Spring cleaning tips
/ Courtesy: NBC News
Spring cleaning is just around the corner, and there are some important tips to keep in mind to keep your home in good repair while minimizing bigger expenses later on.
A little checking on your home might stop a big repair bill, especially with your roof. "Look for loose shingles, look for, check in the attic potentially for any leaks, see if you see leaks through your ceiling, those are all signs you need your roof looked at," said Angie Hicks, founder of Angie's list.
Most roofs last 20 years, but they might just need new weatherproofing or shingles. While you're outside, inspect walls for holes to make sure critters can't creep inside. You might be surprised at how small a space they need.
Back indoors, look for water leaks. "We usually ignore that leaky faucet but what we don't realize is that adds up to thousands of gallons of water every year," Hicks said.
Also, heck caulking in the shower and fill as needed. "You don't want that caulk to come out because then that water is going right through the drywall, and potentially causing serious water damage," Hicks said.
And when it comes to water damage from flooding, think about your sump pump and consider a battery back-up. "When floods and rains come through, a lot of times it's a thunderstorm and that might throw out your electricity. So you don't want your safety net to not work," said Hicks.
Also don't forget to hire a licensed electrician if you see your lights start to dim. "One thing might be that you're seeing your lights dim periodically and you're wondering hmmm, why would that happen. Or you're running a few different appliances at the same time and you trip a circuit. Those might be a sign that you've got an overloaded circuit," Hicks said.
Each spring, make sure to service your air conditioning system and change the filters. "What we found with highly rated heating and cooling companies on Angie's List, sixty percent of their emergency calls are because of people not properly maintaining their systems, so change those filters," said Hicks.
It's suggested you change your air filters monthly or quarterly depending on the age of your system.
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Information courtesy of NBC News.
