Some Practical Tips for Homeowners

We homeowners can sometimes need a review of things we can do for our real estate. We can learn new tips to better maintain our property.

I would like to share seven useful suggestions or tips for your home and garden. They work for me.

To clean my Garbage Disposal this is what I do:
I pour 1/2 cup baking soda into the drain. Next I pour 1 cup of white vinegar. Then, I pour hot boiling water from a tea kettle. This process cleans and kills odors. I am very happy there is baking soda and that it is so cheap.
I also want to keep my disposal blades in top condition. I take ice cubes, and
fill the drain 1/2 full with then before running the cold water as hard as it will come out. Lastly, I turn the system on. I don’t do this much since I try to not use water if not necessary.

Tip number two is to keep wood, and leaves or straw from touching the bottom foundation of the home so as to help prevent insect or termites from getting inside the home. termites and other organisms like wood. Most homes have wood inside the walls as part of the foundation.

Keep your used coffee grounds for enriching the soil of your flower or vegetable garden. I keep a compost pile in my garden and periodically spread the food substances there to have a healthier soil body.

Contact an air conditioning/heating company to arrange for a regular maintenance plan. I just started doing this. They come out twice a year to inspect and service the system ans at other times they come by with air filters. Filters need to be changed monthly if you use the system daily.

One way you can give your home a new home smell, is by painting the walls, at least a few walls or a few rooms. As time progresses, there will be odors in the home. Paint solves that problem, but don’t neglect to shampoo or replace the carpet if necessary. Oh, I forgot, who has carpet anymore!
When I paint my home, I think of a theme and color scheme. I get my inspiration from the surrounding nature and outdoor colors. I want the inside to transition smoothly to the outside.

If you have a two story home, remember, heat rises. It is warmer upstairs in the winter. Blow some of that heat down stairs by keeping the upstairs ceiling fans on. Depending on home’s layout this may not be possible. Remember, bigger homes theoretically consume more energy, but a smaller home that is not energy efficient, does not keep in heat in the winter, could waste more energy than a bigger home.

If you have vertical blinds, keep the panels facing up when you close, not down. If they face down it is easy for people to look in at night when the lights are on inside. This is a security tip.

If you have some home tips to share, let me know and I will probably add them and if you want, even give you the credit of providing them.

Kenneth Fach, REALTOR
Weichert, REALTORS-Anchor
Tallahassee, Florida
Direct/Text 850-339-5753 Blog: http://KennethFach.wordpress.com

Each office is independently owned and operated.