How To Keep Your Home In Perfect Working Order

We’ve heard it being said a million times that a stitch in time saves nine and while most of us try to implement it in many areas of our lives, our home sadly is one place where this rule is not followed especially when it comes to maintenance. Most of us are generally unaware about things that are going down the incline in our houses until the day that a final breakdown occurs. We end up taking necessary steps only after a switch has stopped working, a drain is badly clogged or when a tap has broken down. At times like these, we also end up calling professionals or spending more money than we otherwise would have if we had taken required steps at the beginning.

Just like regular maintenance and servicing of a vehicle keeps it in good running condition and makes sure that components do not break down or stop functioning midway, regular household maintenance is also necessary if you want to keep your home in perfect working order. Some tips on how you can get started with maintaining your home are:

Set up a weekly maintenance schedule for stuff that needs attention. You can inspect and repair anything that needs attention simply by sparing half an hour or less every weekend or on a weekday when you have time. This is the time when you tighten drawer and door knobs that have become loose, stick back portions of the carpet that are coming unstuck and change bathroom washers that are leaking. This weekly job will ensure that everything in your house is well maintained and that you will never have to spend a lot of money on home repairs at any point of time.

Pay special attention to safety and security. There are certain features in our home that should not be ignored but generally are because they are not used frequently. It is extremely important to keep things related to you and your family’s safety in top working condition. This includes checking upon and cleaning your fire and smoke alarms and ensuring that there is no dust or grime clogging them up. If you have a house with more than a single floor or live in a high rise, then make sure that your fire exit opens easily without effort and that your path to safety is clear of obstructions. Keep checking that all windows and shutter doors open easily since you might have to use these in order to escape in case of an emergency.

Check monthly on heating and cooling. If you live in a hot or dusty area, then you should make it a point to monthly check the cooling ducts and air conditioner for dust and blockage and clean them up. Similarly, you should change your furnace filter at the start of every winter or twice in the season if you live at a place where winters are long. Draining the hot water tank every month ensures that dust does not settle and clog your hot water supply every now and then.