In Case You Were Wondering

Take a break from Black Friday shopping to repair an appliance. We are open today! Come on down or give us call, we are eager to help.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Weekend Schedule

W.L. May Company will be closed Thnksgiving Day, Thursday, November 28 to celebrate the holiday with our families and loved ones. We will be open regular hours on Black Friday, November 29, and Saturday, November 30th (9a-1p). We hope you all have a great holiday!

                                                       

Carrier	Thanksgiving	Black Friday
UPS	Closed	Regular Schedule
OnTrac	Closed	Regular Schedule
FedEx	Closed	Regular Schedule
USPS	Closed	Regular Schedule

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Kelly's Korner - Cleaning Your Gas Cooktop

Hey, All,

Here is the last installment of stove cleaning - cleaning the top of your gas range.  Now as I have never had a gas range, I had to do some research on this.

First of all, if you wipe up the spills and spatters as they happen, then that goes a long way into keeping it clean - common sense, right?  But you still need to do some deep cleaning periodically.

Wait until your cooktop is completely cool then remove the grates.  Be very careful as these are really heavy.  If you have crusted, burnt on food you can put them in the sink to soak in hot water and dish soap.  W L May does carry a cleaner for them if you want to check that out.  DO NOT put them in your oven and turn on the self-clean!!!!  You will be buying new grates if you do this.  Gently scrub with a sponge to remove the crusties, rinse thoroughly and dry completely before putting them back on the stove.

Grates

CAUTION:  DO NOT TRY TO LIFT THE TOP OF YOUR STOVE!!!  I have had lots of people try to do this to clean underneath and they've had to replace all the gas tubing to the burners.  You can bend, twist or break these gas tubes and then you will have a major gas leak - NOT good.













Now remove the burner caps and wash in hot, soapy water, rinse and dry.  You can use non-abrasive cleaners on these, but make sure they are thoroughly rinsed and dried before replacing.

Burner Cap

For the burner bases, you can use a mild cleanser, hot water and a soft cloth to wipe them off.  You can use an old toothbrush or a piece of wire to clean the openings.  Be careful not to scratch or gouge the openings and don't use a toothpick - the wood can easily break off and get stuck.  Again, make sure everything is thoroughly rinsed of cleaning products and dried.  Carefully wipe the ignitor with a water dampened cotton swab - don't get it too wet or it may not light.  Using a wooden toothpick, gently scrap off any guck off the ignitor and remove any fibers left from cleaning.

Burner Head

Igniter is white circle on  right
Orifice is brass center circle

Now, give the cooktop a good wipe down with a mild cleaner and sponge - rinse and dry thoroughly.  If you have a stainless steel top, wipe in the direction of the grain and dry with a cloth to prevent spots.  Don't use abrasives or products that contain chlorine because both are corrosive to stainless.  You can use a stainless steel conditioner for a nice shine but do not use this on non-stainless surfaces like the control markings, labels, or touchpads.  Only use stainless steel cleaners on stainless steel.  There are many finishes out there made to look like stainless but are not.  How can you tell?  If a magnet sticks to it, it is not stainless.

W L May carries a bunch of different cleaners and conditioners for stainless steel appliances - come down and look.

Make sure everything is well dried before putting back together and be VERY CAREFUL setting the grates back on top.  These babies are very heavy and if you have a glass cooktop, dropping a grate on it will have you ordering a new top in short order.

Periodic maintenance will enhance the life of of your stove reduce repair calls.

To all my friends out there, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Monday Motivation

"When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup." Sam Lefkowitz

               For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Toy Drive Reminder

Please Give!
(Flickr User Pascal/CC)

Thanksgiving is less than one week away. It's amazing how fast the year is rolling by here at W.L.May. We have many things to be thankful for and we want to give a little bit back. We are holding a Toy Drive to help make some sick kids holidays a little better, since they have to spend Christmas in a hospital.

We have been collecting toys for a few weeks now, and honestly, things are going a bit slow. With all the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving keeping service companies on their toes this month, we know it can be hard to find the time to go toy shopping. We still have a few weeks left in our Drive and these kids need your help. If you don't have the time to shop, we are also accepting donations (which we will convert into toys).

We are accepting toys and donations until December 12th, 2014. Every one of our branches has a bin that you can bring donations to in person. If you are in a more remote area and would like to donate, you can mail in donations. Here's a tip, if you have circuit board cores to return, you can include a toy donation in with your core return. The hospitals have asked donors to avoid toys that have a violent or religious theme, 

The toys are destined for local Children's Hospitals in the area of our branch stores. Seattle donations will benefit children at the Seattle Children's Hospital. Toys donated in Sacramento will be going to the kids at the UC Davis Children's Hospital. If you bring a gift into Boise, the kids at St.Luke Children' s Hospital will find that you made their spirit bright. Portlanders will note that they are sharing the joys of the season with the kids at the Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel.

Thanks again to every one who can help out. 

May this be your best holiday season ever!

Thursday Trivia Challenge: Thanksgiving Edition

Do you think you know all about Thanksgiving? Here is a short set of trivia questions to test your knowledge.

Questions
1. True or False? Abraham Lincoln was the first president to suggest the idea of Thanksgiving and then he created the national holiday.
2. True or False? Thanksgiving is held on the last Thursday in November.
3. This year a rare occurance happens when Thanksgiving and Hannukah are held at the same time. How long would you have to wait for that to happen again?
4. Speaking of big numbers, How many feathers does a typical turkey have?
5. Speaking of turkeys, a founding father thought turkeys would make a better national bird that the Bald Eagle. Who thought that?
6. Who started the tradition of making a wish on the wishbone?
7. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a great annual tradition. What year was the first one held?
8. Another great Thanksgiving tradition is football. What year was the first college Thanksgiving football game held? NFL?
Bonus Question
How did Black Friday get it's name?

Answers
1. False-Abraham Lincoln did make Thanksgiving into a national holiday, however Thanksgiving has been celebrated going back to pilgrim times (of course).  George Washington, John Adams and James Madison all issued proclamations urging Americans to observe days of Thanksgiving.

2. False-It's true that frequently Thanksgiving is held on the last Thursday in Novemeber. When Abraham Lincoln signed the holiday into law it was to be held on the last Thursday of November. In 1939, the National Retail Dry Goods requested that President Roosevelt move the holiday to the 4th Thursday of November to extend the Holiday shopping season. He did and we have celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November ever since.

3. 79,043 years

4. Approximately 3000 feathers

5. Benjamin Franklin endorsed the turkey over the bald eagle as our national bird. He argued that the turkey was “a much more respectable Bird,” “a true original Native of America,” and “though a little vain and silly, a Bird of Courage.”

6. The wishbone is a very old tradition going back to the ancient Etruscan people who lived in Rome before the Romans. They believed chickens could grant wishes. Touching a wishbone would make the wish come true. When the Romans moved in they added a little violence to the ritual. Instead of touching the wishbone tow people would try to pull it apart, breaking the bones. Whoever got the joint that was whose wish would come true. The Romans took the practice with them to Roman England and it carried on through the ages, being adopted by the English colonists in their early Thanksgiving feasts.

7. 1924

8. On Thanksgiving Day in 1876 the newly formed American Intercollegiate Football Association held its first championship game. In 1934 The NFL began hosting games as well with a battle between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears. Since then, the Lions have played every Thanksgiving except those during World War II.
Bonus Answer
Black Friday got its name by being the date, traditionally when retail merchants start seeing a profit for their years work. In other words, black ink instead of red. Although with all of the chaos of shopping on that day we can understand why you might have thought the day was named for doom and gloom.

Scoring
O-2 correct: You know a bit, but still have a lot to learn.
2-4 correct: You know a fair amount about Thanksgiving.
4-6 correct: You know a lot about Thanksgiving. Pass some of that knowledge on to someone.
6-8 correct You are an Thanksgiving star! Great job!

Sources: http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-quiz
http://www.chicagonow.com/tween-us/2013/11/11-thanksgiving-trivia-tidbits-for-fun-at-your-family-feast

This is a monthly feature. To submit your appliance trivia questions (and answers) email: rob.m@wlmay.com with the subject line "trivia".

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Wednesday W.L.May Profile: Mark Guzman

This is the part of the blog where we share a little about ourselves. Today we would like to introduce you to one of the people that help provide you with our famously fast and accurate customer service.

Name?
Mark Anthony Guzman

Job Title?
Sacramento Branch Manager

Where did you grow up?
Sacramento, CA

How long have you been with W.L. May?
Started part time in November of 2001 so it’s been 12 years this month

What did you do prior to joining W.L. May?
I’ve had here and there jobs that didn’t last long, most likely because I was partying like it was 1999 from the mid 80’s to 2000.

What do you enjoy doing when you're not at work?
Bought a house on 8/7/13 and love maintaining it and filling it with as many functions as possible.

To what do you credit your success?
Crossroads Diversified Services for working with me and finding me this job. And W.L. May for allowing and trusting in me to do all I can for the company, my employee’s and myself.

What do you like about working at WL May?
Making customers happy. From the wholesalers to the retailers and from the technicians to the DIY’s, it’s one of the greatest feelings I get every time.
             
Can you share one piece of advice for others in our industry?
Go to as many training conventions ask you can. Not only to you get a lot of useful and current info, you get to me some wonderful people too.

Can you share something most people do not know about you? 
I cry every time I watch The Color Purple and The Notebook.

For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Kelly's Korner - Cleaning the top of your Electric Stove

(Flickr User Horia Varlan/CC)

Hey, All,

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about cleaning your oven.  Today we will concentrate on the top.

With everyday cooking you get spills, spatters and boil overs and you wipe them up as they happen, right?  Well, what about underneath those burners?

Yes, there are drip pans under the burners, and even though you may wipe the out, they may be looking pretty sad.  Best bet - toss them and come down to W L May and get replacements (bring your model number as all pans are not the same!)  Then you have nice bright, shiny pans for the holidays.

But as you may notice, mose of these pans have a hole at the bottom.  And your spillovers have dripped down to the liner.  Take your elements and pans out (tip the elements up and pull out - most conventional coils will do this - and look.  This may be a big ICK!  Spray your cleaner in there and let sit a while and wipe out.  It may be a bit tricky getting in there through the holes but unless you know how to raise the top, I suggest just reaching in there through the holes.  We get a lot of calls from people who have tried to raise the tops and have torn out wiring and damaged the coils, so be careful!

I would be very careful, also, about cleaning your control panel.  If your panel is all electronic just use a damp sponge and do not spray cleaner on them - it could get into the electronics and short things out and then you're in real trouble.  If your panel is mechanical (knobs to turn things on) you can very carefully pull those knobs straight off and clean them and underneath.  Do not use abrasive cleaners or steel wool type scrubbers - you can take any markings right off, then you would have to buy another panel and that may be tricky with an older stove - may not be available any longer.  Your best bet before starting any cleaning of your appliances will be consulting your use and care guide.  Don't have one?  You can usually go to your manufacturer's website and download them.

If you have a solid glass top, most of this advice is unneccesary but you still need to use care.  W L May has some cleaning kits made especially for glass tops.  And we have several lines of different cleaners - for regular finishes and stainless steel - and some are eco-friendly.

Don't forget your range hoods, also - may be time for a new filter and W L May can help you get the correct one for your hoods.

Next week, I'll talk about cleaning your gas ranges - I'll have to do some research into this as I know very little about the care of these - we'll both learn something!

Have a great week!

Monday Motivation

Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi

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Friday Featured Client: Crater Lake Appliance

The Staff of Crater Lake Appliance -Stefani, Kim, Dan, and Byron

Once a month we feature a client on this blog. It's way of saying thank you for allowing us the opportunity to help with a companies success, also it is a way of showing positive community involvement from the appliance service industry. We have found that there are a lot of unsung heroes in the appliance business, we want the world to know that. If YOUR business has had more success due to our help, or if your company is doing great things in your community, we would love to know about and share it with the world. To be featured email me at rob.m@wlmay.com.



Name?
Byron Strickland

Company?
Crater Lake Appliance

Contact Info:
(541) 770-4565
CraterLakeAppliance.Com

Where did you grow up?
Bakersfield, California

How long in the trade?
I started in 1985, in Klamath Falls. I got out of it from 1990-1995 to do maintenance work at the community college and then got back into it in 1995 in Medford.

How long in your current company?
Since 2001

What do you enjoy doing when you're not at work?
I try to get out and do things to get away from the stress of work. Fishing is my hobby. I have a friend on the Oregon Coast with a fishing boat and sometimes we will spend the night on the boat and head out early for the fishing. Its a lot of fun!

To what do you credit your success?
I have worked for several companies in the past and I tried to take lessons from those experiences. I found that sometimes the biggest thing is just to tell people when you will be there and actually show up. People are impressed by that. I try to treat people the way I would like to be treated-that seems to go a long way.

What do you like about doing business with W.L. May?
Rob, and the whole company at W.L. May, seem to go a bit further than other  companies. I keep using them as a result. Overnight shipping makes me look good to my customers. They also keep me up-to-date by letting me know about new products and accessories.

Can you share one piece of advice for others in our industry?
Be as honest as you can be. I think honesty goes a long way. People are skeptical and rely on us to know what works (and doesn't) and to honestly share that with them.


Can you share something with us that not many people would know?
I am not necessarily the most outgoing guy by nature, but I try to overcome that to provide my customers better and more comfortable service. Those skills have carried over and improved other aspects of my life.

If you would like YOUR company profiled as a featured client send an email to rob.m@wlmay.com

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Throwback Thursday: News Recap November 13, 2014

If you have been reading the W.L. May Blog but haven't checked us out on Facebook, Twitter or Google+, you may not be getting the whole story. We use all of those social media outlets to share news stories that relate to our industry as well as appliance tips we have found from other sources. Here is a recap of some of the top stories we have seen lately. It's been a HUGE week for news, so without further ado:

We start with some consumer friendly articles we feel would be great for sharing:

• Consumer Reports examined and rated refrigerators. LINK
• Delicate items in the dishwasher? Well, sometimes... LINK
• CJ Online has some tips to keep your dishwasher in top shape. LINK
• Service reviewer Angie's List has some dishwasher dos and don'ts to share. LINK
• CNet offers us a nice explanation of how a refrigerator makes things cold. LINK
• A tragic story out of Florida that highlights why paying for professional installation is money well spent. LINK
• Another periodic report of dishwasher cookery-just in time for Thanksgiving! LINK
• Saturday, Nov 15 is National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day! This article is not sure who started this tradition, but they have a suspicion! LINK

Next, we look at the manufacturers and how they have been in the news recently:

• Front load washer door boots were the cause of a class action lawsuit against Whirlpool. Whirlpool won round one. LINK
• Whirlpool named a new president of North American operations. LINK
• Industry Week reported on Whirlpool's hiring of returning Veterans. LINK

We found an article that might be of interest to those of you who love all thing appliances:

• Charging the phone in your pocket while using your appliances is a lot closer than you might think. LINK
• For the homeless, laundry is yet another challenge. In Australia, they are trying to solve that problem. LINK
• A lot of people hang art on the refrigerator. In Darwin, the refrigerator IS the art. LINK
• Waterless washing is already being done in England's commercial laundries. Now they plan to bringing the machines into the American homes. LINK
• The Bolton News out of the UK reported on a program that teaches ex-cons how to repair appliances. LINK

Sometimes, the links we post are related to technology, business or happenings on the internet:

• Prosecutors in Pasadena, Maryland put an appliance repair pretender out of business. LINK
• Microfiber pollution is a modern problem caused by high tech fabric. How to prevent it is the question. LINK
• Tom Magliozzi, host of Car Talk passed away at the age of 77. He will be missed.  LINK
• Wired checked in with their ideas and hopes for internet connected appliances. LINK
• Telecom TV considers if there is yet a compelling need for a smart washing machine. LINK

We close with some just-for-fun stories:

• Once again the battle of the sexes had a skirmish in the Laundry room. LINK
• Not everybody is a handyman.If you are not one, you might be better off calling one. LINK
• A vote for the smaller community oriented appliance store. LINK
• Close encounters of the soapy kind... LINK
• The old dishwashing double cross. LINK

For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Five Seasonal Items

(Flickr user Squidish/CC)

Here we are, almost half way through November. The annual onslaught of kitchen related appliances is underway as people prepare for their various holiday celebrations. We here at W.L. May have been busy, not only with helping find those obscure range parts, but in a few other ways as well. We have some upcoming activities and some products worth mentioning. Here are five things:

1. This year, W.L. May is holding a Toy Drive to provide toys to sick kids who will be hospitalized at Christmas-time. All of our branches are accepting donations of new, unwrapped and unused toys. The hospitals involved have asked donors to avoid toys with violent or religious themes, We thank you in advance for helping out.
2. Cadet, the makers of high quality electric heaters and a Northwest-based company has joined forces with W.L. May to help address your winter heating needs. As an authorized distributor, we now have access to their entire product line and look forward to serving you.
3. We have a few new dishwasher installation kits on hand that are proving to be popular. The basic kit (Part#  DWK-6572SSDW) includes 1 6ft SS Dishwasher hose with 3/8" standard elbow, 6 ft straight power cord, 3/4"  "Whirlpool Elbow", an 1.5" hose clamp, 3 yellow wire nuts, a roll of Teflon tape and a Romex connector. The same kit is alternately available with  a 6 ft 90 degree power cord (Part# DWK-6572DW).
4. During the late fall and early winter, we make a point of deepening our stock of kitchen appliance parts. There are also range part specials we are running through the end of the year, your account manager can share details. Getting around during the winter can be challenging, so we offer drop shipping to your customers on your behalf. If we are for some reason out of stock, parts can also be special ordered from the factory and drop shipped to your service company on a next day or second day basis. Again, ask your account manager for details and shipping options. 
5. United Servicers Association is now taking registration for their main meeting, the ASTI (Appliance Service Technical Institute) that will be held in New Orleans, LA from February 9-12th, 2015. As always, this will be a great opportunity to improve your repair skills as well as your business skills. It is also a good way to see new products and share service experiences with repair companies from all across North America.

As you can see their is a lot going on. W.L. May is here to help you out along the way. Our goal is keeping you supplied and informed, We are a solution oriented company, we just happen to sell appliance parts. Have a great holiday season both personally as well as professionally!

Kelly's Korner - A Salute to Our Service Men and Women

Hey, All,

I know I said I was going to write about cleaning do's and don't's on cooktops but something way more important came up.

Today is Veteran's Day.  What does that mean?  Yes, it may be a holiday that you don't have to go to school or work but the day is so much more important.  The reason you get this day off is because of all the courageous men and women that have fought and are fighting for the everyday rights that we, more often than not, take for granted living here in the good old U S of A.

Creative Commons license on image.

I hit me hard this weekend when I got several posts on my Facebook page from Valley Oak Appliance in Elk Grove, CA. They employ many vets - from Viet Nam to Afghanistan - and my hat is off to these guys and to Valley Oak, both for the service and sacrifice they have given to our country and the service that Valley Oak is giving for employing these guys.

If you are an employer, of any sort, and are looking for good employees, do not forget to contact your local Veteran's Affair Office. These men and women have put their lives on the line for you - giving them a job is the least we can do for them. Our own founding father, George Thomas, and our salesperson, Roy Wilson, both served in the Marine Corps - Semper Fi!

So make a special effort to thank any service people you see tomorrow (or any time) and let them know we appreciate them! Also, these people are often far from home and won't have a chance to get home for the holidays - contact your Armed Services and find out how you can send a care package or letters to them to help brighten their holidays!

Have a great week!

Monday Motivation

A project is complete when it starts working for you, rather than you working for it. – Scott Allen

RSTI Closing Thoughts

Today's business classes mark the end of the United Servicers Association's RSTI sessions. Its been a great season and W.L. May Company is proud to have hosted three of these events. In Sacramento, Salt Lake City, and Portland, over 90 servicers increased their skills in working on appliances made by Bosch, Electrolux, Samsung, and Whirlpool. They gained valuable tips for managing and growing their businesses. Many of them also shared their experiences and gained from their peers at the Round Table Sessions held at each event. All of them are now USA members, and have access to the United Servicers Association's library of technical information and they will be able to consult with peers from accross the nation on the Associations USAChat forum.

Our sincere thanks go out to everyone who participated. Thanks to the servicers, some of who traveled long distances to attend and who invested a day or two lost in the field to improve their skills in the long run. Thanks, as well to the United Servicers Association for putting on such a great program. Lastly, thanks our team here at W.L. May that coordinated such successful events. Good job to all of you!

The next event for the United Servicers Association is the ASTI (Appliance Service Technical Institute). This event is the big dog of USA events. It runs for 4 days From February 9-12 in New Orleans, Louisiana. There are more sessions and more subjects covered in detail at the ASTI and servicers from all over North America attend. For those who want to expand the experience, USA offers an EXTRA day of training on February 8th where basic electrical and refrigeration will be covered. 

If all that is not enough, there is one more thing that may prove to be attractive about this particular RSTI. Mardi Gras is the following Tuesday, so for those who stay a few day longer in New Orleans, there should be no shortage of excitement to be found in the Crescent City. We will be there and we hope to see you there as well.

Here are a few pictures from the various RSTI's we hosted this fall, many of these were posted on social media, but in case you missed them.

From Sacramento:

From Salt Lake City:

From Portland:

Thanks Again! We Will See You In New Orleans!

Frigidaire and the Modern Kitchen

Here is a clip from Frigidaire talking about the "modern kitchen". The groovy spacewalk dance the teenagers are doing at the end of the clip is fairly hilarious.




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One Last Word About The RSTI in Clackamas

Tomorrow in Clackamas, we begin the last of the Regional Service Training Institutes that W.L. May will be hosting this year in conjunction with the United Servicers Association. I could tell you how you will learn new skills and make yourself and your company more marketable, but Bradley has already made that argument fairly persuasively.

I am going to focus instead on what I consider to be one of the most valuable parts of the session. That would be the Round Table Discussion held after Thursday night dinner, Sadly, a lot of guys opt out of this session. Either they are tired from a long day, or they have the opinion that they are already running a successful business and they don't have any more to learn.

I strongly disagree. Even if you run the best service company in the United States, the world is changing fast and it takes effort to stay ahead of the pack. Even though I live on the parts side of the counter, I am always interested in hearing what issues service companies are challenged with and how they are responding to those challenges. I always get at least one idea how to provide better service for my customers from the discussion. I bet you would too.

Time is running out fast, but a few slots are still open and you can even show up to the Monarch Hotel in Clackamas for last minute registration. We hope to see you there! And if you do attend, make sure and attend the Round Table discussion. I will be there, so introduce yourself. I will be the big guy with the graying beard.

Happy Learning Folks!

Monarch Hotel & Conference Center
12566 SE 93rd Ave
Clackamas, OR 97015 Map
503-652-1515
1-800-492-8700 Toll Free
503-652-7509 Fax

Kelly's Korner - Oven Cleaning

Hey, All,

With the holidays fast approaching, there will be a lot of oven cleaning.  Here are some tips and helpful ideas to help you with those yucky chores.

Creative Commons license on image.

Whether you clean your oven before or after (or both) the holiday cooking frenzy, there are several ways to go about this onerous task:

If you have a self-cleaning oven - yahoo!  Basically, all you have to do is flip a switch and the oven heats REALLY hot - try 900+ degrees!!! - and burns all those drips and spatters and spills to a fine ash.  All then is left to do is wipe it out with a damp cloth.  But some warnings from using this feature - because of the extra high heat fuses, elements and electronic controls may burn out.  Most technicians will tell you NOT to run the self-clean on your oven the two weeks before a major cooking holiday.  Chances are high that something might go wrong, then you will have to add a call to your favorite tech to come fix these and it could be a costly cleaning.  You can use the ammonia/hot water method to clean but DO NOT USE regular chemicals-in-a-can cleaner!  They do make one for self-cleaning ovens.  The ammonia cleaning method is as follows:

Heat oven to 150 degrees and turn off - place a small bowl of ammonia (about 1/2 cup) in small bowl on top rack and a large pan of boiling water on the bottom.  Close the door and let sit overnight.  The next day remove ammonia and water and let oven air out.  Then wipe down using the ammonia and a few drops of dishwashing liquid in about a quart of warm water.  If you are cleaning a gas oven please make sure the pilot light is out and the main gas line turned off.

No self clean?  If you prefer to use the chemicals-in-a-can, make sure you follow the directions, use lots of ventilation and wear protective gear - these chemicals are really harsh and can do damage to your skin and lungs.  If you want a "green" method, you can use the above ammonia method or the baking soda method:

Grab a paintbrush and a bowl.  Mix 1 tablespoon of dish soap, 1-1/2 cups baking soda, and 1/4 cup vinegar and enough water to make a thick paste.  Paint the inside of your oven and let sit overnight.  Then, with warm water and a scrubber/sponge, wipe it all down.

Helpful hint:  My son was amazed by this one, but did you know that in many cases you can take your oven door off?  Open door slightly and grab both side a little more than halfway down and then lift straight up at the same angle the door is open.  The door should slide right up the hinges and off.  Please be careful!  Door is heavy and awkward and you don't want to drop it.  It sure makes reaching into that oven a whole lot more comfortable than leaning over the door and maybe damaging that or bending the hinges.

Next week I will be talking about the top of your range - some do's and don't's there, too!

Have a great week!

Monday Motivation

“No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,/ No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, - November!”-Thomas Hood

For more from education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE