Home Maintenance Tasks People Often Forget

Running a household can be quite work sometimes. We usually remember the big tasks like lawn mowing, dishwashing, and floor cleaning. Besides these, a house contains many hidden aspects that need attention, and sometimes, these small tasks are very easy to overlook.

Our disregarding of these tasks can make small issues grow into large ones that require expensive repairs.

Clean Out the Dryer Vent

Besides almost everyone remembering to clean the lint screen inside the dryer after every load of laundry, which is a very good habit, a lot of lint actually slips through the screen and goes deep into the large metal pipe that vents hot air outside the house.

When that pipe is clogged with thick lint, two things can go wrong. On the one hand, your clothes will have a hard time drying, thus wasting time and electricity. On the other hand, since dry lint is very flammable, a blocked dryer vent can be a major reason for house fires.

What you need to do is go outside and observe the vent while your dryer is running. A strong air coming out is what you should be hoping for. If the air is weak, the pipe is blocked. Once a year, try to do a thorough cleaning using an extended brush, or you can also call a cleaner to do this for you.

Inspect Under Your Sinks for Minor Leaks

We all notice the major water leaks that flood the kitchen floor. However, small leaks are quite tricky because they are hidden inside closed cabinets. A tiny, slow drip under a kitchen or bathroom sink can go on for several months without anyone discovering it.

Such a slow water drip might eventually damage your wood cabinets and floors. A bigger problem is that it leads to mold, which is detrimental to the health of your family. Carrying out a check for these concealed drips constitutes a significant aspect of home maintenance.

Replace the Air Filters

Your heating and cooling system at home is equipped with an air filter. The purpose of this filter is to capture dust, pet hair, and dirt to prevent you from inhaling them. If you haven't changed it, the filter will be completely clogged with dirt.

A filthy filter compels your heating and cooling system to exert double the effort to circulate air around the house. If they appear gray and dirty, remove them and insert new ones. This is one of the simplest homeowner tips that will help you save money and protect your equipment.

How to clean the coils behind your fridge?

Your refrigerator is a very important part of your household that you rely on 24 hours a day. In order to keep your fridge cold, the heat that is taken from inside has to be released outside through a series of metal coils. These are normally placed at the back or at the base of the unit.

Eventually, these coils will become dirty and covered in fibers and dirt, which makes them look like they have got a thick layer of dust on them. If the coils are not cleaned, the fridge will have to put in a lot more effort to get the inside cold, which means more electricity is consumed and the life of the fridge is reduced.

It is recommended to move the refrigerator from the wall twice a year. Do not forget to disconnect it first for your safety. Once you have taken the coils out, you can clean them with a vacuum cleaner using the brush attachment.

How to clean gutters?

Gutters are metal troughs fixed to the edge of the roof and designed for collecting water and transporting it away from the house. However, it is very common for them to be filled up with leaves, twigs, dirt, etc., thus blocking the drainage path.

If this happens, the water has no other option but to flow over the sides. It will then run down your walls directly and may cause some serious problems for your house, such as leaks and damage to the roof or even to the very foundation.

You should make gutter cleaning a part of your home maintenance task every spring and autumn. Just dig out the old leaves so that the water will flow freely from your property.

Test Your Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms are life-saving devices, but for them to actually be effective, their power source must be good. A lot of times, people get so busy that they don't think about checking their smoke alarm batteries until the time when the alarm starts to chirp at a loud volume, usually during their sleep hours, indicating that the battery is running low.