Fun Friday: Toy Washing Machines

Have you ever gone online looking for something and ended up finding something else? Something totally different that is useless, but interesting? That happened to me recently. I found that there a lot of different operating toy washing machines for dollhouses and such. Now, maybe this is common knowledge but it was news to me and I found it interesting enough to share. There are a lot of different (and sometimes quite realistic) machines that have been made over the years. This guy featured on the Farm Collector website has a HUGE collection. Make sure to check out the gallery slideshow that features some of the rarer antiques in his collection. When I found that, I also found this YouTube video of another collection that looks like it features some newer examples.

Now as these internet adventures go, one thing leads to another and I found this odd, but kind of cute video of a Furby meeting up with a washing machine.

I thought I reached the limit of toy washing machine strangeness when I stumbled upon this (Chinese?) video.

Well, that's enough playing with toys. Time to help some folks get some appliances working again. Have a great weekend everybody!

Thursday Thoughts: Pass It On....

Creative Commons license on image.

The blog HRBartender.com posted an interesting article recently discussing the implications of an older workforce.   The article references a piece in The Atlantic which stated that: 

For the first time ever, workers over-55 are set to make up a bigger share of the workforce than workers between 25 and 34 years old.

While the tone of the article is a little more "corporate" than most of the small businesses that compose the appliance repair trade, it does delve into an issue that our industry is grappling with in a big way. From the article:

Meanwhile, organizations must recognize that older workers will retire someday. Maybe not next week or next month. Maybe not even next year. But at some point, they will retire and companies should be ready. Plans need to be in place to capture the knowledge of this soon-to-be retiree. Companies should identify the new keepers of historical knowledge and create transition plans for the transfer of those stories, antidotes and information that is essential to remember.

Our trade in general is shrinking as so many of our most experienced technicians retire. This provides both challenges and opportunities. One of the biggest challenges that many small shops face is what happens to the company when the owner retires.  Obviously there are all of the economic considerations to be made, but what happens to all of the knowledge learned in a career in appliance repair? The shame is that so many guys (and the overwhelming majority of technicians are guys) take that hard earned knowledge with them into retirement.

If you find yourself facing retirement, consider taking a younger person under your wings and share your experience with them. It's true you may not see any financial reward for doing so. And it could potentially slow you down in the course of your daily duties. But think back to when you were new to the trade, odds are a veteran of the repair business helped you get started. Now is the time to pay that courtesy forward. Like the saying goes: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Don't let that knowledge leave the trade with you, pass it on. One more thing, if you are retiring, thanks for your years of service and good luck to you, you will be missed.

Wednesday Watchable: Refrigerator Recovery

Have you ever wondered how a retired refrigerator is de-manufactured? Or what is done with the scrap materials? This video is pretty interesting and breaks down a California refrigerator recovery company's break down process.

Kelly's Korner - Homemade Ant Bait

Hey, All!

I don't know about you and the area you are in, but we've had some really mild winters here in  beautiful Portland and it is not killing off some of the insect population.  These little buggers can get into your appliances looking for crumbs and water and some place warm during the winter.

My house and some of the girls that work with me were getting inundated by those little bitty sugar ants (I know there is probably a scientific name for them but to me the are just a pain in the behind!) so I started looking online for some homemade recipes to get rid of the little buggers!  This is the recipe that I found and it works wonderfully - and the recipe makes enough to share with friends and neighbors.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons Borax (you should have some of this on hand from your homemade laundry soap recipe I posted a couple of weeks ago.

Boil water, remove from heat and dissolve sugar in it.  Do not keep boiling the syrup - it will get hard and won't work, you want to keep it syrupy so they can drink it.  Add Borax.

I have mine in a jelly jar with a lid on it and marked as ANT BAIT - DO NOT DRINK!!! and keep it in the refrigerator.  This recipe makes lots so share it. 

Clean the area(s) you see the ants in thoroughly (vinegar works well) then place a few drops of the bait on a flat lid or piece of plastic (I use a canning lid - you want to make sure the little monsters can get up to the bait) then put it where they are congregating.  It may take a day or two for the creepies to disappear but they will.  Just be careful to not let pets and small children near it.

I have also heard that ants like protein in the spring.  So if you mix about a 1/2 teaspoon of Borax with a glob of peanut butter and put it where the ants are (again, away from children and pets!) they should gobble that up, take it back to their nest and die.

Have a pest free week!

Happy Memorial Day

In observsance of Memorial Day, W.L.May Company will be closed Monday, May 27th.

We will be operating under normal hours Saturday, May, 25th

Truck Stock Thursday: Frigidaire Dryer Maintenance Kits

Did you know that for Kenmore dryers with model number starting with "417", Frigidaire, Westinghouse, Gibson, or Tappan dryers made from 2002 to present there's a repair kit from Electrolux that is worth stocking? There is also a kit for older machines in those brands as well. Not only do these kits provide a convenient assortment of parts needed for maintenance service on these dryers, but they offer an exceptional value. The kits shave about a third of the cost off of what you would pay buying the parts individually.

For the newer models, your part number is 5304457724, this kit includes a new drive belt (134503600), rear drum bearing kit (5303281153), idler pulley/bracket assy (131863007), front drum support/seal (5303937182), lower front felt seal (5303937183), the special high temp adhesive to install the front parts, the high temp grease for the rear bearing assy, and really nice photo instructions that'll walk a do-it-yourselfer through the whole job.

On Models from 1992-2002 the kit is part number 5304461262. It includes a new drive belt (134503600), rear bearing kit (5303281153), idler arm & pulley (131863000), upper drum glide (5303937139), lower drum glide (5303283286) and instructions.

Wednesday W.L. May Profile: Crystal Healy

Reprinted from: What's Cooking At W.L.May Volume 1 Issue 5-Crystal Healy, assistant manager of our Boise Branch, was born in Spokane, WA. and relocated to Boise when her father accepted a job opportunity. No stranger to a strong work ethic, Crystal worked her way through high school at a grocery store and a fast food restaurant. Upon graduating, she held 3 different jobs at the same time.

Crystal, the mother of 2 boys, is about to become a grandmother for the first time. She considers herself lucky because her children live close by in Boise,
and she will be able to enjoy playing with and watching her first grandson grow up. Crystal has a new passion for exercise and credits her twin sister as her inspiration. She currently is a "gym rat", and is in training to run a half marathon called the Idaho Potato Marathon.

She thoroughly enjoys working at W.L. May Co and has actually worked for us on 2 separate occasions. Her first time was from July '05 until August '07 when she left to help her husband establish a Fed Ex Ground operation. Once the business got established, she returned to W.L. May Co in March '08. She says the favorite part of her job would be the daily variety; her responsibilities include shipping/receiving, working in the warehouse, and assisting customers at the counter. Crystal is committed to providing excellent customer service; she considers each technician as her "second family". If you ever have the chance to meet her, you'll soon realize why we love having Crystal working for us as well.