Take practical steps to simplify the home maintenance and repair tasks that most homeowners must tackle. Following these ideas will cut the total time needed to complete maintenance and repair issues when they arise. An individual who lives alone can cut down on his maintenance headaches by diligently following a common-sense plan year-round. With a family, these steps can be made even simpler, with each family member pitching in and helping where needed. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Keep a basic supply of tools in the home. There are a number of basic repair tasks that occur more often than others, such as replacing blown lightbulbs and fixing clogged toilets. Keep certain tools and replacement items on hand to make completing the tasks much easier by already having what you need on hand. Replacement lightbulbs are a basic item, as is a toilet plunger.
2. Store the tools in a specific spot, always ready for use. Protect metal tools from damp environments by spraying them with WD-40, to keep them from rusting while in storage. Invest in, or build, a toolbox for your most used tools. Tools and items that any homeowner may regularly need more than others include, among others, a hammer, nails and screws, screwdrivers, saws, pliers, a power drill and a flashlight. Make sure the tools are in proper working order, and read any included instructions to know properly use each one.
3. Perform regularly scheduled maintenance tasks. Doing small maintenance duties, like scrubbing the toilet bowl with a toilet brush at day's end, may seem small, but cuts down considerably on the time and effort needed when regular preventive maintenance has been long overlooked. This leads to larger repairs and maintenance duties being required. Inspect the house, inside and out, each year. Pay particular attention to potential problem areas and trouble areas from the past, to prevent their recurrence.
4. Inspect your roof for any shingle damage, roof wear and areas of standing water, and also look for low-hanging tree branches, which could lead to shingle damage. This can help prevent leaks before they start. You can often inspect the roof from the ground, or climb a ladder onto the roof for a closer inspection.
5. Mark cleaning supplies and other chemicals clearly, with a magic marker, so they can be easily identified when you need them. Store these supplies in a designated area immediately after you use them. This cuts down on the chance of losing them, allowing them to be misused, or spending wasted time looking for the needed supplies.
6. Reduce clutter in the home. Putting away items and children's toys that are not being used allows you more room to make repairs.
7. Perform proper repairs, not just quick-fix repairs, on both your home and your home appliances. Doing this also helps prevent costlier repairs or replacement needs in the future. For example, a drip beneath the kitchen sink may be temporarily remedied by sliding a bowl underneath to catch the water. If the bowl overflows, the water may do damage to the wood underneath the sink, and meanwhile, the leak is adding up on the home's water bill.
Tags: cuts down, maintenance duties, maintenance repair, repair tasks, repair tasks that
