This guest post on home hacks is brought to you by Anita Franco from Positec, a manufacturing company that specializes in the production of power tools and lawn and garden equipment.
Some home maintenance tasks are best left to the professionals.
Outdoor jobs, like maintaining your yard with your electric grass trimmer or cordless lawn mower, are typically more straight forward than indoor tasks. Obviously, you don’t want to cause more damage because you weren’t prepared for the job.
That said, here are 10 DIY home hacks you can probably handle on your own that will blow your mind!
10 Hacks to Repair and Improve Your Home
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Leaky Faucets
Leaky faucets typically need new seat washers. These are the washers inside the faucet, and they are generally easy to replace.
All you have to do is turn off the water supply, unscrew the handle, and remove the old washer, inserting a new one of a similar size in its place.
This should fix the problem. If it doesn’t, contact a plumber.
Water Heaters
Have you ever stepped into the shower, only to find the shower head won’t deliver any hot water?
This likely means that sediment has settled at the bottom of your water heater’s tank. This is a common problem. It’s also the main reason experts recommend flushing your water heater once a year.
To do so, turn off the water heater’s power and water supply. Flip the circuit off (if it’s an electric heater) or set the thermostat to the pilot position (if it’s a gas heater).
Once you’ve done so, find the drain fitting on the tank’s bottom, and attach a water hose, making sure the other end of the hose will allow hot water to safely drain away from your property. Make sure no other hot water faucets in the home are on, then open the drain valve and turn the water supply back on to drain out the sediment.
Once you’ve drained the heater, close the drain valve, refill your tank, and then restore power.
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Clogged Drains
You can avoid clogged drains simply by covering the drain opening with a strainer or filter. However, if a drain is clogged, it’s often possible to remove the blockage yourself with a drain snake.
Don’t use chemical products to clear your drains because these can damage your pipes. You’re better off calling a professional instead.
Air Conditioners
Maintaining an air conditioner involves checking the condensation hose on a regular basis for signs of standing water. If you see any, it means water isn’t flowing away from the line as it should.
To fix this – create a small drainage path with a trowel. To guard against mold and similar organisms – line the path with gravel.
Air Filter
Your air filter ensures your heating and cooling system runs efficiently.
When the filter is clogged, the system needs to use more energy, resulting in high bills (and wear-and-tear).
Thus, you should replace the filter at least every month. Doing so is as easy as following the basic manufacturer instructions for your system.
Paint
Painting the entire interior of your home may be a daunting task, for some.
However, you can give faded, chipped, and dirty paint a touch up to breathe new life into a room.
Just use the exact same color you previously used (make sure you’re saving your old paint cans!) and paint over any spots that need a new coat.
Once the paint dries – the room will look perfect.
Humidifiers
Make sure you drain in-duct humidifiers in your climate control system at the end of winter and close the water valve. This will guard against mold growth.
You might also want to clean the reservoir with a mixture of water and white vinegar.
RELATED: Air Purifier | 4 Ways to Purify Indoor Air Naturally
Refrigerator Seals
A tight refrigerator seal ensures your fridge operates as efficiently as possible.
Test your seal by closing the refrigerator door on a dollar bill. You shouldn’t be able to remove the bill easily. If you can, head to your local hardware store and purchase replacement seals.
To install the replacement seals – follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Drafts
Don’t let drafty windows lead to high energy bills.
Regularly inspect the caulk line, and remove the line with a box cutter or oscillating tool blades if the line appears excessively dirty and/or cracked.
Then, apply the new caulk in the same spot.
Gutters
Gutters direct water away from your home. That’s why you need to clean them at least once a year.
Cleaning your gutters doesn’t just involve removing debris. Once all debris is gone, you should also run water down the gutters to thoroughly clean them.
Again, some home maintenance tasks require professional help. That doesn’t mean you need to pay an expert every time you’re performing basic upkeep.
CHECK THIS OUT: 9 Kitchen Hacks Using Alkaline Water
A Home Hack to Improve Your Health
The examples above are some of the more commonplace tasks virtually all homeowners can tackle.
One home hack that we didn’t cover above that you can use to improve the aesthetics and performance of your kitchen (as well as your health) is to install a Tyent Water Ionizer!
By installing a water ionizer in your kitchen – you’ll be able to make alkaline hydrogen water that is clean and safe for the entire family to drink – and benefit from!
Have any neat DIY home hacks that you like to use to maintain your home? We’d love to learn about them – so please share your favorite home hacks with us in the comments below!
Up Next:
- How to Use the Amazing Tyent Water Ionizer! [INFOGRAPHIC]
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I own a Tyent water ionizer and am very happy with my machine.
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