Taking care of kitchen appliances is tenant’s responsibility. This includes changing the light bulbs to refrigerator, stove and range hood. If an appliance suddenly stops working, it is good to first check the fuse.
All Hoas apartments have refrigerator and a stove. Some apartments don’t have a freezer and some, such as the studios with a mini-kitchen, don’t have an oven. Microwaves are rarely included in Hoas apartments. If you move into an apartment with a microwave oven, it has most likely been left by the previous tenant. You can then ask us to remove the item by filling a fault report. You can also keep the microwave as your own. If you decide to keep it and it breaks down, you need to repair it or take it to the recycling. We don’t maintain tenant’s own appliances.
Refrigerator and freezer
Taking care of refrigerator and freezer is tenant’s responsibility. Taking care of these appliances includes defrosting and cleaning them regularly, as well as keeping the drain hole for defrosting water unclogged. Using the appliances in a smart way helps you to save electricity and prevents faults and danger situations arising. Keep your food and other items in refrigerator away from the back wall, don’t keep door open for long times unnecessarily, and defrost the appliances regularly.
However, sometimes the appliances do have faults and you should make a fault report. Before making the fault report, you should check if you can solve the problem yourself. Here are couple common fault report subjects and defrosting instructions.
Water accumulates in refrigerator
If water keeps accumulating in your refrigerator, you should check if the drain hole for defrosting water is clean, and no items are blocking it. You need to keep the drain hole in the back of the refrigerator clean. You can clean it, for example, with cotton bud. In worst cases the clogged drain hole causes the water to flow inside the refrigerator and on to the floor, which could lead to a water damage.
Loud noise from refrigerator
New refrigerators keep louder noise than older. This is because newer models cool down with more ecological products than older ones do. However, the noise level should not exceed 40 decibels.
In most cases, the noises of the fridge are part of the regular features of the appliances. A hum, buzz, sound of running water, or a hiss is most likely caused by the refrigerant flow within the appliance. Also, a clunk when the fridge motor stops is typical. With a few tips you can influence on how much noise the appliance makes:
- If refrigerator stands on rubber pads, try adding more cushioning between the refrigerator and floor to prevent noises when the appliance is trembling.
- Try changing the positioning of the fridge or move it’s location a little bit. Even a small change may help.
- If the pipes in the back of the refrigerator vibrate, you can easily stop it by shifting the pipes a little bit.
Defrosting the refrigerator or freezer
Taking care of refrigerator and freezer includes regular defrosting and cleaning. If you don’t do this regularly, they will accumulate ice build-up, which reduce the effectiveness of appliance and uses a lot of electricity. Defrost when the layer of frost is thicker than half a centimeter.
Instructions: Defrosting and cleaning
The best time to defrost a refrigerator/freezer is when it is relatively empty. You could have a cooler bag ready for easily perishable items so they won’t melt during the defrosting and cleaning. In winter, you can put items in the balcony for a moment to prevent melting.
- Turn off the refrigerator/freezer and empty it.
- Protect the floor in front of the refrigerator/freezer with couple of towels to absorb the melted water.
- Leave the door of refrigerator/freezer open and wait for the appliance to defrost. Keep an eye on the draining water and change the towels on the floor if needed. You can speed up defrosting by putting hot water in a bowl on the shelf.
- When the appliance has largely defrosted, take a cleaning cloth and wipe away rest of the ice. Don’t use anything sharp to remove ice since it may break it completely. Wait patiently that the appliance is defrosted enough.
- Take all shelves and drawers out of the refrigerator/freezer and clean them.
- Wipe the inside of the appliance with a damp cloth and mild cleaner (for example, couple drops of dish soap in warm water). Cleaning the refrigerator/freezer doesn’t require any strong detergents, and a too strong of a product can even damage the plastic surface of the appliance.
- Clean the defrosting water drain hole if needed.
- Let the refrigerator/freezer dry.
- Turn the appliance on and put all shelves, drawers, and your items back.
- Vacuum the condenser behind the appliance regularly. Dust and lack of air circulation around the appliance could even cause a fire hazard.
When the refrigerator/freezer is on again
If you are moving out, don’t turn the appliances back on. Instead, leave the door ajar. If you close the door the appliance might accumulate mold and unpleasant smells – a very unwelcoming surprise to the next tenant.
If you turn on the defrosted freezer, the red warning light will usually light up. The light will stay on until the freezer has reached the set temperature. Pay attention that the light switches off. It should not take longer than an overnight. If the light doesn’t switch off, the appliance might have a fault and you should fill in a fault report.
Quick freeze
Most freezers have a quick freeze function and you can speed up the cooling process with it. Remember to turn the quick freeze off when the set temperature has been reached. If the quick freeze switch is left on, the thermostat in the freezer is overridden and the freezer’s motor will be running continuously, using electricity and shortening the appliance’s lifespan. In general, an orange light in the control panel signals that the quick freeze is still on.
If your freezer tends to form a lot of ice in a short time or it is always much colder than it should be, you should check that the quick freeze function is turned off.
Cleaning the oven and stove regularly is the best way to maintain them an keep them in good condition. It is smart to wipe off any stains from cooking right away, and doing a more thorough cleaning regularly. Using a baking paper on oven trays is an easy way to save you some effort. When you are cleaning the stove you need to know what kind of stove is in question: cast-iron or ceramic stove.
Cleaning the stove
Cast-iron stove
- Wipe rings with damp cloth with mild cleaner, and rinse.
- Dry the rings properly so they don’t rust.
- Stubborn stains are best to soak. Don’t use any abrasive cleaning materials since they scratch the surface.
Ceramic stove
- Wipe with damp cloth with mild cleaner, rinse, and dry.
- Don’t use any abrasive cleaning equipment such as steel wool since it will damage the surface.
- For stubborn stains use a cleaner made specifically to a ceramic stove.
Cleaning the oven
- Remove the oven racks.
- Make a cleaner: add warm water to a bucket with few drops of dish soap.
- Spread the cleaner to the oven, including the top and bottom walls.
- Wipe the bottom and walls of the oven with a scouring pad.
- Clean the oven hatch – remember to protect the floor!
- Wash the trays and racks. Steel wool and dish soap work well for stain removal. Remember to rinse.
- Wipe all surfaces of the oven clean with microfiber cloth.
- Wipe outside surfaces of the oven, and stove controls.
- Pull oven out couple times a year, and vacuum and mop the floor and walls behind and under the oven.
- Note! The store-bought oven cleaners are very strong. If you use one, follow the instructions carefully, and remember to protect your hands with rubber gloves. It is smart to protect the flooring as well, for example with a newspaper, so the detergent doesn’t corrode the floor material.
Range hood
In Hoas apartments the range hood is typically connected to the ventilation system and you can’t adjust the ventilation yourself. In practice, the range hood is always on. Additionally it runs at full speed in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings. If the range hood doesn’t seem to ventilate properly, you should check the grease filter and clean it if necessary.
- Read more: Ventilation
Cleaning the grease filter
- Remove the filter by turning the knobs.
- Put filter in the sink and add hot water until the filter is covered. Add baking soda and let sit for half an hour.
- Add vinegar, and the dirt will start to loosen from the filter.
- Shake the filter in the water and collect the grease that accumulates on the surface so it doesn’t end up clogging the pipes.
- Hand wash the filter with dish soap and brush.
- Rinse thoroughly and let the filter dry.
- Put the filter back in.
Some properties have leakage and moisture detectors installed in the plinth of the trash cabinet. If water starts leaking into the plinth, the detectors will sound an alarm. If the leak detector alerts, contact our customer service or (outside our opening hours) the 24-hour maintenance number: 020 491 2720 (Securitas).