How do you have your fun and keep a well-maintained home?
It’s simple: Just be mindful of your home. You don’t need a rigid maintenance list. (They work best for Type A people anyway.) Instead, train your senses to warn you of these problems, and then act ASAP:
- Your Dryer Seems Hotter Than Usual
If your clothes and your dryer are super, super hot or, conversely, your dryer is taking longer to dry, you could have a clogged lint vent, a leading cause of house fires. To defuse that combination:
- Pull out the dryer connection — this is the tube or pipe that connects the dryer to the window vent.
- Suck out all the lint from the pipe and pipe connection with a vacuum attachment. Re-attach, making sure it’s not loose or bent.
- You can also hire a pro to do it.
- You Smell Something Musty
Your nose knows what’s normal in your home. When you smell that mildew-y smell, you know you’ve got a Mold or Mildew problem. Mold and mildew are the banners for moisture, your home’s No. 1 enemy. If you see them, you know moisture has broken through your home’s defenses and is bringing reinforcements. Find out where the water source is and eradicate it ASAP. Moisture is like cancer to a home. If you don’t catch it early, it will eat away at your home’s very structure, causing major damage to its foundation, walls, floors, and ceilings. - You Spot a Water Stain
You get it now. Water = bad. So even a faint water stain should light a fire under you. Zero in on the source before moisture can settle into your home’s bones. A water stain on the ceiling could signal a leak in your roof, or if it’s under a bathroom it could be a pipe that’s leaking. Stain under a window? Your window may need caulking. - Your Drain Is Really Slow (and It Gurgles)
Showering in water up to your ankles defeats the purpose. If your drain makes odd noises and takes foreeeeeeever, you could be at risk of a sewer backup, which is not only a moisture issue, but one that ranks high on the stinky scale. If you’re lucky, it could be a simple clog, but either way it might be a good idea to put your plumber’s number in your cellphone’s favorites list.
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