BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Nov. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Tis the season for houseguests – and whether they're invited or unexpected, many consumers will be getting their linens ready, pulling out the fine dinnerware and prepping the home for the holidays. And part of that routine should include ensuring that home appliances are in tip-top shape by cleaning them and implementing a regular maintenance routine.

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According to an online survey conducted last November on behalf of Whirlpool Corporation by Harris Interactive, only 26 percent of adults said they really clean their major appliances once every 6-11 months and 42 percent of adults said they never clean their washing machine, meaning the majority of adults in the United States who have these appliances really need to clean them.

"A regular maintenance routine is important for all appliances. Much like your car needs a tune-up, your appliances need—and benefit from—regular care, particularly your washing machine and dryer," said Tremitchell Wright, consumer scientist and engineer, Whirlpool Institute of Fabric Science. "Some washer models have a 'Clean Washer' cycle,  which enables consumers to clean the inside surfaces of their machine, reaching places they typically could not get to with greater mechanical wash action and a washing machine cleaning product like affresh® washer cleaner tablets. Washers that do not include a 'Clean Washer' cycle can be maintained by running a cycle with hot water and a washing machine cleaning product. Your appliances should have instructions on how best to maintain your specific models in the Use and Care Guide."  

To help you prepare for guests and the holiday season, Wright and his colleagues at the Institute of Fabric Science suggest the following:

• Before the rush of the holidays begins, run a 'Clean Washer' cycle in your washing machine, using the affresh® washer cleaner tablet and following the instructions on the package.
• When taking blankets, sheets or towels out of storage or a linen closet, remember they can be refreshed by placing them in the dryer and tumbling them for a few minutes on the air dry setting. If you have a dryer with steam, a refresh cycle can be used.
• Throughout the holiday season, guests can drop by at a moment's notice. Keep your home in top-shape by designating areas for sorting, ironing, folding and stain removal, rather than having the laundry process occur all over your home.
• Whether it's cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie or gravy, some item from the holiday meal will make a lasting impression on your shirt, table cloth or carpet. Post a stain cheat sheet in your laundry room, using the removal guidelines from the Institute of Fabric Science website. Keep common stain-fighting products handy, such as hairspray, baking soda and bleach pens.

"Most people check dusting, vacuuming and wiping down counters off their list when cleaning on a regular basis, but forget about cleaning the interior of their kitchen appliances—especially inside their disposal and dishwasher," said Michael Colston, cleaning and home appliance maintenance expert, Institute of Kitchen Science. "A monthly maintenance routine for disposals and dishwashers is important to help remove stuck-on particles and mineral build-up that can occur in places like hoses, pumps and grinding mechanisms. Using a product such as the affresh® disposal and dishwasher cleaner helps remove odor caused by calcium deposits, which can occur more often with phosphate-free dishwasher detergents."

Colston and his colleagues at the Institute of Kitchen Science offer the following tips to keep cleaning during the holiday season simple:

• Before the holidays begin, use the affresh® disposal and dishwasher cleaner and follow the how-to instructions on the packaging.
• Remember to take advantage of the Rinse cycle on your dishwasher to refresh your holiday dishes if they have been pulled out of storage and have not been used since the prior year.
• Keep your dishwasher filled with rinse aid as it not only helps keep your dishes spot free, but it also helps improve drying. By using rinse aid, it helps you save time when not having to rewash or do extra hand-drying of your holiday dishware.
• It is OK to run the dishwasher without it being completely filled. Running partial loads helps you maintain a clean kitchen while doing your holiday preparation, uses less water than hand washing and saves you personal time when you could be doing other activities.

You can find affresh® products at national home appliance retailers and supermarkets as well as Target and Wal-Mart. For more information, please visit http://www.affresh.com.

About The Survey

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Whirlpool Corporation from November 20-24, 2009 among 2,089 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact media@whirlpool.com.

About affresh

The affresh® brand of products specifically helps keep appliances operating at peak performance, when used in conjunction with a regular maintenance routine as indicated in the appliance's Use & Care Guide. First introduced in 2007, the products have evolved to include washer cleaners for traditional and high-efficiency washing machines as well as for dishwashers and garbage disposals. Affresh products are manufactured and marketed under the Whirlpool Corporation portfolio, the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $17 billion in 2009, 67,000 employees, and 67 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. For more, visit www.affresh.com.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation