Superb Maintenance Recommendations for 2017

This year, be better prepared than ever for enjoying your home to the fullest. We’ve collected a short list of tips that will help you get ahead on your annual maintenance tasks. Also, we’ve included a short tips list on how to make sure that your home’s air is maintained, too. Enjoy!

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  Safety 





    • Test your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide sensors, and put in fresh batteries. A common issue of a beep that’s hard to get rid of can be avoided by changing the battery ahead of schedule.
    • Inspect your fire extinguishers for ease of access, adequate pressure and visible signs of wear and tear.

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  Air 





    • Change out your HVAC and furnace filters. This is your first line of defense for clean air in your home, although the lower efficiency filters are not a substitute for quality air purifier coverage. Regularly changing your HVAC and furnace filters not only helps keep your air cleaner, but can also save you on your utility bills by maintaining the system’s efficiency.

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  Heating & Cooling 





    • Have your hot water heater, HVAC and heating systems inspected. It’s much more effective to catch issues with these systems before they cause a much bigger and more expensive problem.

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  Lighting 





    • Change out low efficiency incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs or other energy efficient options. Today you have many choices in intensities, from the familar soft white similar to an incandescent bulb (2700-3000K) to options closer to full daylight (5000K), as well dimming and color options if you want to spend a bit more.

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  Bathroom 





    • Check the caulking in all of your showers or bathtubs for cracking and mildew. Not only is this an uplevel in appearance, but it can help you avoid expensive leaks.
    • Inspect your toilet for leaks and replace the hardware in the tank if needed. By adding a bit of food coloring to the water in the tank, you can quickly see if water is silently seeping into your toilet bowl. Toilet hardware is cheap and relatively easy to change, so it’s a great way to make sure you’re conserving water.

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  Kitchen 





    • Check your refrigerator door seals for leaks by closing the door on a piece of paper. If the paper falls out, you have a potentially energy sucking issue. Also, you can maintain your refrigerator’s efficiency levels by semi-regularly vacuuming the dust of the refrigeration coils.
    • Freshen up your kitchen sink disposal system with some vinegar ice cubes. Freeze apple cider vinegar in an ice tray and then run the cubes through your disposal. Not only will this freshen up the disposal, but it will also sharpen the blades.

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  Outdoors 





    • Do a visual inspection of trees and branches around your home to make sure they aren’t interfering with electricity or phone lines. Consider hiring a professional for a trim if you see any issues, or branches that could be felled onto lines in storm.







Our Fresh Air Maintenance Recommendations



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 First Line of Defense




One of the simplest ways you can begin to clean the air in your home starts with your HVAC and furnace filters. By changing out these filter on a regular basis you are making sure that the air circulated through your home is free of the largest dust particles. Regular changes also makes sure that your HVAC system is not laboring too much trying to push air through a dirty filter.





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 The First Place to put an Air Purifier





It may be surprising to some, but your bedroom is by far the highest priority for air purifier coverage if you want to enjoy the benefits of clean air. You spend a lot of time there, and the benefits of clean air while you’re sleeping can’t be overstated. Key considerations for bedroom units include:

  • Coverage area
  • Noise levels
  • Design



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 Covering the Community Spaces





Once your bedroom is covered, you should turn to covering the open areas of your home that get a lot of traffic like your living room or dining area. These spaces need the beefiest units, but the side benefit is that you are providing your guests clean air in your community spaces. Also, once only designed as practical appliances, the cutting edge air purifiers give you choices in finish and color to compliment your home decor. Key considerations for larger areas include:

  • Design
  • Coverage area
  • Filter type (choose filters with a layer of carbon to remove odor and chemicals)



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 The Nooks & Crannies





Smaller areas of your home are sometimes overlooked, but if they are closed off or isolated from other parts of your home, consider an air purifier with a small footprint like a tower unit. Guest rooms, offices and workshops or studios are perfect places for these smaller air purifiers. Considerations include:

  • Coverage area
  • Noise Levels
  • Size



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 Last But Not Least




It’s always smart to make sure that your current air purifiers have fresh filters. Check your manufacturer’s recommendations on filter change interval, but a good rule of thumb is that if it’s been a year, you probably need to think about a new filter. New HEPA filters give you the added benefit of renewed efficiency and renewed effectiveness, especially if they also have a layer of carbon.



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Special thanks to:

  1. ahs.com
  2. moneycrashers.com
  3. artofmanliness.com