A waterless washing machine

A waterless washing machine sounds like some sort of science fiction futuristic device, however a University of Leeds Professor and the Xeros Company are working to make it a reality available to consumers by 2010.

The key to getting clothes clean with very little water is a new washing system that relies on specialized nylon polymer beads developed by University of Leeds Professor Stephen Burkinshaw. The beads absorb the dirt and stains from the articles of laundry.

The laundry only needs to be slightly damp, thus the washing system uses 90% less water than conventional washers we use today. It also uses less detergent and the need for clothes to be tumbled dry (clothes dryer) which increases the money and energy savings.

The beads can be used over and over again; absorbing the dirt over hundreds of washes and can be easily recycled.

The Xeros Website claims that household savings could be 40% over traditional washing costs and the if every home in the US switched to their system, the carbon offset would be equivalent to taking  5 million cars off the road and would save 1.2 billion tons of water per year – the equivalent of 17 million swimming pools.”

Recall issued for Viking Built-In Refrigerators being due to injury hazard from doors detaching

A voluntary recall was issued for 45,000 Viking Brand built-in refrigerators due to the doors detaching from the refrigerator. The company has received about 57 reports from consumers about the doors detaching, including four reports of injuries involving bruises, broken toes/fingers, and strains.

The model and serial numbers are located either behind the produce drawer or on the ceiling of the interior of the refrigerators.

Involved in the recall are built-in 48-inch wide side-by-side refrigerator/freezers and the built-in 36-inch wide refrigerators with bottom freezers with model and serial numbers with date codes listed below.

The model and serial numbers are located either behind the produce drawer or on the ceiling of the interior of the refrigerators.

model and serial numbers involved in the recall

The first six numbers in the serial number are the manufacture date of the unit in [mm][dd][yy] format, e.g., serial number 051903G0000000375 was manufactured on May 19, 2003 and serial number F01250210170 was manufactured on January 25, 2002.

Viking Built-In Side-by-Side Refrigerator/Freezers

The appliance and specialty retailers were sold nationwide from July 1999 through April 2006 for between $4,725 and $6,400.

The 42-inch wide or freestanding refrigerators are not included in this recall.

Consumers with recalled refrigerators should contact Viking immediately to schedule a free in-home repair. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled refrigerator if the door isn’t sealing properly, is sagging, or fails to open and close properly. If the door is functioning properly, consumers may continue to use the refrigerator until it has been repaired.

Viking Built-In Refrigerators with Bottom Freezers

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Viking toll-free at (888) 345-2650 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit Viking’s Web site at www.vikingrange.com

Read this press release online at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Website.

AP Wagner offers Forearm Forklift Lifting Straps

Forearm Forklift Lifting Straps as seen on TV added to AP Wagner product line.

As seen on TV these patented straps are now available on www.apwagner.com.

Forearm forklift lifting straps are intended to reduce back strain when lifting appliances that are large in mass.

Forearm Forklift Lifting Straps: Sale price: $19.95 --You Save: $4.29

Sale price: $19.95

Compare at: $24.24

You Save: $4.29

Through the use of leverage they make anything you carry seem 66% lighter. Plus, they’re great for keeping wheeled apparatus’ off of your floors which keeps them from getting scuffed or scratched. Each pack comes with 2 straps both 9 ft. 4 in. long. The straps are rated for carrying up to 700 pounds and are adjustable up to 48 inches. The appliances in which the straps can carry range from small, medium, large. and XL pieces.

Appliance makers recruit bloggers to test their appliances

Appliance makers are finding a new way to connect with consumers – through bloggers, more accurately mommy blogs.

Frigidaire recently delivered brand-new appliances to the homes of a select groups of bloggers. The bloggers will using the new appliances for several months in their home and blogging about them. The claim by Frigidaire is that their new line of appliances with new time-saving features will help moms reduce the time they spend on household chores by up to eight hours per month.

Some bloggers received one new Frigidaire appliance to “test drive,” such as a dishwasher, washer and dryer, refrigerator, range and microwave and a select group of bloggers, dubbed the “Super Test Drive Team,” received  all six appliances to try out.

To find out how the real-life moms are digging their new appliances, check out their blogs online. You can also follow the test drive on Twitter, hashtag #FrigidaireTeam.

I checked out a few of the selected bloggers and so far, nothing has been written about the new appliances. I do not know if they have actually received their Frigidaire appliances yet, and the only announcements I could find from a few of the blogs I checked out was that they were selected and excited about receiving their new appliance.

Receiving a new appliance can be exciting, even if it is only temporary. I wonder if Frigidaire will offer them the possibility of purchasing the new appliance after having tried it out for several months? I can’t imagine wanting to give up a new appliance.

How to follow the Frigidaire Blogger Test Drive

• Bloggers selected for the Frigidaire Test Drive
• On Twitter #FrigidaireTeam
• Frigidaire Facebook Page

Interested in becoming part of an appliance test drive? Contact Market Reader Pro®, a company that does marketing research for major corporations and take a survey to be part of their new appliance test group.

“Selected participants will use the cooking appliances in their home for three to eight months and will be asked to provide feedback through online surveys and interviews. Participants will, of course, be paid for their time and opinions. New cooking appliance product testing will include using state-of-the-art cooktops, ovens, and ranges in your own home. Some studies may also include testing and preparing a provided set of recipes using the test appliance.”

Keep your Stainless Steel Appliances Shining

Don’t you hate when your kitchen looks great, but your stainless steel refrigerator, is looking a little dull?  Make it shine!  KitchenAid brand Stainless Steel Appliance Polish will keep your appliances look like the day you got them! 

You can find it at AP Wagner.com

Check out AP Wagner for all your appliance parts, and appliance repair needs!

Win four new Frigidaire kitchen appliances worth $2,000

Do you have ugly kitchen appliances? Would you like to never have to look at them again? Enter AJ Madison’s “Ugliest Kitchen Appliances” Contest and your wish could be granted.

One winner will receive four new Frigidaire Kitchen Appliances worth $2,000 from appliance retailer AJ Madison Appliances, an online appliance dealer. The new Frigidaire Range, Refrigerator, Dishwasher and Over-the-Range Microwave will be delivered to your home and the winner also has the option of upgrading any appliance unit at the winner’s expense.

To enter, take photos of your ugliest kitchen appliances (2 photos minimum) and e-mail it to contest@ajmadison.com. Either attach the images or provide a web address where you’ve uploaded your photos in jpeg format. Be sure to include all relevant information, find out more at AJ Madison Blog.

Contest will run from 12:01 a.m. (EST) on Friday, March 6, 2009 and end at 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, May 31, 2009.  See Complete Rules on the AJ Madison Blog.

AJ Madison is an independent, online, authorized appliance retailer offering appliance delivery nationwide. Find out more about buying a new appliance online at AJ Madison’s website http://www.ajmadison.com/.

Even if you are not a winner, you can still fix up your old, ugly broken appliances to make them work like new. Buy quality Frigidaire appliance parts to fix your broken Frigidaire appliances. Get appliance repair help online and save money by fixing your broken appliance yourself at www.apwagner.com.

Maytag Recalls Refrigerators Due to Fire Hazard

The Maytag Corporation is recalling 1.6 million refrigerators due to a possible fire hazard after receiving dozens of reports from consumers saying that the appliance ignited causing damages to their homes according to a press release issued by the company and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The recall is for certain side by side and top freezer refrigerators made under the Maytag®, Jenn-Air®, Amana®, Admiral®, Magic Chef®, Performa by Maytag® and Crosley® names. Refrigerators with freezers on the bottom are not included in the recall.

Read more about the recall at the APWagner Appliance Parts Website.

Check to see if your refrigerator was included in the recall.

Model and serial numbers included in the recall.

Upgrade your clothes dryer duct work to prevent fires in your home and business

All too often, I come across stories in the news about dirty clothes dryers and lint-clogged vents causing fires in homes and businesses. Here’s such a story from HartfordCourant.com in Hartford, Connecticut.

“EAST HARTFORD: Clothes Dryer Malfunction Cited In House Fire“. The cause of the fire was, “Backed-up lint in the clothes dryer.”

Plastic, foil covered clothes dryer ducts sag and bend easily, creating pockets that catch lint which can lead to a fire.

“The incident, while minor, should serve as a lesson on appliance maintenance, said Assistant Fire Chief William Perez, who said the dryer’s vent pipe was clogged with lint,”

Need more convincing? Here’s another story from The Grand Rapids Press in Michigan, about a business that was destroyed by fire. The cause of the fire was, again, lint in the clothes dryer.

“Dryer suspected as cause of business fire”

“Fire investigators told owners of a spa damaged by a fire Tuesday that lint in a clothes dryer likely caused the blaze.”

“Amy Glass was at the spa Tuesday morning and had been doing laundry. She started the dryer and left to go to her daughter’s home about a mile away. When she returned, the building was in flames. A passing motorist reported the fire.”

Read the rest of the story online: “Dryer suspected as cause of business fire”

If you have the kind of clothes dryer ducts made from easily bendable foil or plastic, upgrade your ducts to ones made of metal, like this Deluxe Dryer Venting Kit

Deluxe Dryer Venting Kit Whirlpool SK8WF -Sale price: $14.32

made by Whirlpool.  This clothes dryer venting kit will not only protect you against dangerous dryer lint build-up, it will also help your clothes dryer be more energy-efficient, helping you  save money on your energy bills.

If you have a long exhaust line, due to the design of your home or apartment, then  get the  Dryer Jet Booster by Whirlpool (Part number:9460DJ).

The Clothes Dryer Jet Booster will boost the drying power of your clothes  dryer and has an automatic on and off switch which can be  aligned  with the drying times used by your clothes dryer.

The Clothes Dryer Jet Booster will help reduce drying times, saving you money,  not to mention wear and tear on your clothes dryer.

Dryer Jet Booster Whirlpool 9460DJ -Sale price: $164.95dryer.

After replacing your old dryer duct work with better, safer, metal duct work, go outside to where your duct work exhausts and make sure your outside clothes dryer vent is properly protected with a dryer vent hood. This dryer vent hood by Whirlpool (Part Number: GVHAW4) comes preassembled and includes removable bird and pest guard to keep rodents and birds from entering your home.

If you are looking for more clothes dryer installation parts, check out

Dryer Vent Hood Whirlpool GVHAW4 - Sale price: $5.99

the selection online at AP Wagner Appliance Parts.com.

Enter these contests to win new appliances and Visa Gift Cards

Keep an eye on the AJ Madison Appliance Seller’s Blog: http://ajmadison.wordpress.com/, as they are going to announce a new contest called “Ugliest Kitchen Contest”.  Prizes are a new “dream kitchen” filled with new appliances from Frigidaire or Electrolux.

From the AJ Madison Blog:  ”Customers posts pictures or videos of their kitchen on AJ Madison’s blog and Facebook.  As the title of the contest is called, it’ll be based on who has the most grotesque, hideous, unappealing, unpleasing and unsightly kitchen. ”

AP Wagner Appliance Parts also has its own contest where your repair advice could win you one of nine $50 Visa Gift cards. The cards are good anywhere Visa is accepted. All you have to do is the following:

1.       Visit the APWagner.com Appliance Repair Forum online at http://appliancerepair.apwagner.com/ and sign up for a user account.

2.       Post an original, relevant appliance repair question, or answer an appliance repair question already posted on our forum. If you post an appliance repair question, be sure to include the appliance type, the make and appliance’s model number.

Remember! The more original questions you post, and the more detailed answers you give to existing questions, the more times you are entered and the more chances you have to win! Users will receive one entry for each original question posted, or answer given to a question, under their username.

Registration, posting and reading the Appliance Repair Forum on APWagner.com are all free services, no purchase is necessary to enter the contest.

How about winning a new KitchenAid Appliance or two? BakeSpace.com, a recipe sharing and cooking social network website, are giving away new KitchenAid appliance each day throughout the month of February. Oddly enough, the contest is called “The Appliance-A-Day Giveaway!”

Entering the contest is easy, simply join the BakeSpace.com network and post a few original recipes or get a friend to accept your online invitation and join the social networking site. You earn different amounts of “online raffle tickets” for different activities. View complete contest details online at BakeSpace.com.

Good luck to everyone!

Contests

• AP Wagner Appliance Parts, “Help Fill Up Our Forum and Win!”
• AJ Madison Blog, “Ugliest Kitchen Contest” (to be announced)
• AJ Madison, Your Appliance Authority Website
• BakeSpace and KitchenAid’s “The Appliance-A-Day Giveaway!

First week winners receive a $50 Visa Gift Card

Congratulations to our first-week winners in the “Help Fill Up Our Repair Forum and Win!” Contest. Congratulations APWagner Appliance Repair Forum winners: Tec3, Jeff1, Repairmandan. Each member will each receive a $50 Visa Gift Card.

It’s not too late to enter the contest; in fact we have three more weeks left and will be giving away nine more Visa Gift Cards each worth $50 and good wherever Visa is accepted.

It’s free to enter our contest, here’s how: Create an account on the APWagner.com Appliance Parts and Appliance Repair Forum.

Post an original, relevant appliance repair question, or answer an appliance repair question already posted on our forum. If you post an appliance repair question, be sure to include the appliance type, the make and appliance’s model number.

The more original questions you post, and the more detailed answers you give to existing questions, the more times you are entered and the more chances you have to win! Users will receive one entry for each original question posted, or answer given to a question, under their username.

Visit our Appliance Repair Forum and start posting now!

Rules

Winners will be chosen at random and notified by email.

To win you must have a qualified question or give a qualified answer. Read the rules to see what qualifies. You can also download a PDF version of the contest rules.

Download PDF format of contest rules now.

Read the official contest rules.

Ready to enter? Visit the APWagner Appliance Repair Forums Now!

Visit our contest page to see all the winners!