Owning your own home can bring a rewarding feeling of accomplishment. You may feel pride in providing a comfortable shelter for your family. However, this benefit comes with responsibility. For your home to stay in good condition as well as safe, here are three important home maintenance tasks you might overlook.
Maintain Fireplaces
A fireplace adds warmth on multiple levels, both physically and psychologically, to any room. While you may cherish moments spent in front of fires, you need to keep your hearth and chimney regularly maintained. Poorly kept chimneys can even be dangerous. Whether you have a wood-burning fireplace or a gas stove Redmond OR, find a professional service to keep the area clean and safe.
Clear the Dryer Vent
Stay safe with your dryer by practicing a few preventative steps. For example, a plugged dryer vent can cause your dryer to run inefficiently, but it can also start a fire. Dryer vents can become plugged for multiple reasons, including:
- Nests
- Lint
- Stuck exhaust hood flappers
Use a shop or wet/dry vacuum to suck debris out of the ducts. You can also use specialized cleaning kits designed to clear long ducts. If you have plastic duct work, replace it with smooth metal ducts, which tend to clog less easily than do corrugated ducts.
Clean Refrigerator Coils
Refrigerator coils are generally found at the back of your appliance or across the bottom. These coils can become clogged with cobwebs, dust, and pet hair, which makes the condenser work harder than it should. This shortens the life of your refrigerator and increases energy bills. Save yourself the expense and trouble by cleaning these coils periodically. Your vacuum’s hose attachment along with a coil-cleaning brush will work nicely to remove all debris from the coils.
Enjoying your home is a good feeling, but that pleasure also requires some work from you. Careful maintenance keeps everything in your home operating as safely as possible. Some simple maintenance allows you and your family to relax in comfort with peace of mind.