Appliance Colors

Kitchen appliance colors and styles change like everything else. When one goes kaput, you need to decide quickly what to replace it with. When you are renovating, you have a little more time and can match as desired. What will it be?

Silver stainless steel has been the number one choice for a good 10 years now, black 10 to 20 years ago, and white 20 to 35. The 70s colors speak for themselves! High end kitchen appliances have almost always had silver stainless or wood paneled fronts to match the cabinetry, or even brightly colored finishes. The last 3-5 years, however, has seen 2 noticeable trends: Ice (pure) white and black stainless (dark charcoal); with another – slate (lighter charcoal) – the latest challenger.

My experience in seeing many homes is that silver stainless is still the king; white never caught on (lots of white cabinets right now), plain black is fading unless it is high end and fits your scheme, and black stainless and slate are fighting to be the next long term trend. I believe silver stainless will retain a classic, high end look and stay around for years to come, and it goes with so many things. Matching cabinet panels come and go, right now more in than out *if your cabinets are more in than out*!

After checking with an appliance store and a new home sales center, they agree that silver stainless is still their number one seller, and white is the least. In between, it seems that slate is edging out black stainless and plain black is below those two.

If you are replacing just one appliance, it is easiest and safest to replace it with a similar color and model, although you should consider replacing it with the direction your kitchen is going, even if it is an obvious mismatch in the meantime, and you are not selling the house anytime soon. I have seen some different colors, brands, even styles that still look good overall, especially in the premium lines where different manufacturers specialize in separate components: Wolf and Thermador ranges, Subzero refrigeration, Bosch and Fisher Paykel dishwashers, Miele oven and dishwasher. Also consider repairing if it’s newer or you need just one more year out it before gutting the kitchen, or even finding a reliable used model. If replacing all items at once, Samsung, GE, Whirlpool, etc are marketing the four main appliances as a package deal that is worth exploring, but don’t hold yourself to that, it can pay off to shop around in price and quality.

Keep in mind when it comes time to sell, buyers notice your appliances instantly on photos before ever setting foot in your home. Many times, even if they work great, outdated appliances that stay with the home are worth replacing for resale value. The washer and dryer do not matter nearly as much, as almost all sellers take those with them, although I admit a new $2000 W/D set does make a home show better than an old, outdated set, like a type of staging, but certainly not worth purchasing just for selling purposes. As always, contact me if you want a professional opinion on this, I can review with you on the phone, view photos, or visit your home.

Happy shopping!

Making Cash from Scrap

This being the age of recycling and going green, there are numerous ways to avoid adding to the landfills.  The easiest way is thru our community recycle bins at curbside pickup.  Not all items are accepted, however, due to material or size.  Some of the more common unacceptable items have metal components.  More communities around St Louis are offering free metals recycling for these items, such as Manchester City, although it is only once every 60 days:

http://www.manchestermo.gov/vertical/sites/%7B6F338B63-52EE-4FAE-BED8-05DD42A9F253%7D/uploads/2016_Electronics__Recycling_Event_Guidelines_Updated_05-19-2016.pdf

I have run across a place that pays you for bringing in all types of metals, and they are open 6 days a week!  There may be others, but this is centrally located in Valley Park at Hwys 44 and 141:

http://scrapmartmetals.com/

 

It is pretty easy to weigh and unload your scrap.  Unfortunately, they do not take TVs.  In fact, it is hard to get rid of those anymore.  The Manchester dropoff charges $30 for CRT types under 33inch, and will not accept larger sizes at all.  Flat screens will be taken for free if not cracked, and $15 charge if cracked.

Here is the link to St Louis County tips on metals recycling:

http://www.stlouisco.com/Portals/8/docs/Health/waste/recycling%20newsletters/Fall%202016%20Newsletter.pdf

Follow up from last week’s appliance review – I was quickly notified by two recipients of my email, that there have been several reported cases of Samsung top loading washers exploding.  Samsung says it is working on a remedy.  The affected machines are certain top-load washing machines manufactured between March 2011 and April 2016 (ours was newer, thank goodness).   “In rare cases, affected units may experience abnormal vibrations that could pose a risk of personal injury or property damage when washing bedding, bulky or water-resistant items.”  Samsung is recommending that consumers with affected models use the lower speed delicate cycle when washing bedding, bulky or water-resistant materials. There have been no reported incidents when using this cycle.  Click here for more details, and to check your model: https://pages.samsung.com/us/top_load_washer/index.jsp

Happy scrapping!

Home Appliance Reviews

Last time you went shopping for an appliance, did you look at any reviews to help in your decision?

Reviews are everywhere now – restaurants, hotels, computers, even Realtors.  It is no surprise, then, that home appliances have their share.  The question becomes how accurate they are.  Without fail, I can find many that love one model in particular, and many that hate the same one.  This is common with most brands that I have researched, even the more expensive models.  Whether it is on the manufacturer’s website, the appliance store’s, or a third party.

Consumer Reports should be trustworthy, right?  They make a living out of unbiased research and reporting their findings.  The problem I find with CR is brand names can be on the top, middle or bottom tiers, depending on the model.  True, there can be a larger percentage of one brand over another, but the second issue is how they arrive at the ratings.  Do I care if the display is easy to read, or the style is not exciting?  I can readily see that when comparing online or in the store.  I care mostly about reliability that I cannot see.  Can you trust the salesperson, or are they just pushing one or two that pay them more?  I don’t think there are any fiduciary duties to protect you at Best Buy or HHGregg.  If you develop a personal relationship with a store in particular, especially locally owned, you may feel a level of trust.  Or your friends and colleagues who have recently purchased can share their results.

I do basic research and look for trends, if I find the same brand and/or model that gets strong ratings from different sources, and then confirmed by a friend or retailer, I feel confident on the purchase.  After awhile, you start trusting certain brands.  That leads to another problem – brands evolve, get better or worse, are bought out, or simply overtaken by competition.

Personal experience over the last 3 years:

– Samsung refrigerator, I rate 3.5 of 5 (overactive ice maker and water in vegetable bins), did no research due to great Black Friday purchase

– Kitchen Aid dishwasher, I rate 4.5 of 5 (slight leak one time, door rubs), this brand and Bosch were among the best rated.

– Samsung clothes washer, I rate 5 of 5 so far (just bought last week), this brand, LG and Speed Queen were among the best rated.

Good Luck and Happy Shopping!