Spruce Up Your House With These Easy Steps
There’ll come a time when your house is due a few repairs and quick fixes. It can be easy to keep putting them off for whatever reason. Don’t delay, though, as something that starts off as a small and manageable bit of maintenance can often deteriorate and become a huge job. You’ll be able to tackle most of these jobs on your own. All you’ll need to do is visit your local DIY store for the right tools and equipment. If the thought of working with a hammer and nails scare you, you can always simply call in some professionals to take over.
So do you think your home is looking slightly worse for wear? Here are some simple steps you can take to spruce it up.
Check your pipes
Your house could be hiding a dark secret without you even knowing! The longer you leave it for, the bigger this problem could get. The problem in question is in your pipes and plumbing. To prevent any blockages, make sure you a regularly maintaining all your kitchen and bathroom pipes. You can keep on top of this by pouring bleach down once a month. If you forget, and dirt and grime start to build up; a blockage could build up, and you might have to call out some Eco Plumbers to save the day!
Get painting
Sometimes, all a piece of furniture needs to look a lot better is a quick lick of paint. Storage units that get a lot of use, like kitchen cupboards, should be repainted every couple of years. Focus on handles and other areas that are touched and handled quite frequently. These parts will lose their colour fairly quickly, causing them to look slightly shabby. Wood on the exterior of your house should also be repainted to prevent it from looking weathered.
Create an accent wall
If you’ve been thinking about redecorating a room, but are pushed for time and money, there is a simply way to improve things. Create an accent wall! An accent wall is just one wall decorated differently from the others in the room. This creates an eye-catching focal point. There are many different ways of making one. Paint your wall in a bright colour, wallpaper it with a contrasting pattern on the other walls, or simply cover it in a large work of art. If you want a decor theme to run throughout your home, you could create the same accent wall in all your rooms!
Clean cooker hood and washing machine filters
Ideally, cleaning maintenance should be carried out at least once a month. The filters on your range and the cooker will collect a lot of grime and grease, especially if you cook at home a lot. Make sure it’s clean to prevent any germs spreading. You also need to clear the filter in your washing machine regularly. Again, the more you use it, the quicker it will fill up. If you leave it, it could clog up your machine and cause a leak.
Check your gutters
Not a very pleasant job, but it needs to be done once a year. Even if they aren’t causing you any problems, gutters need checking out and cleaning. You can call a professional out to do this, but it is super easy to sort out yourself. Just climb a ladder and reach into the gutter. Pull out any dead leaves and other items that are stuck, and throw them into the garbage. If you want, keep the leaves to compost your garden.
Air conditioning maintenance
Ideally, this needs doing every year before summer. Otherwise, you could experience a very sweaty couple of months! If you own a swamp cooler or window air units, you will be able to carry out a check yourself. You’ll find plenty of manuals on Google. However, if you cool your home with Central Air, you should call someone who knows exactly what they are doing. The complex system can break easily in the wrong hands.
Take care of any patio and decking areas
The best time of year for taking care of all your outside seating areas is summer. Usually, you will just have to give them a wash. A thorough scrubbing should do the trick. If they are a few years’ old, they may also require a fresh layer of paint and a restain. Keep an eye out for any loose boards and slabs – these will need reattaching.
Maintain the central heating
Another seasonal job, making sure your central heating is fully working should be done before winter hits. While you do this, it is also a good idea to check your doors and windows. Any that let in drafts should be replaced or properly insulated. They’ll only be increasing your energy consumption and pushing your utility bills up! Open up all your heating vents and remove any furniture that may be blocking them. Just like with the air conditioning, you should get a professional out to service the whole heating system. This isn’t something you should tackle yourself.
Tighten knobs and handles
This is only a small job, and won’t take you too long, but it will make a huge difference to your house! Once a year, go around your house and check each and every handle and door knob. If it feels slightly loose, tighten it up. Then you don’t have to be worried about them ever falling off!
Deep clean
Last but not least, give your home a deep clean. You only need to do this once a year – it will fit in perfectly to your other spring cleaning! Get the whole family involved so it won’t take you quite as long.
It’s amazing how much all these little fixes will totally spruce up your home. And carrying out little bits of maintenance will help prevent big issues cropping up. A great way to make your house a home, you’ll find getting handy with DIY is such a rewarding and beneficial activity! Your house will never have looked so good!
