Can you hear and see nature waking up? April is the time when, after a long winter's sleep, the snow caps are being shaken off and the smell of buds slowly begins to fill the air, the migratory birds return and the chirping of birds can be heard all around. And the sun is shining more often, giving us much-needed energy and a dose of vitamin D.

People are also slowly waking up and getting more active – cleaning up the sunlit dust, getting down to gardening, and just like that the big clean-up day is here, calling for hard work and good deeds all over Latvia to clean up our environment together.

However, before you get to gathering the rakes, rubbish bags and outdoor brooms, the experts at the Elektrum Energy Efficiency Centre encourage you to do a general spring cleaning in your household first, not only to bring a dose of spring energy indoors, but also to avoid unnecessary waste of electricity. We recommend taking care of those electrical appliances that provide us with comfort on a daily basis, but too rarely receive care from the household inhabitants. Where to start?

Refrigerator / freezer

Every centimetre of ice in the freezer increases electricity consumption by 10%, so the refrigerator should be completely defrosted and vented at least once a year. This is especially important for older refrigerators that do not have an automatic defrost function.

Refrigerators with automatic defrost or no frost should be emptied and cleaned once a year or as instructed. How to defrost the freezer and clean the refrigerator?

First disconnect the refrigerator from the electrical network!

• Clean the door seals, check for damage. Replace them if necessary.
• Remove dust from the cooler at the back of the refrigerator – it prevents cooling and increases electricity consumption. A vacuum cleaner or special brushes are preferable for this purpose.
• Wipe the dust from the surface of the refrigerator.
• Empty the refrigerator and clean the refrigerator interior – walls, shelves and compartments, as well as the condensate drain hole at the bottom of the inner wall.
• After cleaning, wipe the refrigerator dry and leave it open for a while to air out.

If necessary, unwanted odours in the refrigerator can be eliminated in various ways, for example by placing in the refrigerator:

• a container filled with ground coffee
• a few pieces of activated charcoal
• coarse salt in a small bowl
• a lemon cut in half, etc.

Remember not to fill the refrigerator too full when you put the products back in later to ensure air circulation and not to increase electricity consumption.

To avoid clutter and inefficient use of food, it is advisable to group products in the refrigerator. Remove them from their original packaging where possible and place them in see-through containers such as jars, plastic containers, etc. or wrap them in baking paper, beeswax cloths.

Before going to the shop to buy products, check the contents of both the refrigerator and the kitchen cupboards to avoid buying unnecessary products and creating extra waste. When storing products, put the most likely to expire products at the front and the freshest products at the back.

Filters / stove hood

Regularly changing or cleaning filters on electrical appliances can reduce electricity consumption by up to 15%. As the stove hood becomes covered with grease deposits, its efficiency is significantly reduced – the air is not cleaned properly and the stove hood has to run longer. How to clean the filter?

• If your stove hood has a washable filter that is cleaned regularly, you can easily clean it with hot running water or by soaking it in water.
• If the stove hood filter is difficult to clean, it is possible to make a paste of 3 cups of baking soda mixed with 1 cup of water. The resulting paste is applied to the stains, allowing it to act for half an hour or longer if necessary, and then cleaned with a damp cloth.
• The stove hood filter can also be washed in the dishwasher by adding the same detergent used for dishes.
• Disposable filters should be replaced every two to six months, depending on the manufacturer's instructions and the model and intensity of use of the stove hood.

Electric kettle

The heating element of the electric kettle should be regularly descaled to avoid increasing electricity consumption. This can be done in an environmentally friendly way using citric acid. Pour citric acid into the kettle, add the maximum amount of water, boil it, wait a little for the limescale deposits to soften and pour it out. Then boil clean water again and pour out again. You can then use the kettle to make your favourite drink.

Microwave oven

The microwave oven is the most efficient way to heat up food and most people use it every day, but they also undeservedly forget to clean it regularly. Dirt build-up can increase its energy consumption.

To clean your microwave oven, fill a large microwave-safe bowl with water and a thinly sliced lemon, lime or orange and place it in the microwave. Turn it on for a few minutes or until the water starts to boil and moisture appears on the oven window, then turn it off and let it cool for five minutes before opening the door. Later, remove the bowl and use a sponge to wipe the inside and outside of the microwave oven.

Oven

Cleaning the oven is not the easiest of household chores. More and more manufacturers are offering ovens with a self-cleaning function. It is important to note that household chemicals and special cleaning products should not be used for this type of oven as they can damage the enamel coating of the oven. Whether you use the oven's self-cleaning function or clean it manually, always make sure the oven has cooled down to room temperature before cleaning the inside of the oven!

If the oven is not equipped with a self-cleaning function, you can use steam to clean it, just like a microwave oven. Pour water into a heatproof container and set the oven temperature to 100 ˚C, then place the container in the oven and leave it for 30–45 minutes. The steam from the boiling water will loosen the dirt and make it easier to clean.

The oven door / glass can easily be cleaned with baking soda and lemon juice / citric acid:

• Apply a thick layer of baking soda to the oven door, then spray an equal amount of lemon juice / citric acid solution over the top to form a paste.
• Leave the paste on the oven door for about 15 minutes and then use a sponge or cloth to remove the stains. The paste is best removed with a brush rather than water.
• Finally, wipe the oven door with a dry cloth, preferably microfibre.

Washing machine

Although it is often forgotten, the washing machine should also be washed and serviced regularly, at least twice a year (depending on the frequency of use and the daily washing temperature). Add citric acid (e.g. a 5 kg washing machine requires 100–120 g) to the emptied detergent compartment or tank of the washing machine. Then switch on the longest wash programme and set the temperature to 60 °C and, when the cycle is finished, switch on the shortest wash or rinse programme to remove any remaining deposits. Lastly, wipe down the tank and seals with a dry cloth and the outside of the washing machine with a damp cloth and a suitable cleaning agent.

To prevent water leaks and blockages, check the rubber water supply hoses for cracks or signs of wear.

It is also advisable to clean the detergent drawer and the compartment where it is placed from time to time, and to clear the washing machine filter of accumulated dirt. To do this correctly, consult the manufacturer's user manual. The washing machine door rubbers also accumulate dirt or slimy deposits, so it is advisable to clean these areas as well to prevent them from wearing out so quickly. The easiest way to clean them is to run a damp cloth around the grooves.

If we also take more care of our environment, by applying the simple lesson that you only get what you give, we will only benefit. By using energy resources wisely and taking care of our trusty helpers – our electrical appliances – from time to time, we can make sure that living energy-efficient and environmentally friendly lives is not so difficult after all!