Fall Home Maintenance Checklist and Schedule

Prepare your home for the coming cold of winter. The fall house maintenance checklist below will ensure your home for the subzero temperatures by taking a look at the heating systems, water systems, and energy efficiency. Depending on your house and region, some tasks may have a greater value. Some may not not be applicable at all. Try to focus on what is relevant to you. The fireplace is an absolute must for maintenance and inspection. Buildup from smoke of the chimney from smoke. It happens to be a highly flammable byproduct and can start a chimney fire with an ignition source. A lot of small chimney fire occur without the homeowner even realizing! Gas burning fireplaces burn much cleaner and should only require an inspection each year. But, a wood burning fireplace needs to be inspected and cleaned each year. Check the flashing around the chimney if you perform the sweep from the roof (i.e. top-down method). The brick and mortar should be inspected for cracks, too At the fireplace do a quick inspection and cleaning. Visually check for cracks and smoke marks. Cracks should be repaired by a professional. Smoke marks could indicate blockage in the chimney (e.g. bird’s nest). Remove smoke marks with a vinegar and water. Keeping a home well sealed can tremendously improve the heating efficiency. The most common spots for air leaks around the windows and doors. Visually check the caulk seal around the outside edge of every window for gaps. Use a putty knife to remove the damaged seal and insert new caulk. Cracks will reappear if the caulk is applied too thinly. Inspect the weatherstripping around the perimeter of the doors. Replace any damaged areas with new material. Replace the entire seal, if required. Feel for drafts by running your hand around the edge of each door. If the weatherstripping is in good shape and there is still a draft, there might not be enough material to bridge the gap. It is possible to layer the strips on top of each other to seal larger gaps. For homes in colder climates, one of the most important tasks is winterizing water systems. Not all homes are in an area that requires winterization. Sprinkler systems and pools are two systems that should be winterized for any area where the temperature hovers near freezing or lower. All sprinkler systems need to have the timers shut off, pressure valves opened, and drain any components near or above ground. Most often the pressure vacuum breaker is caught by a freeze and breaks. This component prevents water from entering the water supply and causing contamination. It is above ground and any plastic parts inside the metal housing are susceptible. It is easy to drain by using the drain valves. To winterize a pool you'll need to setup a specific chemical program. The general outline is balancing the chemicals, removing loose or moving parts, lowering the water level, and draining the pumping system. The pumping system might not have to be drained but pool antifreeze (i.e. not the same as the chemical for solution for cars) should be added to the water. Also, many homeowners will add algaecide to help keep the pool clean. Homes is colder climates must winterize faucets, but any homes in mild climates should be fine. The water supply should be shut off to start. Then pull off any attachments or vacuum breakers. Open up drain valves and leave the faucet in the open position for the winter. The most important task for colder climates is servicing the furnace system. It is generally best to have a professional service this system. Furnace maintenance includes blower motor lubrication, burner cleaning, sensor checks, and carbon monoxide measurements. In between service calls be sure to regularly change the filter every couple months. Both the heating and cooling systems utilize the air filters so this will be a year-round task. Luckily, it is an easy DIY job and cheap. Make sure to schedule fall maintenance on your calendar so your home is ready for winter.

Homemade Cleaning Solutions

Cleaning solutions are an integral part of keeping every home clean. There are cleaning mixture for general surfaces, glass, tubs, shower heads, dishwashers, and so much more. All these commercial chemicals add up to extra costs and a lot of bottles that need to be stored. A good alternative is to make your own homemade cleaning solutions. There are several advantages to making your own concoctions. You generally only require a few different chemicals to make a homemade cleaning solution so there are fewer items to store. The cost of these combined products is often times less expensive than buying the store product. Spending less money is always good! And if you are a pro green supporter, using fewer products leaves less of a carbon footprint. Lastly, being able to make a cleaning solution from common household products can be very convenient. Tub Surface Cleaner Tub and shower surfaces are infamous for gunk that is difficult to clean. The buildup is a result of minerals in the water. Hard water carries lime and calcium traces that slowly collect on surfaces. Water softeners help to relieve the problem, but there will still be cleaning! To create this cleaning mixture start with half a cup vinegar and heat for one to two minutes in the microwave. Dump the vinegar into a spray bottle and mix with ½ a cup of dish soap. Swirl the bottle just long enough to mix the vinegar and soap together. Spray on the surfaces of the tub or shower and wait for one to two hours. After waiting, scrub the surfaces with a sponge and water. The surfaces should clean right up and look much brighter. Clog Fixer Every household has had to deal with clogs. The best method is to prevent the problem before it occurs. Flush a one to two cups of vinegar down each month to clean buildup and watch what you flush down the drain. Items that are particularly bad are coffee grounds, and soap scum. If you do get a clog and can not it with a snake, try a solution of vinegar, baking soda, and boiling water. First, drop a half cup of baking soda down the drain. Chase up the baking soda with two cups of vinegar. After the letting the mixture fizzle, flush it down with 1/2f a gallon of boiling water. Try using a store bought product if the homemade solution fail to clear the clog. Call a plumber if that fails, too. General Purpose Cleaner For all-purpose purpose cleaning, or if you can not find a specific cleaner, use this mixture. Again, it is made from easy to find everyday household ingredients. Gather baking soda, vinegar, and water. Dump ¼ bup of baking soda into an empty spray bottle. Then, pour in a ½ cup of vinegar. These two will fizzle together. Lastly, pour in 2 cups of water. Heat the water if you plan to use the mixture for immediate use. Make sure to label the bottle so there is no confusion about the solution in the future. Summary There are plenty more mixtures out there to help you keep your house clean. The main thing to focus on is the common ingredients: vinegar, baking soda, and water. Typically, at least one of the three are found in a homemade cleaning solution. These solutions should help you for all the cleaning scheduled for your house.