Learn How to Keep Your New Home in Tip-Top Shape
So, you just moved into your brand new Demlang home. Congratulations! But now what? What should you do to keep your home looking its first day best and prevent problems from arising? Fortunately, with a brand-new home, it doesn’t take too much effort to keep it looking like it should. Here are our top ten tips for keeping your home like new.
1. Open Your Blinds During the Cold Season
It’s easy to keep your blinds closed during the winter to keep the heat in, but it’s a good idea to open them up daily to allow your home to breathe and prevent window condensation from ruining your blinds. Plus, what’s curling up on the couch with a cup of warm cocoa if you can’t see the snow on the ground outside?
2. Change the Batteries in Your Smoke/CO2 Detector Once a Year
Replacing the batteries in your smoke/CO2 detector is one of those things that’s easy to forget, but still needs to get done. Here’s a good rule of thumb: Whenever you change your furnace filter, change your batteries too.
3. Clean Patio Door Slider of Debris
Without a doubt, the most forgotten-about yet dirty part of the home is the patio door slider track. Sticks, leaves, and plain old dirt blow into the track, gumming it up and making it harder for the door to roll back and forth. It’s a good idea to periodically clear it out and re-lubricate it to keep the slider running smoothly.
4. Scrub Down Your Patio or Deck
You clean the floors on the inside of your home, so why not clean the ones on the outside? Taking the time once a year to really scrub down your patio or deck keeps dirt, grime, and mildew from discoloring the surface and making it look old. Given all the abuse the exterior of our homes take, it only makes sense to give them a bath once in a while.
5. Clean Windows, Doors, and Screens
Like your patio or deck, your windows, screens, and doors take a lot of abuse from the elements and can start to show their age without regular cleaning. Taking a day in the summer to wash the outside of your house is a great way to keep your home looking like new.
6. Lubricate Garage Doors
Lubrication is one of those things that will always wear away over time, so if your garage doors start to squeak after a while, you can hit it with a lubricant like WD40 to bring it back to smoothly running along like new.
7. Clean Your Gutters
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Not only does cleaning dirt and leaves from your gutters help them to drain better, but it also removes kindling from your roof that could easily catch fire.
8. Clean Out Dryer Vents
This is similar to cleaning out gutters. Lint can build up in dryer vents and pose a fire risk, so it’s best to clean it out regularly. It is recommended to do this at least twice a year.
9. Look at Faucets and Drains
While there shouldn’t be any problems with the plumbing in your new home, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep any eye for something unexpected. From time to time, look at the drains and faucets in your house to see if you notice anything wet or dripping. If you do, contact us or a plumber to come and fix the problem.
10. Install a Water Leak Detector
Another, more advanced, way to prevent potential water damage in your home is to install a water leak detector. These systems are able to tell if water is present in the home and let you know, so that you can either turn the water off if you’re there, or let someone know to come by and turn it off if you’re away.
If you’re looking for a newly built home for yourself, Demlang Builders has a floor plan to fit your life. With local financing partners to help you sell your old home and afford your new one, the Demlang team is ready to help you find a home perfect for you.
