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RSSThree Home Maintenance Tasks You Can’t Afford to Ignore
GreenWerks | 
Dec 28th, 2011 | 
Little problems can easily balloon into huge expensive problems if you neglect to maintain your home. It’s not just your wallet that will take a beating, either, as too often these problems turn into real health and safety hazards for the entire family. Instead of putting your finances and well-being at risk, make the time now to follow these three simple and relatively inexpensive home maintenance task.
Monitor the Humidity in Your Home
Indoor air quality is important in every home. Too much humidity and your home is at risk for mold, mildew, dust mites and wood rot. Too little humidity and your skin can become painful and cracked, breathing can be more difficult and nosebleeds can occur and wooden floors, furniture, wallpaper and other furnishings can become brittle and cracked. Static electricity can also damage electronic equipment and be extremely uncomfortable for pets and family members.
Most experts recommend 30-50% as the optimal level for humidity in homes. You can check the humidity in your home by using an inexpensive hygrometer. You’re likely to find that your home’s humidity varies with the seasons and that you might find yourself battling high and low humidity depending on the time of year. Certain rooms in your home can also have different levels of humidity, for example, bathrooms and basements are almost always more damp than bedrooms and living rooms.
Once you know the humidity, you can take the appropriate steps to lower or raise the levels. In the summer, your air conditioner can act as a dehumdifier, however you might need a separate unit to keep basements and other areas that aren’t cooled dry. You can also buy whole-house or room-sized humidifiers for use in the winter, in dry climates or to provide an extra boost in humidity to help family members with colds breathe more easily.
Install adequate ventilation and fans in bathrooms and kitchens. This one-time investment can pay-off by helping you avoid structural damage and mold infestations from excessive moisture.
Get Your Furnace and Air Conditioners Maintained Regularly
Not only are these units expensive to repair and replace, they also contribute greatly to the air quality in your home. A dirty, neglected unit can spread allergens and other nasty airborne particles all through your home.
Besides scheduling annual tune-ups and cleanings, be sure to check your filters once a month and change them as often as the manufacturer recommends. HEPA filters can go a long way towards keeping your air quality high and are well-worth the premium in households with allergies and asthma. You may need to change your filter more often than is recommended if you have pets that shed or during allergy season.
Clean filters can also help your heating and cooling units work more efficiently, which reduces strain and keeps your utility bills down. Spending a little each month for new filters can save you a lot of money in the long run.
When you check your filters, keep an eye out for leaks, rust and other signs of wear and get them repaired promptly to avoid expensive, and sometimes deadly, damage.
Make Sure Your Fire and Carbon Monoxide Alarms are Working
The only thing worse than not checking your fire and carbon monoxide alarms every month? Not having them at all. The sooner your family can be alerted of a danger in your home, the better your chances of escaping without injury and being able to call the fire department in time to save your home and belongings.
If you don’t currently have working alarms in your house, don’t delay and get some today. If finances are a concern, do check with your local fire station and see if they offer programs to help provide low income households with alarms. You can also inquire about free fire safety inspections that can help you find the optimal placement for your alarms and alert you to any fire and carbon monoxide hazards in your home.
Check your alarms once a month to make sure that they are in working order. Most fire departments recommend that you change your batteries twice a year when daylight savings time begins and ends. Don’t find out the hard way that the alarm you thought was protecting your family and home was really working at all.
Jacob Maslow is a writer, husband and father of five who firmly believes in safety first. He works for AllergyBeGone which sells products that can help keep your home a healthy, comfortable place to live including a large selection of dehumidifiers and air purifiers.
Keep Reading and Check out these Articles:
- Home Maintenance 101: What You Should Know
- Home Maintenance 101: What You Should Know
- How to Do-It-Yourself Humidifier Maintenance
- Home Insulation
- Home Additions
My little brother has Allergic Rhinitis so that air conditioning units are always kept clean in our home. Mother says it gives her the right motivation to maintain the house. Somehow, I find that funny.
Postponing repairs is like leaving your problems to grow before you take care of them. I really like the suggestion about the quality of the air. Depending on the area where you live, it might be obligatory, not just recommended.
I agree with you. I think home maintenance is really important. It will also help you to save money because as you have said, if you will not maintain your house then the problem might get bigger thus requiring a bigger expense.