Here’s how to clean a dishwasher with vinegar: set a dishwasher-safe cup of plain white vinegar on the top rack. Two sedans, plain and fancy wagons, and a smart “basket-handle-roof” coupe reviving the Futura name were offered through 1981 (after which the wagons became Granadas). First was a new 1981 Granada, basically the two- and four-door Fairmont sedans with a square eggcrate grille, bulkier sheetmetal, and somewhat plusher appointments. Riding a 106-inch wheelbase, these four-door sedans and four-door wagons represented Ford’s strong­est-ever claim to Detroit design leadership: clean, smooth, and carefully detailed, yet not lumpy like some other low-drag “aero” cars. Sedans used MacPherson struts and coil springs at each corner, supplemented at the rear by parallel control arms. Wagons eschewed rear struts for twin control arms, a system better able to cope with the wider range of load weights wagons carry. Oysters and clams, if eaten raw, carry a particular risk of passing on diseases such as hepatitis or Norwalk-like viruses.

The latter was newly standard for GT, which gained its own asymmetric body-color grille, aluminum wheels, bigger tires, rear spoiler, and rocker panel “skirts.” All Escorts were mildly facelifted with smoother noses in the “aero” idiom pioneered by the ’83 Thunderbird, marked by flush headlamps. With base and luxury coupe, EXP eased below 26,000 for ’87, then was abandoned in 1988 as a bad bet, though this did free up assembly-line space for regular Escorts. Initial engine choices began with a 2.5-liter 88-bhp four, an enlarged Tempo unit available with standard five-speed manual or, from late ’87, optional four-speed overdrive automatic transaxles. The latter somehow lost six horsepower by ’87, then returned to its original rating. A more-exciting 1984 development was a turbocharged 1.6-liter GT with 120 horsepower and a suitably uprated chassis. Filling Fairmont’s shoes for 1984 was a new front-drive compact called Tempo, a notchback four-door and coupelike two-door with “jellybean” styling on a 99.9-inch chassis with suspension much like Escort’s. Offerings now comprised base GL and sporty GLS coupes and sedans, plus four-door all-wheel drive and luxury LX models. The base engine was treated to throttle-body injection and moved up to 90 horsepower.

A mid-1985 upgrade brought a larger 1.9-liter (113.5 cid) “CVH” with 86 horsepower in carbureted form or 108 with option electronic port fuel injection. It didn’t work that well, but Ford tried to make it better, fitting throttle-body injection and adding a 100-bhp “H.O.” (high-output) option for ’85. They work wonders on kitchen counters, save me lots of money, and give me peace of mind knowing exactly what goes into each bottle. The Limited also did wonders for Buick’s image. Undoubtedly helped by image rub-off from its big sister, the little LTD sold a lot better than Granada: nearly 156,000 for ’83 and over 200,000 in 1984 and ’85 — Ford’s second-best-seller after Escort. An optional 2.0-liter (121-cid) 52-bhp diesel four from Mazda arrived for 1984 — just in time for the start of a gas glut that quickly killed most all diesel demand in the U.S. Escort’s 2.0-liter diesel option was listed through ’86, but generated few sales. Though sales fluctuated, this line was good for an annual average of well over 118,000 — considerably more in some years. You can also use candles scented with fragrance oils, sprays, oil diffusers or more pricey home air purifiers.

Its self-cleaning brush roll can quickly deep clean carpets and hardwood. In a clean container, mix 1 tsp. Afterward, flush. You can also mix the vinegar and baking soda, swish the bowl, and allow it to sit for 20 minutes before scrubbing clean. The company figured if they could isolate the chemical maybe they could just mix it in, and skip five or ten years of aging. It averaged 371,000 buyers in its first two seasons and another 280,000 for 1986-87. Sales then turned strongly upward for 1988-89, breaking the three-quarter-million mark for the two years combined. The standard manual transaxle shifted from a four- to five-speed after ’84, with a three-speed automatic optional all years. The last was standard for a new three-door GT model, which also came with five-speed, firm suspension, and black exterior trim. Engines were the same as Fairmont’s: standard 2.3-liter four, optional 200-cid six, and “fuel crisis” 255 V-8 (the last eliminated after ’81). New for 1982, it was Ford’s first two-seater since the original Thunderbird, but its “frog-eye” styling wasn’t in the same league.