6 Things Every Homeowner Should Know How to Do
When you own a home, you become responsible not only for the mortgage payments but also for the maintenance of your home. This can come as something of a shock when you are used to renting. Sure, you could pay someone to do all those little jobs for you, but that would be expensive, and anyway, if you learn the basics of home maintenance, you’ll be surprised how much you can do yourself before you need to call for help.
With that in mind, here are some of the most important things every homeowner should know how to do:
1. Looking after hardwood floors
A lot of homes these days have hardwood floors. If yours does too, learning how to care for them more effectively would be a good idea. When it comes to day-to-day cleaning, store-bought cleansers can be harsh and remove the varnish or cause damage over time. It is, then, far better to use a small amount of water and a microfiber cloth or mop to remove dust and debris. You should also vacuum regularly using a soft attachment to avoid scratching. Every few years, you may need to resend a d varnish your floors to get them looking as good as new.
2. Clean the gutters
Clogged gutters can lead to flooding and leaks and that can lead to serious damage that can only be fixed by professional water damage restoration. This is such a shame when it’s so easy to clean your gutters out by using a leaf blower, garden hose, or even a wet-dry vac, The hardest part will be ensuring that the ladder you’re on is stable.
3. Fixing a leaky faucet
Leaky faucets may not seem like a big deal, but again, they can lead to larger leaks and your home flooding, or even corrosion of your hardware, if left unchecked. Luckily, it’s often as simple as turning off the water, using a little elbow grease to take apart the faucet, and replacing the washer or O-ring, to get things working again. No need to call a plumber.
4. Changing a furnace filter
Changing a furnace filter is vital if you want clean fresh air and a fully-functional heating system. Ideally, you should change the filter every couple of months. How do you do that? First, check your filter model and ensure you have the right one to hand. Then, turn off the furnace, take off the service panel, remove the old filter, making sure to see how it was connected, and attach the new one in the same manner, It couldn’t be simpler.
5. Unclogging the toilet
Clogged toilets are bad news. Thankfully, they’re pretty easy to unclog them DIY. Simply turn off the water supply, using the valve that is located behind the toilet and empty around 50 percent of the water, Then, start plunging. If that doesn’t shift it, an auger should.
6. Locate wall studs
Hitting a wall stud when you try to hang a shelf or picture is bad news for your walls and your wallet, which is why knowing how to find them is so important. You can find studs manually by knocking on the walls - if it sounds solid, that’s a spot with a stud, Alternatively, use a magnetic stud finder for even more accurate results.
These are the basics - there is lots more you can and should learn if you want to be a home maintenance pro - so what are you waiting for?
