You change the oil and fluids, and even top up the tire pressure in your car on a regular basis. Why? Well in order to maintain the vehicle to save money, and hopefully, avoid pricier repairs down the road of course. You even make a point of booking annual check-ups with the doctor and dentist to ensure your body and mouth are healthy and functioning properly. The last thing you need is a drastic health concern that could have been avoided with a simple examination.
So why is it that many of us ignore the maintenance of our homes? Particularly during the winter months, a little home maintenance can go a long way to help you save money over time and prevent larger issues. The following four rather simple home maintenance projects are often overlooked. However, making them a priority will ensure that you don’t end up with a major renovation on your hand in the future.
Here are 4 do-it-yourself home maintenance tasks that will save you a bundle…
1. Insulate the windows
Windows contribute a great deal to the look of your home, but they can also cost you a great deal of money if your hot and cold air is literally flying out the gaps. The good news is that a little home maintenance on a damaged window can be repaired with ease without having to replace the entire window, it will also go a long way to improving your home’s energy efficiency. Simply seal your windows, using a relatively inexpensive tube of caulk or weather stripping from your local hardware store. It will not only save you a bundle on heating and cooling, window insulation can be done at a much lower cost by the homeowner (rather than a professional), since the majority of the cost of window repair is labor, not materials. Sound complicated? It’s really not!
2. Clean your refrigerator coils
A job like cleaning your refrigerator coils isn’t something that you typically think of. However, if you have pets, doing so can takes about 15 minutes, prolong the life of your fridge, and reduce your electrical bills substantially. It’s easy to do by simply pulling your fridge away from the wall and sweeping up the debris that’s hiding under there, and also giving the actual coils a good wipe down by removing the access panel, clearing away the dust bunnies, and screwing the panel back on to the fridge. Need a walk through? AmyWorks has you covered!
3. Swap out your furnace filter
Changing the heating and air conditioning filters in your furnace once every three months literally takes a few seconds. Plus, when you consider that it costs approximately $1 for a brand new fiberglass filter (or you may even think about using a green furnace filter — while it provides protection for the blower and the motor, and ensures better quality airflow, which means a more efficient furnace and reduced energy costs!
4. Maintain your water heater
You can go a long way to extend the life of your water heater tank and ensuring the safety of your home simply with a few minutes of easy maintenance on an annual basis. You can extend the lifetime of your water heater by first, opening the pressure-relief valve located on the top or side of the water heater and releasing the discharged water stored (both hot and cold) within and draining the tank. Need a walk through? Claude Taylor has you covered!
If your valve is old, it may leak, but you can buy an inexpensive replacement at any hardware store. Simply wrap the new valve with sealant tape and screw it onto the tank. You will also want to clean the sediment from the bottom of the tank by letting the water flow until you don’t see any more particles. This simple maintenance will take less than an hour (remember, replacing gas water heaters isn’t cheap!) and ensure clean, efficient water for your home.
