At home after the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) As the time spent at home increases, interest in the hygiene of home appliances and furniture has increased.
Even if you want to clean every nook and cranny of large appliances and furniture, there are bound to be limits to what your hands can reach. Even if you want to check the contamination and clean it yourself, it is difficult to make up your mind because you do not have a dedicated tool or because it requires a lot of effort.
On the 23rd of last month, I visited the ‘Home Total Care Center’ at Lotte Hi-Mart Cheongnyangni Branch. It was a service that cleaned 12 types of home appliances and furniture, including washing machines, mattresses, dishwashers, air conditioners, and stylers, that were difficult to maintain on their own. I thought, ‘Is it possible to only buy it from Hi-Mart?’ But that wasn’t the case. You could use it without having to buy home appliances.
It reminded me of the 14-year-old washing machine at my parents’ house that always bothered me. The washing machine that was responsible for the household laundry had been there for a long time, but it had never been disassembled and cleaned. In addition to the grime from the washing machine that I have been using for a long time, I also wanted to check the dust on the mattress that I use every day.
The Cheongnyangni branch, along with the Jeonbuk Iksan branch, is the first place where the ‘Home All-round Solution Center’, a consultation window dedicated to home total care services, was installed for the first time in April this year. Afterwards, dedicated consultation desks were opened at 9 branches.
Lotte Hi-Mart, a home appliance retailer, started this service to increase the frequency of customers visiting the store.
Home appliances have a long purchase cycle. Lotte Hi-Mart’s number of home appliance purchases per person per year is 1.7 times, which is less than that of overseas home appliance stores, which purchases more than 3 times.
With this service, Lotte Hi-Mart aims to absorb the demand for repairs and cleaning, which are essential in the various processes that occur after purchasing a product, and encourage customers to visit Hi-mart more often.
The home total care service handles not only cleaning, but also repair, cleaning, relocation installation, and warranty insurance. CS Masters , experts from K-Clean, a partner company of Lotte Hi-Mart, visit your home.
Lotte Hi-Mart increased accessibility for customers by installing a home all-purpose center this year where they can receive consultation on these services in one place.
The consultation was provided by the head of the home care center stationed in the store. We received explanations on ▲cause of contamination ▲time required ▲process ▲warranty matters in case of breakdown after service, etc. Afterwards, we were confirmed to see if the washing machine model we owned was capable of carrying out cleaning services, and we were also informed of the price. Total consultation time is 15 minutes.
There were concerns about breakdowns due to disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly, but we also received guidance on repairs and warranties. If the service is defective, Lotte Hi-Mart Cleaning can receive re-construction within 14 days from the service date. Furthermore, if the product breaks down, it will be repaired free of charge if repair is possible, and if repair is not possible, it will reimburse the current market price of the used product. The breakdown warranty period is 3 months from the service date.
Just 40 minutes to dismantle the washing machine… Fully disassembled and high-pressure washed
On the 25th, two business days after making the reservation, I received a call from the service technician. Service time was coordinated and reserved. At 2pm on the 1st day of the reservation, two technicians came to the house carrying an armful of cleaning tools.
The subjects that received service that day were a 14-year-old washing machine and a 2-year-old queen-size mattress. It was a service that disassembled the washing machine, cleaned the parts with high-pressure water, and sucked up contaminants from the mattress with a dedicated vacuum cleaner and disinfected them.
The order of the washing machine cleaning service is ▲disassembly of the washing machine ▲checking the contamination of the washing tank ▲high pressure washing of the washing tank ▲high pressure cleaning of the interior ▲steam and ultraviolet sterilization ▲phytoncide spraying ▲exterior cleaning ▲checking the operating status. The cost of a typical drum washing machine is 151,000 won. A regular tongdol washing machine costs 97,000 won.
The first thing to do is check the existing status. This is to determine whether cleaning service construction is possible and to determine the status of product defects in advance. CS Master ran the washing machine in rinse and spin mode for 10 minutes. The washing machine I had at home was an old one, purchased more than 10 years ago. It didn’t move, so it was fixed in one place for a long time.
Lotte Hi-Mart CS Master Kim Soo-ho, who was in charge of the construction that day, explained, “It is a model that is more than 10 years old, and if it is left in one place for a long time, it will stick to the floor, so if you disassemble it, clean it, and reassemble it, the vibration may be severe.”
As I came out of the small laundry room and waited in the living room, the drill started making a loud ‘clack-clack’ sound. He began placing the disassembled parts on a plastic sheet on the kitchen floor. It took a full 40 minutes to disassemble. The ‘washing tub’ that holds the laundry, the in-tube and out-tube that surround the washing tub, and the drawer that holds the detergent were all disassembled and spread out before my eyes.
Not only was it my first time seeing a washing machine accessory, but it was also my first time seeing black water stains piled up in every nook and cranny. The dismantled parts were taken to the bathroom by the CS master and were called eco-friendly detergent.
The CS Master connected a high-pressure cleaning tool to the bathroom shower hose and began cleaning the called washing machine accessories. They also showed the delicacy of laying plastic on the bathroom mirror surface to minimize water splashing before work. After about 20 minutes of high-pressure washing, the parts from which scale had disappeared were moved back to the laundry room.
8 mattresses absorb dust up to 15cm deep… Filter becomes gray
In 30 minutes, the CS Master finished reassembling the washing machine with a clunky sound. After completing assembly, he ran the washing machine in spin and rinse modes for 10 minutes. This was to check whether there was any water leaking or malfunctioning parts. The work was completed by disinfecting the exterior with a UV sterilizer and completing antibacterial메이저놀이터 treatment with phytoncide.
The CS master also taught us how to maintain a washing machine during construction. CS Master Kim said, “Using and drying the washing machine is more important than anything else, so leave it open after use and be sure to use the drying function.” He added, “The door tube of the washing machine is where mold starts, so keep a wet tissue and wipe the tube every time you finish washing. “Disassembly and cleaning should be done once every 4 to 5 years,” he recommended.
The mattress cleaning service, which was carried out simultaneously that day, was completed in about 30 minutes. This is a mattress-specific cleaning device that suctions all eight sides of the bed, including the front, back, and sides. This device can suck up dust up to 15cm deep. The CS Master turned the bed in each direction and removed dust with a vacuum cleaner. The filter, which was white, had gray stains after cleaning.
Afterwards, we scanned every corner of the bed with a UV sterilizer that emits light , and finished the process with a phytoncide antibacterial treatment machine that looked like a fire extinguisher, emitting white smoke. I also wiped off the dust that had accumulated on the bed frame with a microfiber towel.
After finishing cleaning, he said, “When a person sleeps, their body sweats 500 to 600 ml, and this sticks to the mattress, causing the mattress to become yellow and mold along with dust mites and dead skin cells.” He added, “The dust on the bed in the morning “It is good to maintain a comfortable mattress by shaking it out and drying it with hot air with a hair dryer,” he advised.
The construction work was overall satisfactory. I was reassured by the fact that it cleans large home appliances and furniture that are difficult to do on one’s own, and the information that Lotte Hi-Mart guarantees against breakdowns after construction. It was also nice to be able to get management tips while observing the entire construction process. However, it is important to keep in mind that it will take longer than expected.