The kitchen is one of the busiest and most used rooms in the home. From cooking, eating, and socialising, it is safe to say the kitchen really is the heart of the home!
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Due to the constant use of the kitchen and its appliances, problems with these appliances can cause a whole host of problems if they are not in proper working order.
Therefore, it is important to check your appliances are in full working order, which can prevent bigger problems such as food poisoning, them to completely stop working, and other annoyances. Letting these issues go ignored for months may just make them worse and let them degrade beyond repair. These simple kitchen problems can be easily fixed in order to ensure the smoother running and general safety of the user.
An off-smelling fridge is likely due to food that has gone off, usually due to poor temperature control.
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To resolve this problem, you should throw away the food which seems to be creating the smell and completely clean the inside of the appliance. You should then let it completely dry out, optionally putting in a plate of baking soda to absorb the unpleasant odors.
Once the fridge has been cleaned and dried, it is important that it is set at its optimum temperature for food storage. This is around 4°C for a fridge.
The two main causes of ice in a fridge are either a blocked drain or the fridge being too cold. If the fridge seems to be the correct temperature, then it is most likely the former, as every fridge has a small drain at the back, and this can get built up with ice, stopping condensation from draining away.
To solve this issue, slowly pour boiling hot water into the drain. After a few pours it should melt the ice and unblock the drain, allowing the drain to then work properly.
Dripping taps are a small but annoying inconvenience, which can end up being expensive, both regarding your water bill and property damage. In order to fix it, you will need to first turn off the water.
You can then try to troubleshoot which of the internal components may need repairing or tightening. But, often, it is simpler to install a new tap altogether.
If your kitchen sink is not draining properly, it may be due to factors such as food blockages or a build up of soap residue. Drainage Care UK, a company who helps homeowners with blocked drains in Southampton, say that trying to solve a drain blockage with harsh chemicals usually ends up causing more harm than good.
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Especially in the long-run. Instead, try pouring boiling water down the drain to dissolve the food. If boiling water doesn’t work, try a mixture of baking soda and vinegar, which is a natural alternative to chemical drain cleaners.
If your dishwasher is not cleaning your dishes properly or leaving a sediment, then it may need to be cleaned itself. Try cleaning the dishwasher’s filter, instructions on how to do so will be found in the owner’s instruction manual.
Once this has been done, ensure it is filled with dishwasher salt and rinse-aid and run your dishwasher on the hottest cycle with no dishes inside.
It is one of the most common kitchen problems. Continuously closing cupboards too hard can lead to hinges becoming misshapen and screws becoming loose. When this is the case, the cupboard door will not close all the way, or if you force it closed, it will just spring open again.
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If you believe the hinge has been bent out of place, then use the matchbox method. This involves folding a matchbox or a piece of cardboard of the same width and putting it just above the hinge. Close the door and see whether it closes properly.
If it does not, then fold the matchbook cover again and repeat the steps. In case you have done this a few times with no avail, then try a different method, as it may not be the hinge which is the issue.
If you believe the spring tension may be too light, open the cupboard door and undo the screws by a quarter-turn clockwise. Then try closing the door and seeing whether it stays closed. If it does not close, adjust the screws one-quarter turn at a time until the door closes and stays closed. Whereas, if you believe the spring tension may be too strong, repeat this method, but turn the screws anti-clockwise each time.
This is a common issue that can affect how your boiled water tastes, so you may want to remove the limescale as soon as possible. To do so, half fill the kettle with vinegar, then pour in water the rest of the way.
Let it sit for an hour, before switching it on and letting it boil. Once this has been done, pour everything out and give it a good thorough rinse. The limescale will have dissolved and drained away.
Another one of the common kitchen problems. When you are cooking, the extractor fan allows the cooking smells and smoke to be transported outside. If you do not think it is working, or is not working to its full potential, then you may need to check the duct which the smells and smoke travel through.
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Also you need to check the motor, as they can easily get clogged with grease, causing the extractor fan to malfunction. To do so, check the air filter for clogs and clean it if necessary. If cleaning doesn’t help, then your motor may need to be replaced.
Firstly, use a carpenter’s level to ensure the oven is on even footing. If not, adjust the legs until everything is straight. This is important because an uneven oven can lead to uneven baking!
Debris, or tin foil in the oven to catch drips may also be the cause of the problem. These could be impacting the oven’s airflow, thus preventing it from cooking properly. Giving the oven a thorough cleaning should help.
If these above points do not help, the oven itself may be the problem. You can invest in a thermostat that you can hang on your oven shelf which will tell you the exact temperature of the oven, to see whether the temperature gauge is broken. If this does not work, experiment with cooking temperatures and cooking times to find what works for you and your oven, as every model is different.
If it is harder to open kitchen drawers after closing them, then they can be filled up with dirt and debris. If you have wooden drawers, then you can rub paraffin on the parts where the drawers meet.
With any other material, you can also use candles, a bar of soap or even dry spray lubricant, which will stop the parts from sticking. It is also important to clean the runners, you can do so by removing the drawers and cleaning them with washing up liquid.
Although it may be easier just to fix problems as they arise, maintaining your kitchen is very important to keep everything running smoothly. Doing so can ensure that appliances are less likely to break and things are less likely to go wrong, which can be costly and time-consuming: it is important to be proactive!
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