Basic Maintenance for Your Washer and Dryer

The great thing about having your own washer and dryer is that it does most of the work for you so you can have time to do other things. But even washers and dryers need a little TLC! Whether you've been doing laundry for years or this is your first time out on your own with your washer/dryer set, here are a few tips and tricks to keep your equipment performing at top notch.

Proper Use
The vast majority of issues that come up with washers and dryers are due to improper use of the equipment. The instructions are basic, but following them incorrectly on a consistent basis can cause damage over time to your machines. If you're ever in doubt about how to use and care for your specific machine, instructions are almost always printed on the inside of the lid or the door. If you can't find the instructions, look up the model number (also on the inside of the door) on the manufacturer's website. Most major manufacturers include a downloadable PDF online of the manual that originally shipped with the machine.

Avoid Soap Scum
You'd think that if you're constantly putting soap and water in something it would always be clean, right? Well, just like your shower, soap and water isn't the only thing going in and out of your washer. Sweat, dirt, lint, and anything else your clothes pick up go into your washer too. First, make sure you check the instructions on your machine and on the type of laundry detergent you like to use to make sure you're not using too much. A little goes a long way! Towels are a great indicator of too much soap. If your towels feel waxy or if you scrub them in a little water and you see suds, you need to dial it back. Always pour in your soap BEFORE you load in your clothes so that your detergent is evenly distributed during wash cycles. And lastly, if the soap scum is already there, spray some vinegar on the scum and let it sit for 30 minutes before running a hot rinse cycle to remove it.

Clean the Lint Out
Every time you change loads in the dryer, be sure to clean out the lint trap. Even if it doesn't seem like much, the more lint that sits in the trap over several cycles, the more lint is getting stuck in the machine where you may not be able to reach it. For when the lint gets into hard to reach places, you can use a pipe cleaner or an inexpensive dryer brush to nab the extra bits. This is also handy for cleaning out lint and dust from under the dryer and under your refrigerator. Most importantly, clean your wall vent every six months. This is the vent that runs from the back of the dryer to the outside of your home. Lint, dust and dirt get trapped and build up in the exhaust over time, causing your machine to run less efficiently. More importantly, not cleaning the vent can become a fire hazard if the heat from the dryer ignites the lint and dust. If you live in an apartment, your maintenance man will have the tools to do this for you. Be safe and clean it out!

Do Routine Maintenance
If your washer and dryer are ever taking too long to do something, are shaking or making funny noises, don't wait until it gets worse. Call your manufacturer (or your friendly customer service team at Azuma!) for further assistance. Even if it turns out to be nothing, it's better to fix the problem than risk damage to your equipment or to your clothes. If you're having problems, service appointments, troubleshooting and machine replacements are always free when you rent with Azuma.

We hope these tips and tricks help you enjoy your machines to the fullest for a long, long time! Until next time, keep it clean!

Removing Pit Stains

There are few things quite as embarrassing and clothing-ruining as pit stains. If you like wearing fresh white shirts or wear a lot of undershirts to work daily, the dinginess of a pit stain is pretty pervasive. Often enough, failure to remove these hard-to-clean stains will result in the premature purchase of new shirts when the shirt could have still been in its prime. Fear not! They can be removed!

Stain Prevention

A lot of people assume that the protein, salt and bacteria in your sweat building up on the shirt over time cause these stains. The stains look pretty gross so we assume it's a natural occurrence. Actually, it's a chemical reaction between your sweat and your deodorant. If you use any basic store-bought deodorant, chances are it contains aluminum, the real culprit of the weird color. (You guys who use body spray may have noticed that your pit stains extend to your chest and neck area, right?) The best way to avoid the stains is to switch to a natural deodorant. Spreading on coconut oil and/or rubbing a salt stick where you sweat the most work amazingly well at getting rid of odor-causing bacteria. If you sweat a lot, you might want to consider trimming back your chest or armpit hair a little so it doesn't hold so much water against your shirt. You'll still smell lovely, I promise.

Don't Bleach the Stain

This would seem like the most obvious thing to do, but the chemicals in bleach will react with the stain and make it worse. There are easier and more natural alternatives. If you bleach some of your whites, like towels, do a separate load without bleach for stained shirts.

Lemon Juice

Have you ever put lemon juice on your hair before going to the beach to lighten your locks? Same principle here. Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on the effected area and hang to dry in the sun for a day. Voila!

Hydrogen Peroxide

That same stuff that's great for disinfecting cuts is also wonderful for pit stains, and is often safe on dyed fabrics too (be sure to test a hidden spot on your colored shirt first). Spray on the area and let it sit for 15 minutes or even respray and let sit over several hours for more pernicious stains. Throw in the wash and it will come out stain-free.

Oxygenating Detergent

Some powdered detergents like OxyClean create hydrogen peroxide when combined with water, which helps to lift stains. You can also pre-soak clothing in the detergent for really tough stains. Detergent is usually more formulated for colorfastness than straight hydrogen peroxide, so if you have blue or patterned dress shirts this may be your best bet.

Use these tips to extend the life of all your clothes and keep looking so fresh and so clean! Until next time!

Homemade Healthy Chocolate Bars

One of my vices when it comes to eating a healthy diet, and I'm sure I'm not alone on this, is having lots and lots of chocolate. The good news is that the cocoa bean chocolate is made from is extremely healthy for you! The bad news is that the dairy and loads of sugar used to make the cocoa taste good usually trumps the benefits the cocoa has. Plus, high quality dark chocolate can be really expensive, especially in the quantities I like to eat it. Here's a quick, simple recipe to making gourmet-tasting chocolate at home without the fillers.

Homemade Chocolate Bars
Tools
Rubber spatula
Baking sheet lined with parchment paper
OR
Muffin tin lined with cupcake liners
OR
Silicone ice cube tray or chocolate mold (if you want to get fancy)

Ingredients
1/8 cup Coconut oil
1/8 cup Cocoa Butter (optional - use same amount of coconut oil if you opt out)
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 to 2 packets powdered Stevia
1 to 3 tsp Xylitol to taste (optional)
scant 1/2 cup Cocoa powder
pinch of salt
pinch of instant coffee or ground espresso (optional)

Add-Ins
1/2 tsp Mint extract
Almonds
Peanuts
Cacao Nibs
Dried fruit
Peanut butter
Crushed sugar-free hard candy

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat your coconut oil and cocoa butter 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly melted. Cocoa butter takes a while to melt, so if after 2 minutes you still have lumps, just whisk the oil with a fork until the lumps disappear. Add in vanilla, salt, coffee, extract (if using) and sweeteners and whisk thoroughly with a fork. Add in cocoa powder and mix with rubber spatula until smooth, making sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl. If your add ins are hard (like almonds) place them evenly in your mold or baking sheet and pour the chocolate over them. Put it in the fridge to solidify, about 1 hour. Break off a piece and enjoy!

For Peanut Butter Cups:
Use the muffin tin and cupcake liners. Pour a small amount of chocolate into the bottom of each cup and pop in the freezer for 5 minutes. Heat about a 1/4 cup of peanut butter in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften. Place a dollop of softened peanut butter in each muffin cup and pour remaining chocolate over the top. Refrigerate for an hour, then enjoy!

For dipped fruit:
Dip fresh fruit in your chocolate before placing on parchment paper, then refrigerate for one hour before eating. You may need to dip your fruit 2 to 3 times depending on how chocolatey you want it to be. Best to enjoy the fruit within 1 to 2 days of dipping. Bonus: Sprinkle nuts on the outside of your fruit after 10 minutes of refrigeration and press into the chocolate for an extra treat.

The xylitol, cocoa butter and espresso all make for a richer and sweeter chocolate experience, but if you're short on ingredients or just prefer to keep it simple you can leave them out. Store your finished chocolate in the fridge to prevent melting, especially if you're skipping the cocoa butter. Enjoy indulging your sweet tooth, and until next time, keep it clean!

Give Your Room a Weekend Makeover

Whatever room in the house you're looking to give a lift, nothing makes a bigger statement than color. It's also the cheapest and easiest way to make everything look new, different and fresh. Depending on the paint, size of the room and what you'd like to paint, you can expect to budget anywhere from $75 to $200.

Choose Your Palette
Art and Furniture
This could arguably be the most difficult part of the process. A great place to start with most people is with what you already have. Check out your existing furniture. Is your furniture more traditional or modern? Do you have art hanging on the walls? What colors are in the art? What color are your floors? Is the room you want to update well-lit and open, or dark and small? If your furniture is more traditional, look at a traditional painting with colors you like for ideas, like a John Singer Sargent or Da Vinci. For bright and modern, check out more contemporary art like Kandinsky or even pop art like Warhol.

Just Color
Conversely, you could just think about color alone. Do you gravitate towards earthy, neutral colors or do you like bright and bold? Remember that certain colors can change the feel of a room. If you want a room to feel smaller and more cozy, you may want to choose a dark but soothing color like a warm brown. If you want a bold pop of color but don't want to feel overwhelmed, try painting a single accent wall, or a small room like a bathroom or pantry. Bold colors also work great as accents in rooms where there isn't a lot of wall space to paint, like kitchens.

Compare, Complement and Contrast
It's very helpful to use a color wheel to decide what colors you're going to use. If you want to get really fancy, check out a book or search online for "color theory" for ideas. Try to look for the base color in any neutral color, and use the color wheel to see what complements it. If you are painting the walls grey, but it's a bluish gray, you may want to include colors that are also bluish in your furnishings, like painting a side table an interesting shade of blue, or having a mirrored surface on a table or lamp. You can also pick the color opposite your chosen color on the color wheel to make a visually interesting statement. The color opposite blue on the color wheel is orange, so maybe you could move some terra cotta pots into the room to bring in warmth.

Prepare to Paint
Check out the square footage of the room or piece of furniture to gauge how much paint you need. A single master bedroom will probably need 2 gallons of paint, where a small table probably will only need a quart. If you're staining furniture, remember that a little goes a long way. Ask a person working at the hardware store if you're in doubt. Remember you can always get more later if you need it.


You also need to think about the surface you're painting. In places with lots of moisture, like bathrooms and kitchens, you'll want a glossier surface that won't soak up the water. If the surface you're painting is already glossy or shiny, you'll need to sand the surface, use acetone or mineral spirits to remove the shine, or use a paint-on primer so the paint will have something to stick to. If there are holes or dents in the wall, this is a good time to spackle over them. Be sure to lay down fabric tarps or rags over anything you don't want paint on. Taping off areas you don't want paint is helpful, but you can't always rely on the tape to give you straight lines. Even if you choose to tape off a spot, be careful and use the tape only as a fail-safe against drips or smudges. Painting directly on the tape will often assure that you have blotches or runs on the edges.

Stand back and enjoy!
Allow a few hours for the paint to cure before removing tape and tarps, then clean up and enjoy your work! New paint can update a place, obliterate smudges and stains and make everything feel brand new.

Until next time, keep it clean!