Self Help

Standard Light Bulbs: Wipe bulbs occasionally with a dry dustcloth for cleanliness and better illumination. Remove a burned-out bulb by turning it counter-clockwise, slowly and steadily, so the glass bulb does not twist loose of its base. Always replace bulb at once; it’s best not to leave the socket empty, even for a short while, so have the replacement at hand.

Appliance bulbs: Replace existing appliance bulbs only with the special type designed to withstand the extremes of heat and cold in the oven or refrigerator. These appliance bulbs can be purchased at supermarkets and hardware stores.

The small tubular lamps in the control panels of washing machines, dryers and ovens can be purchased at appliance-parts stores. Use the size and type recommended in your appliance instruction booklet. Many clothes dryers also have an ultraviolet lamp, which eventually burns out but is difficult to replace because it can be reached only from the rear of the dryer drum, which requires removing the back panel of the dryer for access.

Fluorescent Lamps: Wipe the lamp tubes and fixture reflectors or light diffusion covers with a dustcloth monthly, being careful not to twist the tube in its socket, which might cause it to loosen and fall out. Lamps that flicker on and off, or have dark rings at the ends, need to be replaced; it’s wasteful of energy to wait until the lamps burn out. Hold the lamp at both ends,
make about a quarter-turn, and the lamp pins will slip out of the retainer clips at each end. Be careful not to drop the tube - it will shatter into thousands of fragments that are difficult to sweep up.

Fluorescent fixtures come usually in 15, 20, 30, 40 and 100-watt sizes. The 20-watt tube is 2 feet long, the 40-watt is 4 feet long. There are several shades of light - daylight, cold light, blue white, etc. - including the pink lamps used for house plants.

You may find replacing the lamps is somewhat troublesome at first. The tube has two connector pins at each end, intended to snap into spring-loaded retainer receptacles. Hold the lamp so that the pins are lined up vertically - that is, one above the other. Slip the pins at one end of the lamp straight up into the receptacle, then push the pins at the other end into place.

Make a quarter-turn of the lamp either way. Don’t let go of the lamp until you feel the click and have checked to be certain that both ends are securely held. After several tries you won’t find lamp installation so difficult; just remember, if only one end is locked in, the lamp will slip out and fall.

Luminous kitchen ceilings collect dust, cooking grease and trapped insects, so need to be cleaned regularly. Remove the translucent plastic panels by lifting them off the metal hanger channels, grasping each panel securely and letting it down carefully so it doesn’t drop and become damaged.

Wash the panels individually in the sink or laundry tub with a detergent solution; wipe dry before replacing. Most of the panels are of the same dimensions, so there’s no problem identifying them for replacement positions.