Home maintenance tasks aren’t usually as fun as giving your property a whole new look. However, such tasks are still vitally important, as they not only ensure your home runs as smoothly as possible, but they can also help you save a great deal of money too. Keep reading to find out more.
Clean out your guttering before winter!
If you are OK, with damp and leaks in your home then you don’t need to worry about this one. However, if you like your walls and possessions not covered in nasty mould, then taking some time to clean out your gutters each year is essential.
To complete a proper gutter clean, you first of all need to pick the right time of year. It needs to be before the bad weather really sets in, but also after most of the leaves have fallen. This is because it is leaves that tend to collect in your guttering and block it, something that causes overflows that can lead to leaks.
Unfortunately, cleaning out your guttering isn’t the nicest of tasks. Indeed, you will probably need to use a ladder to work at height, and you can expect the leaves and debris you find in your gutters to be slimy, mouldy, and decomposing. With that in mind, some work gloves to protect your hands are a good idea.
Of course, if you really hate this task you may wish to pay out for someone else to do the job for you. Although this can be an expensive way to go about things. Alternatively, why not invest in gutter cages? These are wire meshes that fit over your guttering, letting the water in, but keeping debris out, something that means you have to clean them out a lot less.
Maintain your boiler
Like showering in hot water, and not shivering throughout the night? Well, that means you need to keep your boiler in good condition. Indeed, a boiler replacement may be the wisest option, if you have an older model as this will ensure you minimise the risk of breakdown, and that you get the most efficient energy usage possible as well. The happy news is both these benefits should save you money in the long run.
Lubricate entry door locks once a year
There is nothing guaranteed to make your heart drop more than inserting your key into your front door and it not working. The good news is that most of the time, all that is wrong is that your lock is sticking. Although, even this can make it hard to use it, something that you don’t want to happen after a long day at work, or when you are bridging the shopping inside and it’s pouring with rain. Of course in the worst-case scenario, it means you will end up being locked out, an issue only a call to an expensive locksmith will be able to resolve.
Happily, it’s very simple, and low cost to prevent your home locks from sticking. All you need to do is apply a lubricant once every year.
Picture sourced at Pixabay – License CC0 and first image. This is a collaborative post.