Congratulations…we did it, guys! We made it to Spring.
After all those cold, dark, and short winter days, we can finally, and even desperately, open our windows and let in the fresh air of the Spring. However, before we do, it’s important to make sure your home is ready to take on the Spring and Summer months. With proper preparation, you can set up your home and yourself for an enjoyable and worry-free Spring and Summer. Thus, here are some home maintenance tips to add to your Spring cleaning to-do list to make sure you’re ready.
The Spring Clean
The ritual, ‘Spring cleaning’ is a ceremonial weekend that many partake in to remove winter cobwebs, pack away warm clothes, and prep the house for warmer weather. You probably already have your own set of chores to do, but we’re digging into the knowledge banks to add a few more money saving tips to maximize the return on your Spring cleaning weekend.
Test and clean those ceiling fans
It’s quite amazing the difference that a ceiling fan makes. I’ve had one in my room since childhood and after a few uses, I can confidently say that I prefer to use one over an air conditioner. However, with that said, they’re much more efficient when they’re working properly. Most likely these fans have acted like bears throughout the winter – docile and dormant, waiting for the warmer weather to arrive. During this time, the motors could have rusted, the blades most likely collected dust, and they may possibly need a tune up before they get turned on. Generating a cross breeze is one of the best ways to cool down your house, and your ceiling fans are top culprits.
Weatherstripping
Here’s a question for you: if you could save money on your energy bill, would you?
Of course, you would!
2017 is all about efficiency and an easy way to do so is by weatherstripping your windows. Weatherstripping is a material that you place on the edge of your windows and door frames to improve the seal. During the winter months, weatherstripping keeps the warm air inside, and cold air outside…during the summer months, it keeps the warm air out and cold air in. It’s really a no-brainer for anyone looking to make their homes more energy efficient.
Another benefit of weatherstripping is that it prevents the cold air from your air conditioner from escaping. This way, your AC won’t have to work as hard and you’ll stay much cooler during the hot summer months.
The Air Conditioner
Speaking of air conditioners, let’s talk about proper AC maintenance. To explain this, I have a story for you. Last year, my AC was running in my bedroom. I live on the top floor of a 5-story apartment building. Needless to say, my apartment gets scorching hot if I don’t leave my windows open, run the AC, or do something to offset the blazing hot air that floats up to my room. So as you can imagine, my AC is pretty much constantly running from July to September. All throughout July, it was doing a great job. My room was cool and comfortable, and even sometimes, cold. Then towards the later weeks in August, my AC started to warm up. My room got hotter and my nights restless. My AC wasn’t as cold as before. I realized that I never replaced my filter, so I went out and purchased a new one and my AC was back to normal.
So, the lesson here is that it’s a good rule of thumb to change your AC filter ever Spring.
Clean your Dryer Vent
Many times this simple chore gets lost in the other endless chores that are on your spring cleaning list. However, please make sure this one is top of your list. Some experts suggest that every year around 15,000 fires start because of a clogged dryer vent. This should be a chore that you partake in twice a year. Thus, if you’re already in the cleaning mode, we urge you to add it to your spring cleaning list.
If you’re looking to add some more chores, here are a few unique and timely checklist items to add.
• Change the batteries in your smoke detectors (which should be done every six months)
• Change batteries in your carbon monoxide detectors
• Schedule a chimney sweep
• Remove anything from the kitchen that doesn’t belong
• Clean and organize your freezer
• Disinfect the garbage disposal
• Sanitize cutting boards
• Disinfect doorknobs
• Finally, give your car some love and give it a nice detail