Fixing Annoying Kitchen Disasters

Annoying kitchen disasters will certainly occur, but before you reach for the phone to call in a repair, examine the situation yourself and see if you can fix the problem.

According to Murphy's Law, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Your kitchen is not exempt to this law, and may be more prone to disasters-especially right after you've paid your monthly bills and your checking account balance is slim. Annoying kitchen disasters will certainly occur, but before you reach for the phone to call in a repair, examine the situation yourself and see if you can fix the problem. Here are a few solutions to solving (and preventing) kitchen disasters.

Garbage Disposer:
If the garbage disposer in your sink should jam, turn off the main power to the unit panel and grab your disposer wrench, or a broom handle. You can purchase a disposer wrench at most home stores, but a broom handle works just as well. Use the wrench or the broom handle to force the cutting wheel to move-either left or right, until it moves freely. At this point you can reach in and extract the object that caused the jam.

To avoid jamming your disposer in the future, remember that it isn't a trash can. It should only be used for small amounts of food that fall into the sink. Use your garbage can or compost pile for potato peels, lemon rinds and the like.

Gas burners:
If you've ever had something boil over on the stove, you know that your burners may not light right away or may only light on part of the burner. Any blockage to the pin-sized holes that ring the burner will prevent the burner from operating correctly. Use a pin or straightened paperclip to poke the debris out of the holes so they will light again.

Dishwashers:
If your dishwasher is not cleaning properly these fixes may help. Clean the drain screen in your dishwasher to be sure that water circulates freely in the washer. Use liquid soap (instead of powdered), to ensure that the soap is used during the cycle and doesn't cake up in the soap holder. Reduce spots on glasses by using a sheeting agent. You can purchase a sheeting agent, or simply try tossing in some vinegar before you turn on your washer.

Refrigerators:
If your refrigerator doesn't seem to be keeping food as cold as usual, check the coils before calling for repairs. You will find the coils behind a grill at the bottom or top of the refrigerator. Remove dust and lint from the coils with the hose attachment from your vacuum cleaner. This is a good practice to perform on a monthly basis, since it prevents compressor burn out, which is very expensive to repair.

Anything that can go wrong probably will go wrong eventually. But there's nothing like a little knowledge and forethought to prepare you for disasters that you can handle yourself.

Sources: Gary Abrams, The Washington Times