Kitchen & Bath Tips

Kitchen

Information on this page:

Your Kitchen Counter

Please use a cutting board when you are working with a knife, X-Acto blade, or other sharp instrument. Otherwise, you will damage furniture, counters, tables, wood, tile, or vinyl surfaces—at substantial cost to you and your roommate/s. You can buy a cutting board at any supermarket or hardware store. Use a hot plate or hot pad whenever you remove a hot pan from the stovetop or oven; putting a hot pan directly on the countertop will mar laminate and wood surfaces.

Garbage Disposal

Your garbage disposal is designed to grind soft food scraps into particles that can be drained away with water. Do not use your garbage disposal to grind fibrous materials such as corn husks or celery; bones; seeds; coffee grounds; rubber, glass, metal, or paper. Never pour grease of any kind down the disposal.

To Use Your Garbage Disposal

  • Turn the warm water on at the kitchen faucet.
  • Turn on the garbage disposal.
  • Feed food scraps to the garbage disposal a little at a time. Don’t stuff the garbage disposal and then turn it on.
  • Let the food clear the disposal.
  • Turn the garbage disposal off.
  • Let the water run for 15 - 30 seconds longer to clear the drain.
  • Turn water off.

If Your Garbage Disposal Doesn’t Work

  • Turn off the switch.
  • Look inside to check for objects blocking the blades. Do not put your hands or any kind of metal or hard object in the garbage disposal.
  • Push the reset button located at the bottom of the disposal.
  • Try turning the disposal back on. (Follow directions above for proper use.)

If the disposal still doesn’t work, submit a Fix-It request.

Stove

Never leave anything—especially oil—unattended on the stove. If you line the pans under your range burners with aluminum foil, be sure to keep them clean and free of grease to avoid a fire. Also, make sure the foil doesn’t touch the burner prongs.

To Avoid a Kitchen Fire

  • Always monitor food while cooking on the stove.
  • Continuously check items baking in the oven.
  • Never cook when you’re sleepy, if you’ve been drinking alcohol excessively, or if you’ve taken medication that makes you drowsy.
  • Wipe up spills and clean your oven. Built-up grease can catch fire.

Never leave anything—especially oil—unattended on the stove. If you line the pans under your range burners with aluminum foil, be sure to keep them clean and free of grease to avoid a fire. Also, make sure the foil doesn’t touch the burner prongs.

If a Pan of Food Catches Fire

  • Slide a lid over the pan to smother the fire. Don’t use a fire extinguisher or throw water on the fire. This can splatter burning grease and spread the fire! Instead smother the fire by sliding a lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Prevent flare-ups by holding the lid firmly in place until the pan has cooled.

If a Fire Starts In Your Oven

  • Turn off the heat and keep the oven door closed.

If a Fire Starts In Your Microwave Oven

  • Keep the door closed and unplug the microwave. Have the microwave serviced before you use it again.

Report all fires - even if you think you have put them out.

Self-Cleaning Oven

Oven

If your apartment has a self-cleaning oven, do not use an oven cleaner or chemicals. To clean, set the self-cleaning cycle; after the oven cools, wipe out all of the ashes. If you use chemical cleaners on the oven racks, first remove them from the oven and carefully follow directions on the container. Do not spill the cleaner; it will damage chrome, enamel, and flooring.

Cleaning instructions for self-cleaning ovens

Cleaning instructions for self-cleaning ovens - Mirrielees Only

Drains

To prevent injury to our employees doing repair work, do not use any chemical in the drains for any reason. If you have a clogged drain—whether it’s a sink, tub, or toilet—first try to break up the clog with a "plumber’s helper" plunger.

Sink or Tub

Use a standard cup plunger to break up clogs in sinks, tubs, and showers. Remove the strainer or pop-up cover from the drain. Fill the sink or tub with enough water to cover most of the plunger’s cup. Keeping the plunger tightly sealed against the drain, plunge up and down rapidly until the water level seems to drop. If plunging doesn’t break up the clog, submit a Fix-It request.

Toilet

Use a ball or flange plunger; it creates a vacuum seal needed to clear a clog using the force of water. If you think your toilet is going to overflow , turn the water off to the toilet by turning the valve on the left side of the toilet by the wall. Then contact your Housing Front Desk to send out a plumber. After hours, call emergency maintenance at 725-1602.

Fill the toilet bowl with enough water to cover the rubber plunger.

  • Hold the plunger by the wooden handle and place the rubber cup over the toilet drain, covering the opening.
  • First plunge gently to let out the air in the bell. Then, maintaining the seal, push down and pull up by the handle three or four times to produce suction, or until the water level seems to drop. In most cases, this should free the blockage.
  • Flush the toilet to clear the line.
  • If plunging doesn’t break up the clog, submit a Fix-It request.

VIDEO:  How to Unclog Your Toilet