Seasonal maintenance routines
As important as it is to regularly clean and declutter our homes, regular home maintenance is equally essential to being a mindful homeowner and creating a happy, healthy and safe home. Having a seasonal routine will help you prioritize and complete your maintenance tasks sooner – and help create a space you love to come home to each day.
The season of change: Fall
Fall is the perfect time to take on home maintenance projects and deep clean your home. Make a checklist of things you can accomplish both in and outside the home to help you get ready for fall. Here are five common home maintenance and cleaning tasks to prioritize this fall:
Avoid a plumbing disaster or frozen interior pipes this winter by disconnecting water to outdoor faucets. Inspect your fireplace or wood stove for potential hazards, such as rusted grates or soot build-up that could cause a fire. Check and clean your chimney flue. Inspect your roofing. You’ll want to look for any damaged, loose or missing shingles. Make sure you replace them before winter to avoid any damage to your home from possible leaks. Check for pest and/or rodent infestation. Be on the lookout for signs of unwanted pests like rats or mice living in your home. Check your garage, basement, and attic. If you see fresh droppings, nests, or gnaw marks, it’s probably time to call in your local pest control professional. Schedule annual maintenance tasks. Clean smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and change batteries. Inspect dryer vents and clean if needed. Get your carpets professionally cleaned if it’s been more than 12-18 months since they were last cleaned. Home improvement projects
Cooler fall weather isn’t just perfect for cleaning and decluttering your home. It’s also the best season to complete home improvement and remodeling projects you’ve been putting off or wanting to finish before the colder winter months.
The holiday season: kitchen upgrades
With the holiday season quickly approaching, it’s a great time to make changes or updates to your home in order to prepare for added foot traffic in your home. As a mindful homeowner, you’ll want to plan ahead, so you can complete these projects on time.
If you’ve been waiting on making updates to your kitchen, now is the time to begin. Kitchens are often the main hub for many families to gather, converse, and celebrate together, especially during the holidays. Consider your budget and project goals. Once you know what you want to accomplish, you can find out and what it might cost to renovate your kitchen and go from there.
A complete renovation presents an opportunity to give your kitchen a complete overhaul. You can create your dream kitchen, one that’s equipped with everything you need to keep a clean and tidy home. You may want to hire a project planner or professional organizer to help plan out cabinetry.
Keep in mind that the easier you make it on yourself to avoid a cluttered space, the easier it is to maintain it. Consider things like pull-out shelves or hanging racks – easy, affordable upgrades for those of us who plan to age in the home we know and love.
If you aren’t looking to take on a full renovation project, you can still create a more maintenance-free environment in time for the holidays. For example: Think about replacing outdated home appliances with newer, smarter versions that make cooking easier.
Smart appliances can help you save money, time, and energy. Plus, many smart kitchen appliances connect with apps on your smartphone, allowing more time to relax and enjoy your family and guests.
If you don’t plan to update appliances, now’s a good time to make sure your current ones are in working order. You don’t want to deal with expensive repairs during the upcoming holiday season!
Start by making sure that the temperature of your refrigerator is properly set. Then schedule time to clean out your refrigerator. Toss expired items and donate unopened items you know you won’t use in time. Take all items out to deep clean drawers. Then replace items and organize as needed with containers to organize and maximize your refrigerator storage space.
Develop a year-round schedule and stick to it
Maintaining your home year-round is part of being a responsible and mindful homeowner. Here are ways to accomplish this throughout each season:
All in all, being a mindful homeowner starts with prioritizing regular cleaning and maintenance, as well as keeping up with seasonal tasks both inside and out. Once you have a set schedule, you’ll be able to quickly and easily get things done around the house, so you can relax and enjoy your home, whatever the season.
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Jessica loves writing uplifting and inspiring content about cleaning, home maintenance and renovations to help homeowners get maximum enjoyment from their homes.
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The post How to Be a More Mindful Homeowner appeared first on Declutter Your Life with Donna Smallin Kuper.
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