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New homes, renovated homes, old homes. They all require a bit of TLC from time to time. Between builder’s dust from renovations and the wear and tear of just living in your dream home, there’s always a list of things to maintain, clean and repair. Whether you call it “Spring Cleaning” or a chore, industry leading home builder Better Built Homes reckons we could all do with some of their effortless home maintenance hacks. Discover five of the best home maintenance and repair hacks that promise to make life easier.
Before You Start Home Maintenance and Repair
- Make a plan by organising your home maintenance and repair jobs by room to make them more straightforward to complete.
- The best-laid plans always have enough time to get the job done. No one likes to see a half-maintained room.
- Gather your supplies so you don’t spend all day running back and forth for equipment.
- Enlist some help because many hands make light work.
1. To The Windows
If you want to clean interior windows without streaks and water spots, avoid glass cleaners based on ammonia or alcohol. Instead, go natural with a DIY vinegar-based solution. Mix one part distilled vinegar to 10 parts warm water in a spray bottle. Then with a lint-free microfibre cloth, get cleaning. Wipe away any residue as soon as you can with a second cloth to prevent streaks. Ensuring your windows are crystal clear is a sure-fire way to improve the liveability of your home and will make all the difference.
2. To The Walls
Looking for how to get marks off walls without removing paint? Avoid abrasive and harsh materials like ammonia and hard bristles. A dry brush or cloth is the best way to remove stains from walls without damaging paint or plasterboard. A damp microfibre towel may be necessary to remove more stubborn dust deposits – just be sure to do a patch test to avoid adding new stains and protect your floor from drips by laying down some paper towels.
3. Plus the carpets and the floors
Carpets, curtains, and upholstered furniture are all significant sources of dust and dirt. Get to work with the vacuum cleaner using a smaller head or nozzle attachment to remove dust from hard-to-reach areas like crevices, folds, and the edge of skirting boards. When vacuuming won’t cut it for your carpet, you might want to look into more specialised cleaning solutions to get rid of stubborn stains.
Before you start to remove stains from tiles and hardwood floors, use your vacuum to clean the interiors of any shelving, bookshelves, and cabinets. Clean from top to bottom by sweeping the dust downwards and onto the ground where you can vacuum it up for maximum effect. Once the dust has settled, the best way to clean tile floors is by mopping and polishing. If you don’t have access to a mop, a soft, microfibre towel is a great alternative.
4. How to keep dust out of your house?
Dust is unavoidable, but you can minimise it with a few simple tips. From construction, renovation, and daily living, Small dust particles will inevitably end up in your air conditioner vents, making home ventilation cleaning a must-do step in your cleaning process. To do this, remove all the vent covers in the renovated area, wash them with soapy water before letting them dry completely. Even if they don’t look dirty, you should regularly replace the filters with new ones, as dust particles are virtually microscopic, making it impossible to see with the human eye.
Investing in a doormat is an easy way to reduce the amount of dust that enters your home. Dust makes up a large proportion of small dirt particles so a quality bristle top doormat will trap the majority of dust before it makes it through your front door.
Avoid tools like dusters which don’t actually trap dust but moves them around instead, as seen in this study. We recommend microfibre cloths for most surfaces and lint rollers for more delicate surfaces like lampshades and light fixtures to ensure you remove the most amount of dust.
5. Overlooked Maintenance
After completing the bigger jobs, it’s onto the lesser-known maintenance jobs that often get overlooked. Some of the most commonly overlooked cleaning and repair jobs inside the home include:
- Light Fixtures
- Lampshades and chandeliers
- Ceiling fan blades
- All electronic devices (TVs, computers, remotes, and phones)
- Accessories like mirrors, coat hooks, and curtain rails
- Decorations like picture frames, vases, and figurines
Conclusion
Home maintenance shouldn’t be as hard as people make it out to be. Tick all of our simple home maintenance tips off, and you’re guaranteed to have a cleaner, more liveable house. To find more cleaning tips for your home, check out our guide here!
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