Being a homeowner comes with lots of responsibilities. If you’ve rented previously, you had the peace of mind knowing that, if something broke down or went wrong, the landlord would have to fix it. Maybe you weren’t responsible for lawn care before, and/or you had someone that shoveled the parking lot or driveway when it snowed. Guess what, homeowner? It’s all on you now. NO one hands you a “Handy Guide to Home Maintenance” at closing, so it can be tough to keep up with everything you need to stay on top of. Cleaning gutters, changing air filters, trimming tree limbs… the list goes on and on. There are some home maintenance tasks, however, that are not intuitive and which may be overlooked by even the most diligent homeowner. Are you guilty of forgetting these tasks?
Resealing Your Grout
The grout in your bathroom or tile floor needs to be resealed every year to protect it from wear and tear, but almost nobody does this. Sealing your grout keeps it waterproof, which keeps it intact and strong. Epoxy grout, used with glass tile, is the only grout exempt from this rule. Getting the job done is easy enough: you just apply grout sealant, use a rag to remove any excess that gets on tiles, let it sit for 15 minutes, apply a second coat, then clean the tiles again. After doing this, you need to give the grout 24 to 48 hours to “cure.” Then test it: properly sealed and cured grout should have water bead on it instead of absorbing the moisture.
Checking for Water Leaks
Checking for small water leaks is about more than just keeping your utility bill down - it’s about keeping your home structurally sound and secure. Even small amounts of water behind the walls or in other hard-to-see places can cause major damage. It’s easy to check for leaks. Just take a water meter reading and then don’t use your water for two hours. At the end of that time period, if your meter reading has changed, you have a leak. A fix could be visible and easy to fix yourself (check the lines of all water-using appliances) or could require the skill of a plumber.
Clean Your Lint Screen
The lint screen of your dryer is one of the hardest-working items in your home. Load after load, it catches the lint, balled up bits of paper, stray quarters, and other detritus from your clothes. But ridding it of crap every time you empty the dryer isn’t enough to keep your appliance healthy. According to realtor.com: “The residue from dryer sheets and fabric softener can start to build up on the screen, blocking the airflow. That can lead to less efficient drying and even fires.” So take that thing out and give it a good scrubbing, let it dry, and vacuum out the slot where it goes in. It’s a simple task, but it can extend the life of your dryer.
