When it comes to home maintenance, little things really matter

Considering how hectic each day can get, home maintenance may be the last thing on your busy mind. But keeping your home in shape from top to bottom can provide delightful dividends for you and your family. After all, a home is usually happiest when it’s healthy. It’s worth it to adopt a routine maintenance schedule because upkeep is crucial for your home’s longevity – no matter what its current age. Here are some guidelines to help streamline a productive maintenance plan for your home:

• Remember your machinery: Your air conditioner and furnace need just as much attention annually as your car. Don’t forget to have them professionally inspected once a year to ensure they run efficiently.
• Air quality controller: When a home is sealed for temperature control (to ensure coolness in the summer and warmth during winter), allergens are likely to become lodged in the filters due to lack of ventilation. This means mold, pet dander and pollen are lodged in filters, feeding your home a constant dose of dust. Try upgrading filters and changing them out every three months for maximum allergen elimination.
• Spin me right round: Believe it or not, a small adjustment to your household ceiling fan can help reduce energy costs and make you feel warm and fuzzy or calm and cool. Depending on their spin direction, ceiling fans create an airflow that should change with the seasons. Try having them rotate clockwise in cooler months and the opposite during summer. Your energy bill and body will thank you!
• Don’t mess with mold: Look for it. Find it. Get rid of it. Places it could be hiding out include around the bathtub, underneath the kitchen sink or lurking down below in the basement. Experts recommend bleach to banish the mold. But if conditions are really bad, a mold remediation expert may need to be called in for rescue.