February Home Maintenance Tips for Your Palestine TX House
February Home Maintenance Tips for Your Palestine TX House
February Home Maintenance Tips for Your Palestine TX House
What do you think about this “wintery” weather? If this keeps up, I’ll be ditching the winter boots and getting out the sandals. Not that I’m complaining! Spring cleaning is just around the corner, so make sure your home is in shape with these February home maintenance tips:
- ORGANIZE IT—The holidays are over and you likely have more stuff than you did 3 months ago. Even if Santa only brought coal, we all have too much stuff. What a great time to organize and purge! If you haven’t used it in 6 months (or longer), you could probably live without it. Tackle organization one closet or one room at a time, so it doesn’t get overwhelming. Just think—if you organize one shelf a day, you’ll be completely organized and de-cluttered in just a few months! (I know, it sounds so easy…)
- HOSES & EXTERIOR PIPES— Even though this has been a very mild winter, we might still in for a few cold days and nights, so keep your pipes and spigots wrapped until after the last freeze of the season.
- BATTERY OPERATED – Check the battery in your smoke detectors. It’s an easy task and can save your life (not to mention your sanity if the battery gets low and starts beeping!) Also, if you have gas appliances, invest in a carbon monoxide detector and get it installed. It’s a smart $40 investment that could save your life and your house.
- FILTER CHANGE—You can do this while you wait for your leftovers to heat up in the microwave! Changing out your air filter in your HVAC system will help your system run more efficiently, save you money and help cut down on pesky airborne allergens.
- SPARKLY WINDOWS – Remember that Spring cleaning I was talking about? Luckily, it’s a little early yet, but you can always get a jump on it so it’s not so bad when Spring arrives. Dust your blinds and use window cleaner to wipe the windows from the inside. Take down any washable curtains and wash them. Washing the curtains will help cut down on allergens that the fabric has been collecting. Be sure to check the laundry instructions on the curtains—not all types are washable and be sure to read the drying instructions too (you don’t want crispy, mangled linens).
- LET’S VENT—If you can’t remember the last time you cleaned your dryer vent, then it’s time. Clogged dryer vents are a fire hazard and are easily cleaned out. It is also a great time to check that the dryer is venting properly—when the weather is chilly enough that you can see your breath, walk outside to make sure that you can see the hot air coming from the dryer vent—it will resemble fog and it should smell pretty clean too! If your exhaust is not visible, it could be a sign that the heat is not escaping properly and needs to be remedied.
Home maintenance is important year round, but in winter we sometimes tend to get more lax on it than we should be. Today is a new day and this month’s list is short and easily achievable with a little time. Any time spent on home maintenance is never wasted and it will save you money in the future. A well-maintained home is a happy home!
Lisa E. Priest is an East Texas Area Broker/REALTOR® with Picket Fence Realty, Inc. You can reach her via phone or text at 903-948-3343 or read more at BuyPalestine.com.
February Home Maintenance Tips for Your Palestine TX House
