What does the H1N1 virus fear the most? If you guessed "a vaccine," "the World Health Organization" or "Purell," you are wrong. No, the unfortunately-named Swine Flu's greatest enemy is a hand-held vacuum-cleaner.
The new Raycop is no ordinary Dust-buster (it retails for about $199). This stingray-shaped sucker of soot has a built-in UV-C sterilizing lamp that allegedly kills 99.9% of the H1N1 virus, as well as other germs, dust mites and bacteria. It also has a vibrating pad that helps agitate the dust mites to release them from bed mattresses and other furnishings and a 2-stage micro allergy filtration system that eliminates the pesky purveyors of asthmatic allergens and their feces.
So while the surviving .01% of H1N1 may go on to mutate into a new "bison flu," "chicken flu," or "what-have-you flu," at least your home will be pretty safe against The Swine.
There's only one thing scarier than a "Nightmare on Elm Street" movie marathon, and that's a clogged drain. Yep, Hitchcock's got nothing on backed-up plumbing.
This is a busy time of the year for the folks at Roto-Rooter, according to their latest newsletter. Why? Because amidst the excitement of carving up the pumpkins and positioning the ghoulish gourds on the front steps for all to see, few people actually stop and think, "Wait, maybe putting these pumpkin guts down the sink isn't such a good idea."
It's understandable. Who wants rotting innards sitting in the trash can for days on end? It's much tidier just to wash the stringy, smelly slop down the drain and be done with it.
Unfortunately, the pulp and seeds soon harden, clogging the drain and disposer. The resulting plumbing bill is enough to scare the socks off of John Carpenter.
So, follow Roto-Rooter's advice this Halloween season. Don't put pumpkin guts down the drain, in the garbage disposal or in the toilet. Wrap them up in newspaper and throw them in the trash, or even better: compost them!
Does your dishwasher and garbage disposal suffer from bad breath? The folks at Whirlpool are banking on it. They've developed a special cleaner tablet that removes bad odors from both appliances.
The tablet -- called the affresh™ Dishwasher and Disposal Cleaner -- is set to sell for about a buck apiece. Throw two in an empty dishwasher and run on heavy and high temperature for a fresh, citrus smell. Toss one down the disposal and run the appliance with a little hot water for 15 seconds for the same. Your kitchen will smell like a Florida orange grove.
While we wait on reviews of the affresh™ cleaning tablet I'll be lamenting the fact that Whirlpool beat Altoid to the punch.
Ever get stuck with a bum appliance? Ever been told it has to fail four times before the store will replace it? Sounds crazy, right? But it happened to James Lileks, a writer who took the time to scribe an open letter to the CEO of Best Buy detailing his ordeal.
In the letter Lileks describes his prior purchasing record with the company ("fridge, the dishwasher, three coffeemakers, a microwave, a vacuum, an electric guitar, two TVs, four hard drives, and innumerable other items"), and the fact that "the cost of satisfying the customer NOW is less than the cost of making four trips to repair the SAME. STUPID. POORLY. DESIGNED. PART." It's well worth a read for anyone who has encountered problems getting appliances repaired. What's your appliance horror story?
You've heard about the "Cash for Clunkers" auto program. Now apply that to your old energy-sucking household appliances.
Primed to launch this fall, the "Cash for Clunkers" appliance version will give consumers who replace their old model dishwashers, refrigerators, and washing machines with EnergyStar rated models as much as a $200 rebate per appliance, so claims the preliminary terms of the deal. The amount of the rebate is still being hashed out between the Feds and States, as is what to do with the discarded appliances. State offices are expected to release detailed plans for both by October 15.
This program seems like a double win for consumers, given that EnergyStar rated appliances use 10 to 25 percent less energy than conventional appliances, continuing to put money in your pocket each month. This is something we'll be following closely and let you know as more information becomes available. In the meantime, read our articles on selecting appliances and energy-saving appliances.
Despite the pervasive “where did the summer go” question I hear at this time of the year, there’s still plenty of grilling yet to be done. If you’re lucky enough to live in more temperate areas -- or if a little snow and sub-zero temperatures don’t scare you -- you might be one of those grill owners who count the number of potential grilling days in the year at 365.
Whatever your grilling habits, here’s a piece of advice: Keep the grill away from the house. In a recent conversation with a local contractor I discovered that replacing melted vinyl siding was one of his most frequent jobs. Folks push their grill right up against the side of the house, where the 300+ temperatures do a warp-job on the heat-sensitive panels.
The Home Safety Council recommends placing the grill 10 feet away from other objects, including the house and bushes. While it might be tough for some homeowners to abide strictly by that rule, do yourself a favor and at least don’t push it flush with the side of the home. You’ll help keep your vinyl siding from looking like it belongs in a Van Gogh painting. So tell us: What's your worst grilling error?
I'm all for the integration of advanced technology into household appliances -- I love hood fans that turn on automatically when they detect heat from the range, double-ovens and pan detection features on induction burners. But when the ringing of a nearby cellphone can cause the oven to turn on without warning, I start thinking about lines and sand.
If the Maytag oven in question met the safety standards of the Underwriters Laboratory and the American National Standards Institute, is this just a case of a "rogue oven" -- or is this an indication that the safety tests for potentially dangerous products in our homes are woefully inadequate?
This electromagnetic "crossing of the streams" also has me wondering what other appliances in the home we'll see affected by proximity to cellphones. Microwaves? Dryers? And what does this say about the devices we're holding two inches from our brains half the day?
All I know is that I won't be leaving my cellphone on the kitchen counter anytime soon.
