Creating a happy home is a priority for everyone. Everyone wants a living space where they can be comfortable and fulfilled. If you want a happy home, you must take certain steps to take care of the house. Following these ten simple guidelines for caring for the house can help create a happy home life.
Fix The Plumbing
Clogged drains, leaky pipes, and other plumbing problems can suck the happiness out of being home. Of course, plumbing problems are also health risks and property damage risks. Call a plumber and address all your plumbing problems, large and small.
Investing in plumbing repair is a smart investment. When plumbing problems are left to fester, they can turn into serious property damage that can be very costly. Additionally, a leaky pipe can be the catalyst for moisture build-up and mold growth. Mold is an organism that thrives in damp conditions.
Mold is a well-known allergen trigger. It has also been linked to upper respiratory infections. There are a lot of risks that come with plumbing in disrepair. Get the plumbing in your house fixed and protect your home and your family’s health. You’ll feel better about your home and have peace of mind. When you take care of the house by having the plumbing repaired, it ensures your home has the essential services you need.
Wash the Siding
The aesthetic of the exterior of your home plays a major role in the impression your home makes, not only on visitors but on you and your family as well. Power washing the siding can instantly improve the look of your home. However, cleaning the siding is not only about aesthetics.
Cleaning your siding is an important maintenance step. When you take care of the house by having the siding professionally cleaned by a pressure washing service, you’re extending the life of your siding. Environmental pollutants can prematurely age your siding and cause it to degrade sooner than it should.
Cleaning away the debris from your siding will help it to stay looking new longer and remove environmental buildup that can eat away at your siding. Air pollutants, organic debris, and more can damage your siding over time. Besides all that, who doesn’t want a sparkling clean exterior to come home to? Take care of the house by having your siding professionally cleaned annually or bi-annually.
Clean The Carpets
Carpets add warmth and a great aesthetic to the house, as long as you have them cleaned regularly. Professional carpet cleaning is a must. Professional cleaning gets the dirt and build-up out of your carpet that regular vacuuming can’t. Carpets are wonderful, but they can be a trap for odors, dirt, dust, and dander. Professional cleaning keeps them looking, smelling, and feeling fresh.
When you have your carpets professionally cleaned, your entire house feels and looks cleaner, but more importantly, you extend the life of your carpet. Dirt, over time, acts like sandpaper on your carpet. Dirt wears away the fiber in your carpets. Carpets that aren’t regularly cleaned by a professional service will age prematurely.
Professional cleaning can preserve your carpet and remove odors and stains. Professional carpet services are an essential part of home maintenance. Keeping up with your carpets through professional cleaning is a great way to keep allergens down in your home. Take care of the house by following manufacturers’ recommendations for professional carpet cleaning. Your home will feel cleaner, smell better, and your carpets will last longer.
Clean the Septic Tank
When was the last time you had your septic tank cleaned? According to the experts, you should partner with a septic cleaning service to clean and inspect your septic tank every three to five years. Larger households should have their tanks cleaned more frequently. If you want to take care of the house, you have to take care of your waste system.
Septic systems have several different components. The tank is a major feature of any septic system. Liquid waste flows out of the tank into a “leach field” via perforated pipes. Solid waste is liquefied over time, but it can build up. Septic pumping clears your tank of any buildup.
This essential service ensures that your tank doesn’t become overfilled, which can cause clogs. Grease and other waste are removed from the tank during the pumping process, and the tank is flushed. The septic technician then visually inspects your tank to ensure it is in good condition.
Septic cleaning is a vital part of home maintenance. It helps your system to last longer and remain reliable. Septic systems that are not regularly cared for can become problematic. When a septic system fails, it’s not only a great inconvenience, but it can quickly become a health risk to every person in the home.
Take care of the house by taking good care of your septic system. Waste management problems aren’t something you should have to worry about.
Keep The Kitchen Germ-Free
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 48 million people annually get sick from food-borne contaminants. Keeping your kitchen germ-free is essential to your family’s health. If your old countertops are cracked or peeling, one of the best ways to ensure your family’s health is to replace them. Cracked and peeling countertops are hard to clean and can be harbingers for germs.
You should carefully clean your kitchen every day and wipe down counters after each use. You shouldn’t prepare certain foods together without wiping away food residue. For example, if you’re preparing raw chicken to cook, don’t place other foods on the same surface before you wipe the surface down with a disinfectant spray. Raw chicken and other meats carry contaminants that are removed during cooking. However, you can pass those contaminants to other foods like vegetables that you may not be cooking.
Replacing your counters when needed is a worthy investment. New counters in the kitchen will increase the value of your home and, more importantly, ensure a healthy cooking environment in the kitchen. When you take care of the house by updating the surfaces in your kitchen, you’re taking a step to make your home a happy and healthy place.
Clean The Chimney
If you want to take care of your house, you must arrange for professional chimney cleaning annually prior to using your fireplace. Every year, thousands of homes suffer fire damage that starts in a dirty chimney. Having your chimney cleaned once a year will help to reduce the risk of fire and deliver other benefits.
There’s nothing cozier than a wood-burning fireplace. However, the light covering of soot caused by a fireplace can be a nightmare to keep up with. Having your chimney cleaned annually can help keep the amount of soot that gets into your home manageable. Soot and creosote build up in your fireplace and have nowhere to go when the chimney is dirty. Unfortunately, they will sometimes flake off and come back into your home.
A clean, well-functioning chimney allows positive air flow and carries soot right up through the flue and out of your home. Taking care of your house is easier when your chimney is in top condition.
Clean The Windows
Beautiful window coverings are a great way to add style, comfort, and climate control to your home. However, adding window treatments to dirty windows will devalue those beautiful treatments. You should keep your windows clean to fully highlight your window treatments and improve the care of your house.
Window cleaning is an essential home maintenance practice. If you don’t have the time or cleaning your windows is a safety issue, you can hire a professional service to manage the cleaning. Keeping your windows clean adds a great aesthetic to your home and can help your windows last longer.
Clean windows can help to keep allergens out of your home. Clean windows can also help improve your home’s security, filter in the natural light more efficiently, and make your entire home feel and look cleaner. Clean your windows to take care of the house.
Clean the HVAC System
If you clean your home regularly and find that you still have a funny odor, it may be your ductwork. HVAC duct cleaning can help eliminate the odor build-up in your home. Ductwork is often ignored when it comes to maintenance, but it shouldn’t be.
Cleaning your ductwork removes all the dirt and debris that has built up over time that can cause odors in your home. Additionally, dirty ductwork can be an allergy trigger. Dust, organic debris, animal dander, and more can be in your ductwork and blown around your home.
Cleaning ductwork will remove all the debris and help keep your home cleaner. You won’t have to dust as much once your ductwork is cleaned. Fewer allergy triggers will float around your home, and your home will smell fresh and clean.
Professional duct cleaning can also help improve your HVAC system’s energy efficiency. Air can move freely through your system once the debris is cleaned away.
Change Your Filters
To take care of the house, you must keep up with the HVAC and other filters around your home. When was the last time you changed the filter in your refrigerator? If your refrigerator is outfitted with an ice maker and a water dispenser, you should change your filters every six to nine months, depending on usage.
One of the most common causes of HVAC failure starts with filters. Most HVAC systems’ filters should be changed monthly. If you have a water filtration system installed in your home, it has a filter that needs to be changed as well. These are all little maintenance projects you should have on the calendar so you don’t forget to do them.
It can damage your equipment if you don’t regularly change your filters as the manufacturer recommends. Replacing filters as needed is good for your equipment and good for your home. Regularly changing your HVAC filters can help to improve energy efficiency. Changing the filter in your fridge ensures that you have fresh, clean water.
Clean Your Dryer Ductwork
We talked about the risk of chimney fires. You should also know that your dryer is a fire risk. Lint build-up can catch fire. If your ductwork has lint buildup, it can be a recipe for disaster. Dryers run at very high temperatures, and lint is highly flammable.
Make it a habit to clean out your dryer lint screen after every use, and connect with a duct cleaning company to have your dryer duct cleaned annually. Ensuring your home’s safety should be a priority. Cleaning your dryer duct is a way to improve safety around your house.
You will also experience the added benefit of having less lint to deal with on your clothing when it comes out of the dryer. Professional duct cleaning removes all the debris in your dryer duct, like animal hair, dander, dust, and lint. Your clothes will be cleaner, smell better, and your house will be safer.
It can be challenging to take care of the house, but with a little planning and professional help, you can easily overcome the challenges, take care of the house, and have a very happy home. It does take a little work to take care of the house, but it comes with great rewards. Get started today, and before you know it, your home will be in top condition, and you’ll enjoy it more.