Use & Care
How to Be a Good Host to an Appliance Repair Technician
The Do’s and Don’ts for Making Service Calls Less Awkward Inviting a stranger into your home can feel a bit awkward, even if said stranger is a Hometown Hero coming to repair your appliance. Some homeowners feel the need to make small talk, others think they need to keep the technician entertained, while some just… Read more »
Chill and Be Chilled: Creative Ice Cube Tray Hacks
This summer’s high temperatures call for some cooling off and using ice cube trays you probably already have can help you hack the heat and save time on recipes. Although these trays probably live in many of our freezers, it’s not often they hold anything except for water. From meal prep and portion control to… Read more »
How to Best Clean Grill Grates (and Keep ‘Em Clean)
It’s grilling season, baby! If you’re hoping to impress everyone with your skills, start with clean grill grates. When you don’t regularly clean your grill grates the right way, you allow unsavory and unsafe gunk to build up and coat your otherwise perfectly cooked meat and veggies. Turns out, high heat does not clean as… Read more »
Forget Energy Efficiency. Repair Your Appliances to Protect the Earth.
Earth Day is that one day reminding us we need to do more for our environment. If you have appliances you think might be on their last legs, think again. Before wishing your refrigerator, dishwasher, or oven farewell to the landfills, you might want to look into salvaging your appliances for a few more good… Read more »
10 Home Hacks for Your Appliances
For many, the kitchen is where the magic happens at home. And your appliances are the backbone of said magic. They help us cook, clean, and keep groceries fresh. But did you know that there are more ways you can put your appliances to work? Read on to discover clever home hacks to get the… Read more »
Winterize Your Appliances for the Coming Winter
This winter, while you’re inside keeping warm, some of your appliances are outside toughing the cold and snow. If you don’t want to pay up to $70,000 in the spring to repair frozen pipes, you should plan to winterize your appliances soon. Whether you have a full outdoor kitchen, a refrigerator in the garage, or… Read more »
5 Tips on How to Not Ruin Your Popcorn or Your Microwave
If you think microwaving popcorn is as simple as pressing a button, you might be in for a surprise. Do it wrong, and you could not only ruin your popcorn but break your microwave as well. 1. Use a second plate The purpose of a microwave plate is to rotate food so it can be… Read more »
Gas vs. Induction Cooktops: You Be the Judge
Lately we’ve been getting a lot of questions about gas vs induction cooking. Each method has its pros and cons, so the decision depends on your circumstances, budget, and preference. To help you evaluate which cooking method will work best for you, we’ve put together a side-by-side summary of the characteristics of each. Here’s to… Read more »
How Long do Refrigerators Last on Average?
And How Can I Make Mine Last Longer? Before giving up on your current refrigerator and buying a new one, it’s important to understand how long refrigerators are expected to last, and how to take care of them to get the most value out of every refrigerator you ever own. How Long Do Refrigerators Last?… Read more »
Dryer Vent Cleaning: How to Do It Yourself
Cleaning your dryer vent at least once a year is one of the most critical home maintenance tasks. No, cleaning it annually is not overkill, and we’ve three reasons why: Dirty dryer vents are the leading cause of house fires in the US. Clogged ducts prevent the dryer from venting the steam from drying clothes,… Read more »
How Long Do Washing Machines Last on Average?
And How Can I Make Mine Last Longer? In the market for a new washing machine? Considering which to buy, or if it’s better to repair your old machine? Washers are meant to last for a surprisingly long amount of time and can be expensive to replace, so understanding your machine, how long it should… Read more »
Why does my new oven take such a long time to preheat?
The facts behind why modern ovens heat up slowly. If you’re reading this article, you are likely worried that something is amiss with your new oven. ‘Preheating shouldn’t take this long,’ you’re probably telling yourself. ‘Our old oven never took this long to preheat, did it?’ Relax, you’re not crazy—many folks are asking the same… Read more »
7 Food Waste Solutions for Your Home
40% of all food in America is thrown out. You read that right, 40%! And the average American household throws away over a third of their food annually. That can cost a family of four up to $1500 a year. If you’re looking for food waste solutions that will save you money, read on. 1.… Read more »
How Do I Properly Load a Dishwasher?
Let’s get one thing out of the way first: we know we aren’t going to solve any household arguments with this article. People are set in their ways and one article won’t change that. Sorry. But for those of you who are genuinely curious as to how to properly load a dishwasher—i.e. how to load… Read more »
Dishwasher not cleaning well? How to make it clean better.
One of the most common issues our customers come to us with is a dishwasher not cleaning well. They ask, “How can I make my dishwasher clean better?” It can be a complicated answer, because there are many things that influence the performance of your dishwasher. But here are several easy tips, well within your… Read more »
Tip 2: Dirty Dryers Start Fires, How to Clean Your Dryer
Buy dryer vent cleaning kits at our retail parts counter at 72nd & Dodge in Omaha. Or call the professionals at Hometown Hero Appliance Repair at 402-399-0202 to handle it.
An Appliance Maintenance Checklist to Add to Your New Year’s Resolutions
We often focus on taking better care of ourselves with our New Year’s resolutions (for good reason), but sometimes taking care of the things around us makes it easier to take care of ourselves. In that spirit, here’s a new resolution to consider adding to your current list: Take better care of my home. Having… Read more »
Store in the Fridge or Out? A Handy Food Storage Infographic.
By and large, people are unreasonably terrified of food spoilage and store too many foodstuffs in their refrigerator. Which is why most of us could benefit from learning what food can and should be moved from storage in the fridge to your pantry. Truth is, a lot of food, if consumed near the date it was… Read more »
Why and How to Clean a Refrigerator Condenser
You’ve likely heard at some point — either from the salesman who sold you your refrigerator, a repair tech, or just a know-it-all relative: “Don’t forget to clean your refrigerator condenser or your refrigerator will break down.” Is this fact or overblown fiction? Fact. They weren’t steering you wrong, you do need to clean your… Read more »
Ever wonder what the best laundry detergent is for your washer?
How many different laundry detergents are out there? Your guess is as good as ours. 1,000? 10,000?!? Each seemingly more different than the last… What is clear is that choosing the best laundry detergent for your needs is a pain. Never fear! Hometown Hero Appliance Repair is here to save the day! Finding the right laundry… Read more »
We Made a Washing Machine Explode [video] (or Why You Shouldn’t Overload Your Washing Machine)
I’m not interested in explanations. I just want to see video of a washer exploding. We’ve all heard it before: “Don’t overload your washing machine!” It’s easy to dismiss this advice as a wives’ tale. After all, these are big, powerful machines that run reliably year after year. So it’s perfectly understandable if you’ve ever… Read more »
6 Easy Upgrades to Turn Your Old Fridge into a Smart Refrigerator
The first generation of smart fridges is starting to pop up around Omaha, and our own Todd Daganaar, president of Hometown Hero Appliance Repair, was recently interviewed by Angie’s List to get the perspective of a seasoned service professional. Todd’s final take on smart appliances: At this point, only buy smart appliances if you have disposable… Read more »
Tips for keeping your home appliances trouble-free (and saving on repair bills)
Maybe you’ve had this experience with a car you’ve owned in the past: it runs like a top for years and years, and suddenly this part fails and that one needs replacement, almost as if they were programmed to start giving trouble after a number of years. Our customers often ask us if this is… Read more »
Tip 1: How to clean your washing machine for fresh-smelling clothes.
Buy Washer Magic at our retail parts counter at 72nd & Dodge in Omaha. Trust us, you’ll love the improvement in your washing machine performance following the first clean. For other washing machine troubleshooting tips, click here. Or call the professionals at Hometown Hero Appliance Repair at 402-399-0202.
6 Ways You Are Ruining Your Appliances
6 Ways You Are Ruining Your Appliances You probably love your appliances, and you want them to last a long time. The way you’re treating them doesn’t always reflect that. If you want your appliances to live a long and happy life, you should stop doing these things: Not cleaning your lint filter in your… Read more »
The importance of dryer vent cleaning and why you can’t hook up 3″ venting to a dryer
One of the most common problems we encounter on dryers is a complaint of no heat or poor heat. Both can be caused by issues with the dryer vent, as well as issues within the dryer. The dryer vent connects to the back of the dryer, and runs all the way to the outside of… Read more »
