Quarterly Maintenance Advice For Your Home

 

Owning a home is a great joy for many. The thought of no more rent to be paid, no follow-up from landlords, safe and secure shelter for the family, etc. However, it is recommended that you do regular maintenance, like quarterly maintenance, of your home, to make it last long.

But do you know that lack of maintenance for your home could result in a disaster?

What is Home Maintenance?

Maintenance doesn’t necessarily mean the day-to-day tasks like cleaning, organizing, etc.

Maintenance simply refers to the examination of the different home components, and seeing whether they need repair, replacements, or any necessary attendance. These are components like a refrigerator, air conditioner, sink, tub, etc. The maintenance is aimed at ensuring they work as intended.

10 Best Home Maintenance Tips

Sometimes, one may wonder about the specific maintenance tasks that need to be accomplished. Having a list of the regular checks required can help guide you along the quarterly maintenance of your home.

Maintaining your home helps in;

• Saving money that would otherwise have to be spent repairing advanced damages

• Reducing more damage

• Ensuring the safety of the home

• Controlling pests

• Various appliances have a longer life

Below are the various ways of home maintenance.

 

Remove Items That Are No Longer Being Used

One of the most common steps toward home maintenance is the disposal of unwanted or unused items from the home. This will leave you with more space, ease of doing tasks, easy control of pests, etc. A cluttered house makes household movements and tasks difficult, and this may eventually make one lazy or reluctant to do cleaning or other needful tasks.

Doing a quarterly maintenance task of decluttering your home would be the best first step to take. Sometimes, some of these items may be difficult to disassemble to remove. Others may be heavier. Hire a junk hauling company to help you out on these. They are experts in these tasks, therefore you are sure of saving time and avoiding any injury that you could incur if you were to do it on your own, or with friends who are not professionals.

Some of the benefits of removing these items no longer used are;

Creates spaces for new items

Allows flow of fresh air

The house looks neat, orderly, and organized. With this, you are no longer embarrassed by having visitors

Makes it easier to look for and find items

Makes it easier to clean

Make Sure Your Pool Safety is Solid

Swimming pools at home are fun, for children and family at large. It enhances great get-togethers, saves a lot of entertainment money, children become excellent swimmers, adds value to your home, and adds great visual appeal, among other benefits. But for you to enjoy maximum use of the pool, maintenance is required.

One of the benefits of home maintenance is safety, and the pool is not left behind on this. Research by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) shows that, for children aged between 5 to 19 years, the leading cause of their accidental death is drowning. Also, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintended injury.

If a pool is not well maintained, it could turn hazardous. It requires quarterly maintenance, some of which include;

Installing and regularly checking the fence around the pool. The fence should be climb-proof, and ensure that the slats, a child can’t fit to pass through.

Ensure toys are not around or in the pool. Children are generally curious, and the sight of such toys could make them come for them in the pool. This could turn out to be dangerous

Ensure the floor around the pool is not made of slippery materials

Use pool safety covers, whenever there is no swimming activity. They help in controlling children and pets from accessing the pool, prevent debris and dirt from entering the pool, and give the pool a good appearance, among other benefits.

Discourage children from playing around pool filters and drains, etc.

Good maintenance of your pool will guarantee you happy family moments.

Check Your Back Flow

When doing plumbing for your house, hire qualified and certified plumbers for excellent work. But still, even with that, quarterly maintenance is necessary. One such is back flow testing, which the plumbers can do for you. This will help in ensuring your water does not get contaminated in any way by the backflow of water, gas, or any other liquids.

In backflow, the water goes in a reverse direction. The contaminated water goes back to the drinking system, and this could cause health-related diseases for any consumer. The backflow could also cause leakage, corrosion, blockage, etc.

This backflow is mostly caused by either back pressure, whereby there is less pressure in the supply, than in its system. This could be due to the elevation of tanks, and thermal expansion among other factors. Or back siphonage, whereby the pressure of supply is lowered than that of the system.

In order to avoid or cure backflow, use;

• Air gap

• Atmospheric vacuum breaker

• Double check valve

• Pressure vacuum breaker

A good water system in the house is essential for a healthy family, unnecessary mess, easy controlling of bills and unwanted costs. This you can easily accomplish through maintenance.

Improve Your Kitchen

A home without a kitchen is incomplete. This is one important department in any home. As such, the well-being of this specific area is paramount. Most people, however, tend to overlook the good appearance of the kitchen, instead focusing more on the living room, garden, and other areas. The kitchen is normally one area where most time is spent, either by an individual or family. Its maintenance is vital.

One does not necessarily need to do major renovations to improve the look of the kitchen. In the quarterly maintenance practice, there are simple steps you can take to improve your kitchen and make it a more glamorous look.

Some of these steps include;

• Painting the cabinets, giving them a new look

• Revamp the backsplash, protecting the wall. The most ideal material to use is ceramic tiles, marble wood, and stainless steel

• Replacing the lighting fixtures, and putting even under cabinets to light dark areas

• Upgrading the fixtures

• Adding art details

• Decluttering

You can get these great services from kitchen and bathroom remodeling companies, who will help you with their expertise in improving your kitchen. With such maintenance, you are sure of getting the following benefits;

• More space is created, which you can use to add new kitchen items, like better cooking appliances, countertops, etc

• More storage

• Brings comfort, through the natural air, good ventilation, and reduced allergy

• Energy is saved

• The home value becomes better

• Safety is improved, like using slip-resistant floors, avoidance of usage of stoves due to the toxic substance it emits, and instead, use of better cooking appliances

• You get your dream kitchen

Fix Concrete Cracks

A beautiful home that is free from any unwelcome physical appearance, is the delight of every homeowner. But sometimes, cases of cracks may occur, either on the walls or floor. This is a disturbing scene. Most of these cracks are caused by;

• Thermal changes

• Chemical reactions

• Structural design

• Accidents etc

A house with cracks poses a lot of danger to the entire household. It may cause serious injuries or even death when the situation is worse. During the quarterly maintenance exercise, should you notice the cracks, hire the services of a paving contractor to repair them. These will help in;

• Prevention of further damages

• Bring out a better appearance of your house

• Any underlying problems will be identified and solved too

• Provide safety to households by preventing injuries caused by accidents due to cracks

Have Your Refrigerator Serviced

Refrigeration helps in the preservation of food, and keeping drinks cold to quench that harsh thirst during hot temperatures. Surely, you won’t want to miss this joy. But what happens if the refrigerator breaks down? Your stored food might get spoiled and no you will also not enjoy refreshments of cold drinks.

Therefore, the maintenance of a refrigerator is equally important. Quarterly maintenance will ensure it’s in good condition. Some of the maintenance you can do include;

• Closing the door immediately you’ve picked whatever you wanted. Leaving the door open for long means losing the ambiance temperature, and it will therefore take longer hours to restore the cold needed, meaning more power bills

• Setting the proper temperature

• Arranging items in an orderly manner. Make sure all food items are in a container and sealed

• Avoid blocking the vents inside the refrigerator

• Any ice accumulation is to be emptied. Do this on days you are less busy as it requires enough time

• Clean the refrigerator regularly

• Don’t put it close to the wall

An ice machine that you use for making artificial ice, could break down. The good thing is, they don’t need technical skills to repair. Ice machine repairs can be done at home, by any person.

Ensure Your Grill Is Working

You don’t want to have a cooker or gas with a dysfunctional grill. Quarterly maintenance of your grill will guarantee its longevity. Simple ways you can maintain your grill are;

• Before cooking, preheat the grill when turning on the heat

• The grates are to be brushed to remove all residues. This gives them a clean cooking surface

• After removing the last food, turn on the heat to maximum

• As soon as the grill cools down, cover it

A residential propane supplier would help you on how best to look after your grill, as part of customer care service. The benefits of good maintenance of your grill include;

• It will last longer

• The meat cooked on it tastes better

• Helps in keeping pests away

• Corrosion is prevented

• Prevents bacteria, and carcinogens from contaminating the food

• Gives the grill an appealing look

Therefore, don’t forget to take good care of your grill

Check For Mold

Nobody wants mold in their home. The presence of mold can cause throat irritation, coughing, skin rashes, eye irritation, musty order, etc. Checking for molds is a simple task. They normally grow on surfaces that are exposed to moisture. You will notice them by the surface being discolored, slimy and fuzzy texture.

Residential asbestos disposal services will help you in that quarterly maintenance to get rid of all molds in your house. They are experts in this. The benefits of removing molds from your house are that it prevents them from spreading (molds spread faster), and prevention of diseases caused by them.

Upgrade Your Patio

A patio is an awesome extension of your house. Don’t miss having one. And during the quarterly maintenance, you can upgrade it to the standard of your desire. Some of the superb upgrades you can do are;

• Putting a fire pit

Making an outdoor bar

• Having a gas grill

• Patio chairs that are customized

• Make a circular patio with a patio door

The patio in your compound adds value to your house, extends the living room, and increases entertainment space.

Make Your Yard The Neighborhood Talk

Anyone loves it when his/her house is the talk of the town. It gives you confidence and makes you happy. When doing regular quarterly maintenance, engage a local landscaping service provider to help you design your compound and house into a magnificent home.

It will increase the value of your home, making it the one place you desire to rush to after a day’s work. It will also help in reducing air pollution, creating space for the community, it’s eco-friendly, improving the quality of water, and more.

Some of the simple landscaping tips that will leave your yard the talk of the town are;

• Incorporating hardscape

• Putting water features

• Use plants that are resistant to drought

• Use different types of flowers

• Go for a yard that is low maintenance, etc

Maintenance of your home is the surest way of having your house last long, providing both safety and security to you and your family. You don’t want a home that is admired today but abandoned and rejected later. By following these simple steps of maintenance, your home will be a paradise.