Home Appliances Buying Guide

Water Filters

Water filters can save you a bundle of money when it comes to having fresh filtered water in the home. You may think that buying bottled water can save more than installing a water filter, but when you consider what exactly is in your bottled water, you may rethink this.

Bottled water only needs to meet EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regulations when the water is sold outside of the state where it was bottled. This means that if your bottled water comes from your state, it wasn't required to meet the EPA regulations. It is also perfectly legal to bottle water directly from wells, springs and even your own public water supply. Unless you can afford to always buy exotic imported waters, a water filter may be just what you need.

Water filters come in many types and installation styles:

• Pitchers: The most common type is the water filter pitcher you fill and stick in the fridge. These use replaceable filters, and because they can be put in the fridge, you can always have access to cold filtered water (if everyone remembers to refill the pitcher!).
• Faucet-mounted: Faucet-mounted filters fit right onto the faucet and filter water as it pours from the tap. If you have hard water, you will appreciate these.
• Under-sink mounted: Under-sink mounted water filters are attached to the cold water line underneath the sink. The filtered water is dispensed through a separate above-sink faucet. They are out of sight, and their cartridges need to be changed only twice a year.
• Reverse osmosis: For consumers who live in areas serviced by private well water, a reverse osmosis system may give you peace of mind. They force water through membranes to remove harmful metals and even arsenic.
• Whole home system: If sediment in your water is the problem, look at a whole home system. These are "point-of-entry" filters that filter the water as it comes into your home. This means that all of your water is filtered, including the water in your dishwasher and washing machine, as well as bathwater. A whole home system doesn't always filter the dangerous health pollutants from the water; most whole home filtering systems are not effective in removing lead and chloroform. Look for whole home filters that are certified for the contaminants you want removed.

Steam Cleaners

Floor care is made easy with a steam cleaner. Removing the harmful contaminants which are stirred up by vacuuming will keep your carpet cleaner and your air safer. Carpet steam cleaners clean deep down to remove tough stains and stubborn dirt.

Steam cleaners can also be used in other areas of the home. Sponge cleaning your appliances and surfaces doesn't disinfect them unless you've used harsh chemicals. Steam cleaners can be used to clean kitchens, bathrooms, appliances and counter tops. These are areas that your food and little ones touch. Do you really want to use harsh chemicals on them?

Steamers are more versatile than you may expect. Portable steam cleaners can be taken outside to clean barbeque grills, patio furniture, garbage cans, car tires and wheels. Don't just spray them with a hose. Deep clean and disinfect them with a steam cleaner and know that they are spotless.

Browse our floor care for steam cleaners and finally have the peace of mind that something is really clean!

Heaters

The cost of heating a home can be pretty steep, especially if your idea of warm is above an "economical" 65 degrees! Heaters offer a more comfortable solution while staying energy-efficient. With a portable heater you won't need to heat every area in your home above 70 or 75 degrees. Take your portable heater into whichever room you need it the most.

Heaters are also great for areas where you may want to be, but the home heater doesn't reach. Garages and work sheds may call to you all winter long, but if your tush is frozen and your fingers turn blue and numb by spending time out there, you may want to take back your hobbies with a space heater. Space heaters give you control over the direction of the heat, as well as the intensity. If you're a garage band, being able to control your garage's temperature is a beautiful thing! (Don't worry garage bands; Overstock.com has space heaters at greatly discounted prices that won't break you before your next gig.)

Fans

We've gone from very cold to stifling hot. Fans make their appearance every summer like clockwork. (Some of you die-hards even pull your fans out during the chilly winter months!) Fans can ease the stifling heat of summer days, and if you have air conditioning that doesn't zoom around corners, a fan can help draw in cooler air from other areas in your home to those areas that most need it.

Fans can be found in all shapes and sizes, from huge oscillating floor units to dainty desk and hand-held versions. Tower fans fit nicely into narrow areas without blocking a lot of space, and wind-tunnels can be created with most new oscillating fans. Whichever style you prefer, Overstock.com carries fans at deeply discounted prices.

Air Conditioners

A room air conditioner is perfect for cooling smaller rooms, and some of today's energy-efficient models can also handle larger areas with ease. Air conditioners now have many features available:

• Easy installation options or built-in castors for easy moving
• Name brand filtration systems and no-drip technology
• 24-hour programmable timer
• Easy to use control panels or remote controls and full thermostat control
• Quality components for quiet operation
• Energy-efficient adjustable thermostats
• Activated carbon filters to help remove odors and washable air filters
• Adjustable air flow

Matching the right air conditioner to the space you want to cool is your best bet when choosing an air conditioner. Measure the room you want cooled. There are always variables when figuring out the air conditioner you'll need: people in the room, number of windows, which direction the room is facing and the room's ceiling height are just a few examples. Refer to Energy Star to find the most efficient square feet/Btu ratio.

Overstock.com offers these home appliances at discounted prices; take a look around the home store and find more ways to save money.

Home Appliances Terminology

Here's a run-down of the many terms you'll want to be familiar with for your quest for home appliances.

Heating and Air Conditioning

Btu: The British thermal unit (Btu) is the international measurement of energy. A Btu is the amount of heat required to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. In AC jargon, Btu's measure the amount of heat an air conditioning unit can remove from the room.

EER: The Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) is calculated by dividing the Btu's by the number of watts. The higher the EER number the more efficient the unit should be.

Thermostat: Thermostats adjust the temperature of the air coming from the air conditioning unit. They can be programmable or manual.

Filter: There are many types of air filters included in air conditioners.

Water Filtration

Reverse-osmosis (RO) filters: A method of producing pure water by forcing saline or impure water through a semi-permeable membrane. Salts or impurities cannot pass through this membrane. Reverse osmosis is used for water filtration and for desalinization of seawater.

Activated carbon (AC) filters: AC filters trap carbon-based impurities, such as chlorine; however, sodium and nitrates may pass through.

Distillers: The distillation process is pretty simple: the dirty water is heated to the boiling point until it vaporizes. The steam is directed into a cooler, the other substances remain in solid state and they remain behind. The steam cools down in the cooler, changing back to liquid water. The end result is purified water, free of any of the additional substances found in it before distillation.

Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection devices: Ultraviolet radiation is capable of stopping all types of bacteria. (UV doesn't actually destroy bacteria, but inactivates it.) In addition, ultraviolet radiation disinfects rapidly without using heat or chemical additives which may alter the composition of water (perhaps undesirably).

Ion exchange water softeners and "Anion exchange" softeners: A water softener reduces the calcium or magnesium ion concentration in hard water. With an ion exchange, the "hardness" ions trade places with sodium ions. Water softeners are typically used when water is supplied from wells. Although much less common, public water systems are also susceptible to hard water.