Hosting guests? Here’s how to make sure ovens, fridges, and dishwashers survive the holiday rush. Oven: Run a self-clean a week before—not the day of. Fridge: Clear expired items and make room for trays. Dishwasher: Clean the filter so it can handle extra loads. Don’t let breakdowns ruin dinner—[get a pre-holiday appliance tune-up].

The Hidden Power Hogs Anything with a remote control, digital clock, light, or standby feature likely keeps sipping electricity 24/7. Common culprits include TVs, cable boxes, microwaves, gaming consoles, and phone chargers. The Impact of Phantom Load Phantom load is more than just a nuisance; it can significantly affect your monthly expenses. The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that idle electricity use costs U.S. households over $19 billion per year . This stagg

Appliances make life easier, but when they break down, they can throw a wrench in your day. Whether it’s a fridge that won’t cool or a washing machine that won’t spin, these hiccups can be frustrating. The good news? Many appliance troubles have simple fixes you can try before calling in the pros. Let’s dive into some of the most frequent issues and how to tackle them. Identifying Common Appliance Issues Appliances are complex machines, but many problems share similar symptom