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Home Maintenance Tasks & Savings Tips To Do Before Winter

October 22, 2019

With winter weather around the corner, changing temperatures can put a strain on your home and landscaping, as well as your utility bills. Home & Garden Pro Tips contributors bring us 19 things we can do immediately that will help to reduce the various costs of your home over the long haul. Read about them below and click any of the links provided for more information:
"1. Check The Insulation in Your Attic – And Install More If Needed. Important: Proper insulation keeps your home warmer in the winter but also cooler in the summer!
2. Pay Your Mortgage On Time?Utilize Congress's Newly Passed "E.R.R." Program To Cut Your Mortgage Down - This Program Expires October 2019 (This Month), Time Is Running Out To Take Advantage!
3. Automate Your Thermostat & HVAC system One of the easiest things you can do to instantly start saving money on your heating and cooling bills is to get an automated thermostat. These smart thermostats will learn when you are home and make sure the home is at a comfortable setting during those hours so you're not cooling the house when no one is around to enjoy it. They also learn when you're going to be home so they can adjust the temperature before you step in the door to ensure your house is always comfortable!
4. Check Outlets & Power Cords Electrical appliances are the 4th leading cause of fires in the home and many can be prevented by a simple check of the health of your cords and outlets. All you have to do is walk around your home and inspect your cords, outlets and surge protectors. Make sure the cords are not frayed, especially paying attention to where they have to bend. Confirm there are not burn marks around any outlets and spend a minute or so with each outlet and surge protector listening for any zips or zaps. Replace any that do. This is also a good opportunity to unplug any electrical devices that you don't regularly use and may be leaching electricity and costing you money (especially those that have those big black wall-wart transformers -- those are notorious for drawing power when the device they supply power to are off: you should be able to tell if the transformer feels warm to the touch).
5.Save On Monthly Household Bills & More! Is maintaining the health of your house-related expenses as important as maintaining the house itself? We think "yes", so Home & Garden Pro Tips curated a shortlist of some of our favorite online offers for homeowners... (see more)
6.Use Coke To Clear Clogged Drains A clogged drain can be a nightmare. When a drain clogs, you may not have the necessary chemicals or supplies to fix it immediately. Instead of waiting and hoping for the water to go down the drain, you may be able to unclog your drain with Coke, which contains phosphoric acid that will eat through the clog. 1 - Clean the area around the sink drain to remove any debris. Shine a flashlight down into the drain, and use tweezers to remove any large debris such as hair or food from the drain. 2 - Open a 2-liter bottle of Coke. Pour it steadily into the drain so you can avoid splashing it everywhere. 3 - Allow any foam to subside, then continue pouring the Coke down the drain until you empty the 2-liter bottle. 4 - Allow the Coke to sit in the drain overnight. In the morning, run hot water down the drain for 5 to 10 minutes to rinse it. 5 - Repeat the process if the drain still appears clogged. Allow the Coke to eat away at the clog overnight, then rinse the drain with hot water.
7. Use WD-40 For EVERYTHING You already use WD-40 to loosen bolts and stop squeaking hinges, but did you know it could do these other amazing things around your house? 1 - Waterproof your shoes and boots. WD-40 works by displacing water (WD stands for Water Displacement) so it can be a great waterproofer in a pinch if it's wet or snowy out! 2 - Keep squirrels away from bird feeders. Spray around your bird feeder and enjoy watching those pesky squirrels slip and slide right off (warning: the result is hilarious) 3 - Get rid of sticky fingers. WD-40 dissolves tough sticky and gluey materials with ease 4 - Remove floor scuff marks and oil spots. If mopping is not doing the trick, try WD-40 to remove tough scuffs and stains 5 - Clean the toilet. Remove lime stains from the toilet bowl by spraying in some WD-40, then just scrub with a toilet brush and flush
8.Change ALL Your Air Filters Replace the air filter(s) in your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system, to keep it running more efficiently. Old filters have reduced airflow forcing your equipment to work harder. This causes parts like fans and blowers to wear faster, especially after a cold winter. A $10 filter can save you thousands on repair costs!
9. Clean Your Refrigerator Coils! You can eliminate more than 70 percent of service calls with this simple cleaning step. Skip this chore and you’ll be contributing to your appliance repair technician’s retirement fund. Not to mention handing over $5 to $10 a month extra to your utility company because the fridge isn’t running efficiently. Do it twice a year or more often if you have shedding pets. Their fur clogs up the coils fast. Condenser coils are located on the back of the fridge or across the bottom. These coils cool and condense the refrigerant. When the coils are clogged with dirt and dust, they can’t efficiently release heat. The result is your compressor works harder and longer than it was designed to, using more energy and shortening the life of your fridge. Clean the coils with a coil cleaning brush and vacuum. A coil cleaning brush does a thorough job and will easily pay for itself. The refrigerator coil brush is bendable to fit in tight areas. They can be used for cleaning your dehumidifier and air conditioner coils too..." READ MORE...*SOURCE: Home & Garden Pro Tips © Copyright homegardenprotips.com 2019