Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Small Appliances - Honesty is the Best Policy


How many do you have?
Drag out all your small appliances from the top pantry shelf, in the back of the cabinets, the garage, and don't forget the Dust Buster in the coat closet. Take a good look at all these gadgets and get honest with yourself about how many Panini you have made lately. Do you use the popcorn maker or do you put a bag in the microwave? Are you supplying your entire neighborhood with fresh loaves of sour dough made by your bread machine? I doubt it.

You may make an exception for the waffle iron which is used traditionally each Christmas morning, but get real with yourself about all these apparatuses, especially if they are being stored on your kitchen counter. We all go through a stage of bread making or juicing or even the nonsensical indoor grilling, however wouldn't you rather grill outside? Let someone else have their love affair with juicing, the someone that buys your juicer at your yard sale.

After you have decided which small appliances to keep, wipe the greasy film or dust off each and store them together in an accessible location, such as the top shelf of the pantry. If you store small appliances in a place where you never see them, you will never use them, so you might as well get rid of them. However, resist the urge to keep them on your counter. Except for the coffee maker or maybe the toaster, small appliances that don't get used everyday should be stored.

Leaving small appliances plugged in at all times is also a bad idea. They continue to use most of the electricity which it takes to operate them even when switched off if they remain plugged in.

Some charities, such as Goodwill, take small appliances. If your small appliance is not working properly, do not give it to charity. Unfortunately, finding a source to repair a small appliance is becoming near impossible and repairing a toaster, if you could find a place to take it, would most likely cost more than the toaster. Check with your city or county refuse collection department to find out the best way to dispose of broken appliances or electronics.


No comments:

Post a Comment