Home Maintenance

Taking care of your home on a regular basis is one of the most important things you can do to reduce costs, increase energy efficiency, and avoid costly repairs. Even the little things can add up. It’s like changing the oil in your car and rotating the tires; your house will perform better if you maintain it.

Wash those windows. Heat and high altitude work against you by cooking dust, dirt, and mud into windows, leaving them cloudy, with permanent streaks, rough patches, and pits.

Clean your carpets. A clean carpet will not only look good, it will last longer. Dirt is abrasive and grinds into the fibers, damaging the carpet and wearing it out quicker. It is also healthier to have your carpets cleaned regularly. Carpet is like a giant air filter for your home. It traps dust and dirt. Regular vacuuming will keep the dirt down but have the carpets cleaned at least once a year.

Same goes for tile. Clean your tile surfaces regularly with a solution of vinegar and water. Another option is to have them professionally cleaned with your carpets.

Chim Chimanee. Hire a chimney sweep if you use your fireplace regularly. You should have the chimney cleaned at least every other year. A clean chimney will reduce smoke coming back down the chimney into your home and reduce the chance of fire.

Maintain furnaces, wall heaters, fireplaces, and wood-burning stoves. This can prevent fire and smoke damage. Have furnaces and boilers serviced at least once a year. Make sure that smoke and fire alarms are working properly and install carbon monoxide detectors. If you have a gas fireplace or wall heaters, clean the lint around the fan regularly. Everything just works better when it’s clean.

Flush out your water heater. Do this once a year, especially if you are on a well. Sediments get trapped in the water heater, causing it to run less efficiently. If you are in the habit of turning off your well pump when you leave town (a good idea), sediment will build up a bit faster. Flushing will keep the sediment down and the heater working more efficiently.

Clean your refrigerator coils. This needs to be done at least once a year ­­– every six months if there’s a dog or cat that sheds heavily in the house. Dirt, dust, and pet hair on refrigerator coils can impede airflow and make heat transfer less efficient, forcing the appliance to work harder.

Clean the dryer lint. Not just the lint trap (clean that out with every load of laundry) but also the vent that goes to the outside of your house, at least once a year. Lint buildup can increase drying time and energy consumption by more than 50%. This is important not just for drying efficiency but also for safety reasons. Lint buildup in your vent can cause a fire with no warning. And it can cause dangerous carbon monoxide from a gas dryer. You also need to clean the lint from the back of the dryer. Again, not just for efficiency but for safety, especially if you have a gas dryer. One spark from the flame of a gas dryer can catch that lint on fire.

Clean the washing machine screen. The cold-water hose to your washing machine has a little screen on it. Sediments from your well can build up on the screen, and the water has a harder time passing through to your washing machine. If the cold water (more energy efficient for washing than hot water) drips in rather than in a steady stream, turn off the water, remove the hose and then the screen. Simply clean it and replace. Don’t forget to turn the water back on.

Check the drainage pattern. Snowmelt patterns are vital to the maintenance of the property. Remove snow against any wood surfaces of your home. This includes snow on a deck. The moisture can seep through the wood and cause damage inside your home. Shovel the deck, especially the snow that’s against your home.

Protect the wood. Wood decks, siding, and window trims should be protected with the proper stain applied at least every three years. If the lamination on your inside window seals is wearing off, have it fixed. Condensation can get into the seal of your windows, causing costly damage.

Household Tips

1. Open your clogged drains gently. Pour one cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by three cups of boiling water. Repeat two or three times. If you still have a clog, try pouring one cup of vinegar down the drain. There will be some foaming and gurgling. This agitation is often needed to dislodge the grime.
2. Vinegar does everything. It dissolves mineral deposits and grease, removes traces of soap or wax buildup, polishes some metals, deodorizes, and cleans brick or stone. It will also remove the metallic taste in coffeepots and shine windows without streaking. Vinegar is normally used in a solution with water but it can also be used straight.

Things you should know!

1. How to shut off your gas or propane. Crucial if a fire is coming.
2. How to shut off your water. If you are on a well, shut off the well pump at the circuit breaker. If you are on city water, know where your main shutoff valve is. Shutting off the water when you are out of town is a good idea all year long.
3. Know when the last time your septic tank was pumped. Keep track. You don’t want to deal with the damage of a backed up septic tank! Be mindful of what you put down your drains. The wrong things can cause major damage.

For painting needs, contact Moore Brothers Painting, (970) 726-8381. For maintenance on your furnace and heating appliances contact Granby Heating and Sheet Metal, (970) 887-3889. For cleaning of appliances, carpet, flooring, and windows, contact Bolen’s Cleaning and Maintenance Services, (970) 726-9357.

Carbon Monoxide Alarm Law
Colorado law now requires any existing, single-family dwelling, dwelling unit of an existing multi-family dwelling, or condominium (and units in condominium associations) for sale or transfer, that have a fuel-burning heater or appliance, a fireplace, or an attached garage to have an operational carbon-monoxide alarm installed within 15 feet of the entrance to each room lawfully used for sleeping purposes. A similar requirement applies to all new residential construction.

Take It From Me
Have your wall heaters cleaned, checked, and serviced at least once a year. This is important for many reasons. In my case, my garage heater would not light. Despite several attempts, it would not go. It was suggested I look into the vent from the outside. That is when I found the source of the problem. One word: mouse. The vent is six feet up an outside cedar wall. This mouse carried landscape fabric of over a foot long up the wall and created what was deemed Grand County’s largest mouse nest. (I like to think big so I claim it as the world’s largest.) It was bigger than a basketball and took Granby Heating and Sheet Metal a good hour to clean out. I would have loved to have met the mouse that scaled the wall.