Spring Cleaning: 6 Don’t Miss Home Maintenance Tasks
There are a lot of great tips for spring cleaning, but there are a few important places that often get overlooked but shouldn’t be missed. Just because these places aren’t in plain sight, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be out of mind.
Home maintenance is crucial to safety and the efficiency of your home. Sometimes home maintenance just involves a little cleaning. Showing these 6 places in your home a little extra care could have big benefits for you and your family.
1. The Vent Hood
Why: The vent hood above your stovetop pulls air through it’s system, but it can also collect grease and dust which is a recipe for a fire.
How: Remove the vent covers and soak them in a bath of 3 parts hot water and 1 part white vinegar. Then use a sponge or cotton cloth to remove the remaining grease and dust from the surface of the vent hood with a mixture of 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of white vinegar.
When: 2-4 times per year
2. The Dryer Vent
Why: Dryer fires are one of the top preventable causes for house fires. The lent screen in your dryer doesn’t catch all of the debris left behind. If there is large amount of build up in the vent, it can decrease the efficiency of your dryer or even cause a fire.
How: Pull your dryer away from the wall, then detach and vacuum out as much of the vent as you can reach with the vacuum hose. Remove fabric softener buildup from the lent screen by soaking it in a water and vinegar mixture.
When: 1-2 times per year
3. The Washing Machine
Why: Laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dirt can build up inside of your washing machine and decrease its efficiency.
How: While the machine is empty, pour one cup of white vinegar in the bleach compartment and run one cycle on the hottest temperature setting.
When: 2-4 times per year
4. The Dishwasher
Why: The spray jets and drainage system within your dish washer can get clogged with food debris, calcium build-up, and grease. Regular cleaning can help your Dishwasher function at its best.
How: Empty the dishwasher with the exception of a single coffee cup filled with white vinegar placed right side up on the top rack of the dishwasher, then run a cycle on the pots and pan setting.
When: 4-6 times per year
5. The Refrigerator Coils
Why: Dust on the refrigerator coils could prevent it from cooling properly. Long term build-up on the coils could cause the condenser to malfunction or even go out.
How: Unplug your refrigerator while cleaning. Locate the coils on the back side or underneath your refrigerator, the use a damp cloth or the brush tip of your vacuum to clear the dust away.
When: once per year
6. The AC Condenser Unit
Why: Dust, mold, lawn clippings, and other debris can get pulled into the corrugated metal of the condenser unit. This debris prevents your AC from functioning efficiently and can put strain on your AC system.
How: This may be a task you would want to hire an AC expert to do.
When: Once every year or two years.
Taking care of a few regular home maintenance tasks like these in your home can extend the life of your appliances and increase their efficiency and safety. We want our customers to have happy and healthy homes. You can read more in our blog about Easy Ways to Go Green at Home and Three Big Benefits of Gardening.
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