WALKING OUT THE DOOR FOR YOUR GET-AWAY.
04. GARBAGE DISPOSAL
RUN THE DISPOSAL FOR 1 TO 2 MINUTES TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE NO FOOD REMNANTS. ADD EXTRA TIME IF NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FOOD AND DEBRIS HAVE MOVED DOWN THE DRAIN.
USE AFFRESH OR FLUSH THE DISPOSAL WITH COOL WATER AND RUN THE DISPOSAL AGAIN. THEN FLUSH IT WITH TAP WATER FOR A SECOND TIME.
05. WASHER & DRYER
TURN OFF THE WATER SUPPLY LINES TO YOUR WASHER. THIS IS ALSO A GOOD TIME TO INSPECT THE FILL HOSES FOR RUST, CORROSION, BULGES OR BLISTERS ON THE HOSE.
LEAVE THE DOORS TO YOUR WASHER AND DRYER SLIGHTLY OPEN TO AVOID THEM GETTING MUSTY WHILE YOU ARE AWAY.
Watch our Appliance Master Live Episode where Bill and Mile talk about how to prepare your appliances for leaving on vacation.
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