23 Jun Do you dread home maintenance?

Posted at 13:38h in Uncategorized by

You’re not alone!  45% of Americans put it off. Are you feeling guilty about putting off all that routine maintenance for your home? Good, you should because if you stay up with your home’s  maintenance you automatically preserve your home’s value by at least 10%.  By taking care of little things along the way you save having big headaches and big expenses in the future.

Here are 10 tips to get you started:

  • Check to make sure your door bell works and if it doesn’t replace it.
  • Restore power to any dead outlets.
  • Change the direction of your ceiling fans – it should run counter clockwise in the summer and clockwise for the winter months.
  • Clean out exhaust fans to prevent mold – this helps your hardware to run smoothly and keep moisture out of your home.
  • Regrout or recaulk tubs, showers, and bathroom fixtures – If your grout is moldy, people think you don’t take care of your home. You can attack moldy grout or caulk with a bleach solution as a quick fix to tie you over for awhile. If you need to replace the grout completely, popular DIY magazine Popular Mechanics has a step-by-step for regrouting (which includes a handy shopping list). Got caulk? You should plan on re-caulking about every 5 years. It’s a simple process.
  • Double check down spouts – make sure they’re not detached from your home.
  • Evidence of water damage? If something raises questions you should address it. If you had water damage and corrected it, that’s great, however, did you make sure to address any staining that it may have left behind?
  • Clean your gutters – twice a year is recommended for best results.
  • Fill in any driveway cracks.
  • Do a home energy audit – According to Energy.gov, homeowners waste on average $200-400 of their energy annually on drafts and air leaks. Consider doing a regular home energy audit to see where you’re pouring dollars down the drain when it comes to efficiency.

Want to consider more tips and resources?  Check out these web sites: