Owning a home is an excellent way to grow wealth—as long as the home is appropriately maintained. Keeping it in good shape, maximizing its resale value, and extending the life of electronic appliances involves new responsibilities.
Various home maintenance tasks change with the seasons and may require an hour or more to be completed. But other tasks take seconds to finish. Here are a few easy but very essential tasks to put on your daily, weekly, or monthly to-do list.
Remove lint from the dryer trap
When various homes were surveyed about their home maintenance habits, over half of respondents admitted they don’t clean the lint trap after each drying.
Letting lint collect in the trap increases drying time and makes your dryer work harder than necessary. Also, lint is a combustible material and a common cause of household fires.
Keep your family safe and reduce your repair and replacement bills by keeping the lint trap clean.
Change the air filter
Furnaces and air conditioning units are among the most expensive appliances in your home. That’s why professional maintenance in a regular interval is a worthwhile investment that will extend their life.
But we need to be pro to change the air filter every month. Just like the lint accumulation in dryer vents, dirty air filters restrict airflow and put extra pressure on furnaces and air conditioners.
This 30-second task makes it easier and less costly to heat and cool your home!
Clean the dishwasher food trap
It’s best to remove excess food from plates and bowls before loading them in the dishwasher. Even so, some leftover foods are bound to collect in your dishwasher.
Dishwashers vary, but most include a filter or food trap to capture these scraps. Check your manufacturer’s owner manual to learn where your food trap is located so you can clean it as often as necessary to keep your dishwasher operating flawless and smelling good!
Keep the garbage disposal clean.
Even if you collect most of your food scraps in a trash can or a compost bucket, it’s easy for leftovers to accumulate in your garbage disposal. When ignored, the blades can become dull, making it harder for your disposal to do its job and shortening its life.
Yes, there are some ways to keep the garbage disposal clean that don’t require putting your hand inside the drain. Try one of these techniques:
Vinegar and baking soda – Mix a two-to-one solution of vinegar (one cup) and baking soda (half cup) and pour it into the drain. Let it fizz for about 15 minutes. Then turn on the garbage disposal and rinse with running water.
Frozen citrus peels – Save scraps of lemon or orange peels in the freezer and then run them through the disposal with running water. Grinding the peels will help remove food buildup on the blades, while the citrus oils will leave a fresh fragrance.
Water flush – Plug the drain, fill the basin with water, and add a teaspoon of dish soap. Remove the plug and run the garbage disposal until the sink drains.
Keep hair out of shower or bathtub drains.
Clogged drains can aggravate. They may also lead to expensive repair bills, especially if your pipes have become damaged by excessive use of corrosive drain cleaners containing acidic substances like HCL (Hydrochloric Acid).
Prevention is better than cure. To keep hair from accumulating in your shower or bathtub drain pipes, purchase a hair catcher that fits your drain well and stays in place. They come in various shapes and sizes for every type of drain.
Then, be sure to clean the catcher after a few showers!