Let’s face it, household appliances aren’t cheap. And replacing them often can add up to some major expenses that not many of us want to incur in today’s economy. There’s a lot more to appliance care than people think. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution—if you maintain and care for your appliances, they can last for many years. We’ve gathered several tips along this line to help you make sure that you get the most out of your appliances.
Stainless Steel: Over the past few years, stainless steel has become increasingly popular, and with good reason: it’s attractive, modern-looking and matches almost any décor. But cleaning it can be a challenge. If you have stainless steel appliances in your home, you know that they easily show just about any kind of stains, from water and fingerprints to dust and dirt. While there are several products out on the market that claim to be effective, we’ve found that Sheila Shine works the best. The one drawback is that it is strong smelling and can be unpleasant to sensitive noses. If you find that Sheila Shine doesn’t work for you, we recommend one of the cream-based cleaners, such as Franke’s Inox Crème, which works great as an appliance care tool.
Refrigerators: When it comes to refrigerators, it takes more than cleaning the outside or the inside surfaces to keep these appliances cared for. Remember to vacuum out your refrigerator’s compressor and coil compartments to keep them running efficiently.
Freezers: Appliance care for freezers is limited. If you place your freezer in direct sunlight or close to some other heat source, you’ll end up making the unit work harder than it needs to, which might limit its useful life. Be sure to place the freezer in an area where it’s not exposed to direct heat or sunlight.
Smooth-Top Electric Ranges: It’s easy to see why smooth glass-top electric ranges have gained popularity over the last few years. Not only are they sleek-looking, but they’re also much easier to clean than the traditional-style range-top burners. But these glass tops can be susceptible to scratches and damages if you’re not careful. Avoid using cast iron pots or other rough-bottom cookware on these stove tops since they can scratch the surface and make it harder to care for your appliances. And don’t use abrasive cleaners—instead, choose a cream cleaner designed for this purpose.
Traditional Range Tops: If you have a traditional-style range-top burners, remember to clean them often. This is particularly important for gas ranges, where 90 percent of burner issues are due to dirt accumulating in the jets. If you don’t have the time or motivation to use good old-fashioned elbow grease to clean your burners, try soaking them in warm, soapy water for a few hours, then popping them into the dishwasher.
Ovens: If you have a self-cleaning oven, follow the manufacturer’s directions carefully to clean the unit. Most self-cleaning ovens work by leaving the oven on for a certain amount of time at extremely high heat, which turns any burned-on food to ash that can be easily wiped away. It’s a good idea to leave a window in the kitchen open slightly to let out any smoke that may accumulate during the cleaning process.
If you have a continuous-cleaning oven, it should clean itself with each use by gradually burning off any spills. All you should need to do is wipe out the oven from time to time.
If you don’t have a self-cleaning or continuous-cleaning oven, choose a good oven-cleaning product and follow the label directions. There are several of them on the market that are effective. But remember to avoid using foam oven cleaners if you have a self-cleaning or continuous-cleaning oven.
Dishwashers: If you have hard water, use some type of dishwasher salt to soften your water. If you don’t, the hard water might damage your dishwater’s internal components. And only run your dishwasher when it’s completely full to save wear and tear on the unit, not to mention the energy it takes to run a cleaning cycle.
Washing Machines: It’s important not to overload your washing machine. You’ll run the risk of your clothes not getting as clean as they could be, and you’ll wear out the belt in the unit much faster with larger loads.
Dryers: It’s a common tip, but a very important one—remove lint from the lint filter each and every time you use your dryer. And, just as with washing machines, don’t overload your dryer. If you do, you’ll wear out the belt that turns the drum. Not only that, but a larger load takes longer to dry than multiple smaller loads, so you’ll save energy and money with smaller loads.
Garbage Disposals: Remember to always use cold water while your unit is running, and continue to let the water run for a minute or so afterward. Grinding lemon, lime or orange peel in a disposal from time to time will make it fresher smelling.
One of the most important things you can do to maintain any household appliance is to use it and use it often. Belts and seals can become dry and cracked when appliances sit unused for too long, which can lead to costly repairs. To make the most out of your investments, appliance care is essential. Use them and clean them often.
Sub-Zero’s wine cooler, the 424, has been a staple in the industry since it first appeared in the early 90’s. Remarkably, its design was so ahead of its time it remains largely unchanged to this day. The only recent upgrade I can think of is additional interior lights were added.
Make no mistake, this is one of the most expensive wine units on the market. So with the flood of cheap, chinese (I’m looking at you, Haier), wine coolers – is it really worth the premium price? That depends on how important your wine is to you. If you’re the kind of person that will easily go out and spend a couple thousand dollars on wine, then you’re probably the type of person who wants to make sure your investment is well looked after. And the Sub-Zero wine cooler is the best wine cooler I’ve come across to-date.
The unit is built in the United States. It’s design allows it to keep your white wines cooler than any other unit on the market. Thanks to its efficient insulation, the Sub Zero wine cooler is the only unit on the market that can keep white wine as low as 38F. With two temperature zones, you can store red and white wines together without a second thought. The racks are specifically engineered to hold any type of bottle, from half bottles to Magnums. The glass panel is engineered to protect against harmful U.V. light. There is also a very important alarm system connection option, should you leave for vacation, so that if the computer detects a system failure or large temperature fluctuation, it would set off the home security system.
The Sub Zero 424 wine cooler can also be had as a freestanding unit, with stainless steel sides and top for placement outside of cabinetry enclosures. But with the price of the built-in Sub Zero 424 coming in at $3,279. and the Free-standing variant at $3,639. – this Sub Zero wine cooler is not for everyone. One consolation to the price is the exceptional warranty you get with a Sub Zero: 2 years, parts and labor on the entire unit, 12 years parts on the sealed system.
Had this model for three years. So glad we bought the extended warranty. First time the unit malfunctioned, it heated up to the max from the motor and no cooling going on and most all bottles of wine blew the corks making a very messy and expensive situation. The alarm was set, but didn’t go off. Many very expensive bottles lost. Since that time, 2 service calls as it won’t drop to the desired temperature for the whites.
It sure looks pretty, but make SURE you get the extended warranty. To say the least, I am disappointed with Sub Zero.
I am so glad I found this site. I was actually going to buy the smaller unit for our small condo in Toronto. Now that I read about the suspect quality of the 424 unit, I’ve decided to go elsewhere. One can get a mediocre wine cooler for 1/4 of the price of this, which is exactly what I’ll do. Too bad companies don’t take pride in their work and stand behind their brand any longer – no wonder why most people buy from China now. No point buying US-made if the quality is the same and the price is higher.
We built our dream home in 2005 complete with a fabulously designed kitchen of Wolf-SubZero appliances and a wine cellar. In the kitchen we have an under the counter wine cooler.
There are many things wrong with those other Wolf-Sub-Zero appliances from the poor functioning of the 5 burner stove to the cracking of the porcelain on the double ovens. Wolf is aware of the design flaws but, has blown us off and wants us to spend thousands for replacements.
Our latest appliance failure is with our built-in Sub-Zero 424HAG/S-LH wine cooler that appears to have a leak in the freon unit since it no longer cools and flashes: “Service”. Not only that, but the unit has ruined the wood floor underneath.
They took it to the shop yesterday and claimed it would probably not cost more than $500.- to repair. We have already paid $118.- for a previous service call. Our heads are spinning!
These appliances are supposed to be “top of the line” and are extraordinarily expensive. We have had many appliances throughout our lives and quite frankly, never owned any that performed so poorly. Never had such an expensive refrigerator go bad either.
We are very unhappy, believe that we have wasted our money and could never, EVER recommend Wolf-Sub-Zero to anyone in good conscience. Our years old Miele and Asko products all work beautifully.
Frank – I am writing you on behalf of Sub-Zero and Wolf. We’re so sorry to hear you are frustrated with your products. We’d really like to work with you to resolve your issues. I spoke with our customer service department and they will be reaching out to you shortly. Please feel free to contact them in the meantime as well via email at specialistemail@subzero.com, or via phone at 866.689.9653.). They are aware of your issues and should be prepared to help you.
Sub-Zero Wolf I also have a subzero wine storage unit the 424 which does not cool anymore and the service light comes on after running for a few hours (especially in the summer it can not cool). I spoke to subzero about this issue about a year ago and they referred me to a local service man who told me to ditch the unit and buy a cheaper one as the cost to fix it would be too high. We still have the unit but have not turned it on in over a year and we can not bear the thought of having to take it to the landfill – but I would like to have a wine fridge that works.
I own about a dozen subzero 424 wine coolers in a mix of home, office and commercial restaurant spaces. They range from 3 – 5 years old. I am a restauranteur and have quite a bit of knowledge on equipment. The actual units are very attractive, the dual zone is great and the shelving system well made. That being said – never have I purchased a more poorly made cooling/condensing system than on these sub zeros. All but 1 unit has failed and we maintain them regularly through our commercial refrigeration company. They seem to last a little beyond 2 years and then repairs are not covered and super expensive. The reference to a 12 year warranty on ‘sealed parts’ is totally deceptive. Not once has a unit been covered under a sealed component failure. Typical repair cost are in excess of $1000.00. At this point we view the units as throw aways and are replacing them with different brands. It is a shame that they can’t put a better cooling system in these units because the dual zone design of these units is the best out there. There are a ton of better options out there than these units. Check out Perlick, True or MIele for starters. Not as beautiful looking, but they work and properly chill your wine.
So glad I found this site! Was just about to buy one of these puppies. Did anyone here replace their subzero’s with a different brand and have good experience thus far?
Our subzero 424 is just reaching 10 years old. After the first 2 years the unit had to be completely rebuilt under warranty. Now it won’t hold temp. I have done everything-vacuumed the coils, you name it. The service light comes on after it drops to high 60’s and them ups to 80 degrees. I’m 3 years out of labor, and I called the service tech here in Sacramento and the cost of repair is over $1000 with Sub-Zero covering the parts-really?!?! I’m at a real crossroads here-thinking about taking to the dump and buying a cheaper unit. I paid almost 4 grand for this thing when we had out home built. I’ve had cheap refrigerators last longer than this
Hello, has anyone converted their under the counter subzero 424 to freestanding, with the stainless steel casing.
Sub-Zero 424 wine cooler worked fine for two years then went out. It was repaired and then went out again one year later. All was covered under warranty but the lack of urgency in sub zero customer service returning phone calls to assist is atrocious. I had call and call again. I did not have a good experience with their service company the first time and was assured that I would get someone else and don’t you know it I got the same person and the same lousy service. I was able to put some of the wines in my refrigerator but not all of them. In all the entire process took 2 months. I tried one of the bottles and it had began to spoiled and was undrinkable. I am afraid to open the others but I know it is inevitable. I bought this unit because I wanted a reliable unit to store my expensive wines. When I explained this to Sub zero they wanted no responsibility for the wine spoilage. Every time the repairman came to repair the unit, he would look at it and tell me he would have to order some parts and would pick the unit up in a week. Then it would take another week before it would be returned to me. This is ridiculous and totally unacceptable. I would never recommend this company nor their products.
I’ve had two of these. One had to be completelly re-built twice. The second one had to be rebuilt once. WHile Sub-zero paid for the first re-build, they did not for the other two. Each time they rebuilt them, it was in the shop for a month. Not a good buy. I would rather buy the cheap ones the author refers to and treat them as disposable. That would be a better use of time and money.