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BBQ Special
Get ready for grill season with these premium quality barbeque accessories.
Stainless steel, four piece BBQ set.
Turner, Tong, Fork, Grill Brush*
*Extra grill brush head included.
On sale $24.99 Save $20.50
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Offer expires June 30, 2008.
Price subject to change after expiry date.
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More premium accessories for your BBQ...
Spring Cleaning Issue - Spring 2008
Clean your appliances in one afternoon
Spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying your backyard this spring with these handy tips from the appliance professionals at PartSelect.com. Whether you’re cleaning your stove-top, oven, refrigerator, washer, dryer or dishwasher, the job just got a lot easier.
Make your appliances look like new
A quick way to make your appliances look like new is to replace the parts that get the most wear and tear.
It’s easy to replace your stove-top drip bowls, trim rings and knobs.
Refrigerator handles, ice-cube trays, shelves, bins, and door retaining rails are quick to replace and keep your fridge looking like new, inside and out.
New dishwasher knobs, buttons, utensil caddy and rack parts can be installed in just minutes.
A new lint screen, handle and knobs for your dryer may be in order.
Replacing the fabric softener dispenser and bleach dispenser is relatively inexpensive and often works out better than trying to clean these items.
Find everything you need at PartSelect.com.
Don’t know the part number? No problem, just have your appliance’s model number on hand when you visit PartSelect.com. Enter the model number and we’ll show you illustrations of your appliances, making it easy to find the parts you need.
Try this popular appliance cleaning product:
Quick Tips For Spring Cleaning
Leave the worst job for last by starting it first
Take a few minutes, before you start cleaning your other appliances, to spray your oven interior with oven cleaner. Most oven cleaners need a minimum of two hours to work their magic.
Oven
If you or someone in your family has chemical sensitivities or you just can't stand the smell your oven puts off the first time you use it after cleaning, there are chemical-free solutions you can make. For example, a paste, using equal parts baking soda and water is an effective oven cleaner. Apply the paste to the interior oven surface and let it sit for a few hours to remove stains and carbonized food build-up. Move on to other cleaning projects while you’re waiting for the cleaner to dissolve the carbonized food residue in your oven.
Oven racks
To get your oven racks the cleanest they can be you can use ammonia. You must use EXTREME CAUTION when dealing with ammonia – it is a very harsh chemical and can be very dangerous. DO NOT use ammonia to clean aluminum oven racks (see below for aluminum racks).
Steel oven racks
READ BEFORE PROCEEDING. Wear rubber gloves, turn on the bathroom fan, open the bathroom window and leave the door open.
Take the racks out of the oven and put them in a heavy-duty garbage bag.
Take the garbage bag containing the oven racks to the bathroom and place in the bathtub. Add NO MORE than half a cup of ammonia to the bag, immediately seal the garbage bag tightly and leave the bathroom immediately. Do not to spend more than a few minutes in the bathroom while the racks are soaking in the ammonia. Even if you have a well-sealed bag in a well-ventilated room, fumes can escape. If weather permits, you could leave the bags outside in the driveway. Do not leave the bags with ammonia on the grass or a wooden deck as the ammonia may cause damage.
The cleaning process will take approximately 2 hours. With the bathroom window still open, the bathroom fan on and the door open, start running water in the tub (with the drain open). Wearing rubber gloves and keeping your face well away from the top of the garbage bag, slowly open the bag and place the oven racks in the tub, allowing all of the ammonia (on the racks and in the garbage bag) to flow down the drain. Rinse the oven racks with ample amounts of water. You may need to step away from the bathtub to get some fresh air while the racks are rinsing. Wipe the racks dry.
Aluminum oven racks or for people with chemical sensitivities
If ammonia is too harsh, or you are worried about safety, or you have aluminum oven racks, the racks can be cleaned in the tub with hot water and dish detergent. They will need to soak for a few hours. After the racks have soaked, use a pumice stone to scrub off the carbonized food build-up.
Final oven cleaning steps
When the cleaner has had time to dissolve the stains and carbonized food build-up, wipe the cleaner out of the oven with a damp sponge and a bucket of warm water. DO NOT FORGET YOUR RUBBER GLOVES if you used the chemical cleaner. Use vinegar to give the oven a final rinse and remove any remaining cleaner residue. Don't worry about the vinegar smell affecting your cooking. As vinegar dissolves so does the smell.
Getting the gunk off the stove-top
Baking soda and hot water make a great cleaning solution or you can use a cleaner of your choice. Remove the burners and soak them in your cleaning solution then rinse and let dry. Use ceramic cleaner or baking soda and a soft cloth or sponge to clean your stove-top.
The hood above your range should be cleaned as well. This is where all the grease and vapor collect when you are cooking. Take a soft cloth and some warm, soapy water and wipe down the inside and outside of the hood. Don’t forget to clean or replace the filter in your range hood.
Get rid of unwanted odors
Vinegar and lukewarm water make an effective and food-safe cleaning solution for the inside of your refrigerator. Throw out any old leftovers or stale food before you start cleaning. Place the rest of the food in coolers to keep it from going bad. Wipe down the shelves with the vinegar solution. For tough messes, you may need some extra elbow-grease and cleaning solution. Be careful if you have glass shelves, if you use hot water to clean or place anything hot on to the shelves, the glass could break.
Remove bins and drawers and wash them in the sink with warm (not hot!) soapy water. Wipe the seal around the door to remove any residue that may have gathered in the crevices. Rinse with the water and vinegar solution to remove any soapy residue and dry with a soft towel.
Make room in your freezer for ice cream and storing summer fruit with a quick cleaning. Throw out any old freezer burned food to make some room. Your freezer needs to be defrosted and completely cleaned once a year. If you choose to defrost you freezer while cleaning your fridge, make sure you have enough coolers and ice to keep your food appropriately chilled.
Make sure that there is enough room inside your refrigerator and freezer for the cool air to circulate properly. The freezer should be well stocked, but not over stuffed while the refrigerator needs a little more room. Lots of items in the freezer can help maintain the cool temperature, but too many items in the fridge means that the motor has to work a lot harder to move air around to keep everything cool.
Keep your laundry smelling fresh
Freshen your washer by wiping the drum and lid with a damp cloth. To clean the drum on a top-load washer, add 1 cup of bleach, select the large load setting with the highest temperature, add approximately 1 gallon of water (after the drum has filled – be careful not to overfill the drum) and run the machine.
If your washing machine has a lint filter or a particle trap, empty it on a regular basis. Larger pieces of lint and other material can clog the plumbing, causing the water to back up and flood your laundry room.
Wipe out the fabric softener dispenser and bleach dispenser to remove build-up and avoid clogs. Pour warm water into the dispenser to loosen the build-up and wipe clean with a cloth. Do not use soap or detergent to clean the fabric softener dispenser, the mixture of soap and softener may stain your laundry.
Stains on your dryer drum, caused by dyes from new clothes, can be removed with a mild solution of bleach and water. Using the solution and a clean, lint-free cloth, wipe down the dryer drum. After the dyes have been wiped clean, use another clean cloth and a non-flammable (check the cleaning product label to ensure it is a non-flammable product) cleaning solution to remove any remaining bleach solution. To polish the surface of the dryer drum, place the same cleaning cloth in the empty dryer and run dryer cycle for no more than 10 minutes.
Check and clean the dryer’s lint trap as well as the exhaust hose and vent. The exhaust vent and hose should be checked for leaks and vacuumed to remove any lint build-up at least twice a year. Dryers are a frequent cause of household fires. Proper vent and hose maintenance is necessary in order to reduce the risk of fire. Beware of the flexible corrugated plastic or vinyl hoses, as these products can pose a serious fire hazard and may not be recommended (check your local building code restrictions). Dryer vent hoses should be metal and should not be cramped or bent at sharp angles. The less distance you have between your dryer and the outside vent, the better.
To clean your dryer hose, unplug the dryer and disconnect the hose at one end. Take a wet-dry vacuum with the longest attachment you have, and insert it into the hose. Clean out as much lint as you can then repeat at the other end. Check the exhaust leading out of the vent as the flaps can become clogged with lint or stuck closed.
A clean dishwasher means clean dishes
Keep the inside of your dishwasher clean and you’re sure to have sparkling dishes and cutlery every time. Using an old toothbrush and hot, soapy water, scrub the door seal area of the dishwasher to loosen any food particles or residue. Wipe the area clean with a cloth or paper towel. You should also clean any filters or traps inside the dishwasher. To disinfect your dishwasher, especially the parts you can’t see, add one tablespoon of bleach to an empty dishwasher and run a normal cycle.
Use Glisten to remove stains, rust or lime-scale caused by hard water. Glisten is safe for use with septic fields and the environment. Tang, or crystal citric acid, is also an effective cleaner. Other specialty cleaners are available at local retailers.
Make your own cleaning solutions
Sensitive to chemicals found in commercially made cleaning supplies or want to be thrifty? Make your own cleaning solutions right at home with the following recipes.
There are only 3 main ingredients used in most of these cleaners: water, baking soda and white vinegar.
All purpose cleaning solution
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1 spray bottle
Pour vinegar and water into a spray bottle, shake to mix before each use. Use for small messes, such as daily wipe-downs of the counter in the kitchen or bathroom or small spills on the stove-top. If you want to add some scent, use one or two drops (no more!) of your favorite essential oil and shake the bottle before each use. In addition to smelling great, lemon, orange, and pine oil are also effective stain removers. Tea-tree and eucalyptus oil have disinfectant properties, while lavender is very calming. Don't worry about the smell of the vinegar overpowering the essential oil. Vinegar dissolves quickly and does not leave behind an odor. To turn your all-purpose cleaning solution into a kitchen cleaner and degreaser, add a teaspoon of liquid dish detergent (shake well before each use).
Use undiluted white vinegar for tough stains in the bathtub or toilet bowl.
Window cleaner
1 cup rubbing alcohol (isopropyl)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
In a different spray bottle than your “all purpose cleaning solution”, mix the above ingredients. Use on glass or chrome surfaces. Shake before each use. The rubbing alcohol dissolves rapidly, keeping your glass streak-free. For really dirty glass, or for cleaning the outside of windows, use non-sudsing ammonia instead of vinegar. Caution - be careful not to inhale the fumes and protect your hands with rubber gloves while mixing in the ammonia.
Furniture polish
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice
Pour ingredients into a spray bottle and shake well. Spray a bit of the cleaner onto a cloth and apply the cloth to wood surfaces, in the direction of the wood grain.
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Quick Tip
Don't forget to clean the areas around your appliances too. Dirt and grime can build up under appliances and in the gaps between the appliance and the wall or counter.
Did You Know?
Vinegar is a deodorizer, helps kill bacteria and it is completely safe to use around food.
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