5 Home Maintenance Tasks You Can Do Yourself
Is your home in need of maintenance? Maybe your garden shed requires repair or a new paint job to get it ready for the new season. Perhaps the roof needs care, or the HVAC system has started making strange noises. Whatever the reason, every now and then, it’s a good idea to carry out some maintenance around your home to make sure it’s in tip-top condition year-round.
However, before you dial the repairman, there’s a ton of things you can do yourself that perhaps won’t cost you anything other than a little bit of elbow grease. You’d be surprised how many problems can be fixed with just a little bit of time and care.
In fact, home maintenance is best left to the most caring hands – the hands of those to whom the home belongs to. Admittedly, some problems do require an expert, but carrying out simple maintenance chores on your own can save you a lot of cash, and your home will appreciate the love. With that said, here are five home maintenance tasks you can do yourself.
Replacing the A/C filter
Most of the repairs on the air conditioner are, of course, best left to the repairmen. However, replacing the filter is the simplest task and is absolutely doable without any prior training and just by checking a YouTube video guide on the topic.
Even if you have scheduled maintenance with the provider, they still recommend changing it once every six months, when the truth is once a month is optimal for best results according to most online sources. Of course, you will need to buy the new filter; just make sure you get the correct size.
Changing the filter is as simple as unplugging it, popping up the filter door, pulling the old one out, and putting the new one in. Just make sure the filter is placed in the same way the old one was, with the airflow set in the correct direction.
Trimming Shrubs and Trees
Trimming shrubs is a must if you don’t want your yard to look forsaken. You do not have to do it as often as mowing the lawn, but it is probably a good idea to do it every other time you mow if you want to keep on top of things. On the other hand, pruning the trees is a once or twice a year job, but it also needs to be done. You can take advantage of the tree service company Sacramento.
There are affordable tree pruners that are optimized to be used both on shrubs and trees. Pruning trees will increase the sunlight in your yard while controlling the bushes. The lack of unkempt hedges can also reduce the likelihood of pest infestations.
Cleaning up the Backyard
After trimming shrubbery and overgrown tree branches (and removing that excess from your yard), you still have a couple of things you can do. Among which is simply cleaning up the yard. That means removing all of the clutter and finally rearranging that pile of sand and bricks that have been lying in the corner for six months now. And, of course, clear out your garden shed if you have one.
Garden sheds are mostly used to store the things you’d rather keep out of sight in the yard. However, it can become cluttered rather quickly, and the worse it gets, the less enthusiastic people become about getting in there and cleaning it up. If you leave it too long, your stuff can even become damaged by humidity, rodents, dirt & dust. It might take you a full day for this one, but it will make you feel a lot better, guaranteed.
Inspecting the Roof
After you’re done with your garden shed, you’ll want to inspect your roof, both on the shed and your house. It is extremely important to do this before the winter comes along, especially if you have a fireplace, as you’ll need to check everything is okay with the chimney.
With that said, there are still plenty of other reasons to maintain your roof even if winters are mild in your part of the world. Firstly, you can check the state of your roof, if something needs replacing or tightening. You don’t want to wait for the rain season and find out then that it leaks. Secondly, bees and other members of the animal kingdom might seek shelter in corners and under the eaves. However, do take great care when attempting to remove such intruders.
If you neglect your roof and avoid carrying out regular maintenance, you could end up with a heft repair bill, or even worse, the need to get a total roof replacement, which can cost upwards of $10,000!
Cleaning the Gutter
Lastly, it is a boring and dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it. Again, if the rain season is on its way, you will be much safer if your gutter is clean and ready. Leaving clutter inside for prolonged periods will cause more debris to get stuck, eventually preventing the water flow, which prevents the gutter from doing its job.
If left unchecked, this can lead to water damage to your roof and the walls in your home, which leaves a repair job that nobody wants on their hands.