Practical advice, simple fixes and easy steps you can do by yourself to avoid major home interior headaches.
Always avoiding that round of home maintenance that you promised yourself you would get done by now?
Home maintenance may appear to be a difficult and time consuming activity. Which is why so many of us try to avoid it as long as possible.
However, it’s also an essential activity to ensure you have a well-functioning, healthy, and comfortable place to live in.
And while it IS time consuming, it will save you a lot of worries, expenses, and time (a lot more time) by taking care of approaching issues and removing the need for a major repair work in the near future.
Here 2022’s most important house maintenance and repair tips, to help you get started.
8 top home maintenance steps you must take
From things that are really obvious, but which you may forget to steps that are a little less heard about, here is our list of the home maintenance activities we suggest you prioritise:
- Make sure your cleaning tasks are done regularly
- Make appointments to have your AC and plumbing systems cleaned
- Cut your house’s carbon footprint
- Keep an eye out for termites
- Check the foundations
- See if your home has drafts
- Are you up to date on fire safety?
- Make a house maintenance plan
Let’s go into each of these in a little detail now.
Make sure your home cleaning tasks are done regularly
For sure, we are starting with a point that’s not exactly unknown or an amazing fact, but something you just need to be reminded of, time to time.
There are some cleaning tasks that need to be done regularly. They’re boring and some are time-consuming, but if you’re taking home maintenance seriously, you’ll have to do them regularly.
Some examples:
- Washing door and window panels.
- Vacuuming carpets and rugs.
- Filling in nail holes.
- Cleaning out the fridge.
- Changing shower curtains.
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list; there are many more home cleaning tasks you should do regularly. Some of them would be specific to your home.
Make appointments to have your AC and plumbing systems cleaned
I’m sure you know that these systems need to be cleaned, filters changed and so on periodically.
But once again, it’s a task you might forget.
So, make sure you make the right appointments, and have them cleaned and anything else that is required.
Also, you should be aware of the condition those systems are in.
So, ask the technician to run a diagnostic check on them to see whether they are working properly. This will ensure you won’t face a sudden problem like you really need the AC on a hot day but it isn’t working.
Cut your house’s carbon footprint
In these days of awareness of climate change and global warming, it may make sense to make cutting your house’s carbon footprint a part of your home maintenance process.
(You should also know that some carbon footprint reduction strategies can bring down your power bill and help you financially)
You can start with small steps like switching as much as possible to LED lighting, and installing a smart thermostat, which can guide your AC to maintain the temperature at an optimal level, saving you energy and money.
Keep an eye out for termites
We all loved wood surfaces in our homes, but many wooden surfaces come with a problem attached – the possibility of termites infecting and ruining your walls and furniture.
So, always keep an eye out for a termite infestation.
Some signs of a termite infection are:
- Wood that seems to have water damage (blistered wood).
- Discarded termite wings; termite droppings (look like wood pellets).
- Mud tubes (where termites live), and
- Damaged wood whose insides look like a honeycomb.
If you see any of these signs, you should call a professional home designer immediately.
Note: The best way to deal with termites is, of course, to work only with reputable interior designers in Bangladesh, who will work with good quality wood and other materials to ensure termite infestations don’t happen in the first place!
Check the foundations
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but a faulty foundation can completely destroy your home.
Cracks in the foundation isn’t something most homeowners think about when thinking home maintenance, but all the same, checking for cracks and ensuring you are aware of the state of your house’s foundations is critical.
So, once every year without fail, check for things like cracks, pest infestation and damage, and other problems in the foundation. And if you find any, get in touch with a home renovator immediately, to assess the damage and fix whatever problems there are.
See if your home has drafts
The more non-optimal temperature your AC has to deal with, the more it will work and increase your power bill.
Home maintenance is a great chance to see if your home has any drafts. If it has, get rid of them and you will find your power bills coming down.
And most drafts can be easily fixed, for example with stoppers for doors and windows, and some caulk to seal cracks.
Are you up to date on fire safety?
Fire hazards are a safety issue, and should be a part of any home maintenance plan.
Check your fire alarms and batteries at least twice a year.
Apart from that, also check for potential fire starting points like old wiring and overloaded extension cords.
Make a house maintenance plan
Regardless of how passionate you are about keeping your house well-maintained, you need a house maintenance plan which you can refer to, to keep track of your maintenance efforts.
So, draw up a plan (in checklist form, or any other form that appeals to you) and follow it to have a successful house maintenance.
So, have you gotten started yet?
Home maintenance is not something you can do suddenly. And it is not something that you can do once and forget about.
As they say, it’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon.
Now I know that even though I have assured you these home maintenance steps are all DIY, you will feel a bit nervous about home maintenance.
Here’s the thing: the most difficult step is getting started.
Once you get started, and do it regularly, you will find you can do it easily.
So, go ahead and get started!
