A resource for those seeking information on organizing and transforming spaces.

Home Maintenance Ben Soreff Home Maintenance Ben Soreff

Tips and Tools That Can Make Your Routine Home Maintenance Tasks Easier

The work never seems to be done around the house. As soon as you finish taking care of one part of the house, there is always something else that needs to be fixed or cleaned. Fortunately, there are a few tools and tricks that you can use to free up more time to do what you like.

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The work never seems to be done around the house. As soon as you finish taking care of one part of the house, there is always something else that needs to be fixed or cleaned. Fortunately, there are a few tools and tricks that you can use to free up more time to do what you like.

Get a Riding Lawnmower

Mowing the lawn is not only time-consuming, but it's also tiresome. Make the job a lot more fun with a riding lawnmower. It's like having your very own mini tractor. It will help you mow and mulch your lawn, and you can also get a trailer or dump cart to pull behind it. This can help you mow your lawn in record time while also relieving you of having to haul bags of grass clippings and leaves around your property.

Install a Sprinkler System

Rather than spending the day moving a sprinkler around your yard, you can install an automatic sprinkler system to do it for you. Simply set the timer, and your yard and garden will be watered without you needing to lift a finger. You can even set it for late at night or early in the morning while you're sleeping. Your lawn will never turn brown again because you didn't have the time to water it. Before you know it, your yard will be the envy of the neighborhood.

Put in Gutter Guards

Cleaning out the gutters is a necessary task most often done in spring and fall. This helps protect your roof and your home’s foundation from water damage and associated problems. However, installing a gutter guard, such as a Gator Gutter Guard, on your rain gutters can help prevent leaves from falling into your gutters and clogging them, which means you can save time cleaning the gutters. You'll no longer need to get your hands dirty digging rotting leaves out of your gutters. Rather, you can simply sweep them off of the top of the gutter guards and call it a day.

Set Up Shoe Trays

Adopting the Asian custom of removing your shoes before you enter the house is quite practical. Doing so can prevent friends and family from tracking dirt onto the carpet when they visit. Place a shoe tray by your front door as a signal that guests should remove their shoes. Also make sure that you have a stout and sturdy doormat to get the grime off the bottom of shoes. Keeping dirt off the floors in the first place will save time and energy in vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, and carpet cleaning.

Lay Down Drip Pans

Likewise, placing drip pans under where you park your car in the garage will keep the floor clean. Rather than scrubbing grease-stained cement, the grease in the pan can be drained back into a bottle for proper disposal. Most auto parts stores can accept used oil for recycling. This way, you're keeping the environment cleaner as well as your garage. This can also help you spot car problems early on.

These are just a few ideas to lighten the load and make life easier around your home. With a few simple preventative steps, you can reduce the amount of time you spend cleaning and maintaining your home.

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How to Improve the Lifetime and Longevity of Your Home

Many homeowners are faced with the daunting prospect of having to replace their home in a few years because it is showing signs of wear and tear. The good news is that there are many ways you can improve the lifetime and longevity of your home, which will save you money in the long run. In this blog post we'll go over 10 tips that will help make your home last as long as possible.

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Many homeowners are faced with the daunting prospect of having to replace their home in a few years because it is showing signs of wear and tear. The good news is that there are many ways you can improve the lifetime and longevity of your home, which will save you money in the long run. In this blog post we'll go over 10 tips that will help make your home last as long as possible.

Install an Insulation Blanket Over Your Attic Floor

Most homes have attic floors, which are designed to keep cold air from seeping into the house through the insulation in your ceiling. Unfortunately, traditional attic flooring is prone to moisture and rot, especially if you live in a humid climate. A simple fix to this problem is to install a moisture barrier over your attic floor. You can purchase these types of products for less than $50 and they are super easy to install.

Replace Your Windows When They Start Leaking Air or Water

Over time, the seals on windows will start to fail, which makes them more susceptible to air and water leaks. If you notice that your windows are leaking, it's time to replace them. Replacing a window is fairly inexpensive, and will save you money on your energy bill in the long run. We recommend getting your windows replaced every 20 years or whenever you notice any signs of leaking.

Paint Your Exterior Once Every Two Years

Just like your car, your home will need to be stripped and repainted every few years. Make sure you set aside a day or two every year to strip down your house exterior, and buy a new can of primer and paint for the following year. The cost of this project is minimal, and it will ensure your home exterior stays looking nice.

Use Seamless Gutters

If you want seamless gutters on your home, consider using the seamless aluminum gutters or seamless copper guttering. Some companies, like New England’s Best Home Services, know that they can last 50 years without needing replacement.

Use Mold Kits to Test for Poisonous Mold in Your Home

Mold can cause illnesses when it is introduced into the bloodstream, so it's important to make sure you don't have any mold growing away from your eyesight.

These are some of the best ways to extend the lifetime of your home. Some extra measures you can take to increase your home's life span include: finishing basement walls, installing a sump pump, and creating an emergency supply kit for natural disasters.

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Moving Into a 100-Year-Old Home? Improvements You Might Need to Make

When moving into a 100-year-old home, you should expect to have a few things to repair. You need to make sure the house is holding up well and is safe for you to be there. You can make it safer and more comfortable with these tips.

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When moving into a 100-year-old home, you should expect to have a few things to repair. You need to make sure the house is holding up well and is safe for you to be there. You can make it safer and more comfortable with these tips.

Take a Look at the Electricity

When moving into an old house, you might worry about safety. Fires can happen when the electrical system has become outdated, and you need to check it out. If there are any messed up or faulty wires in the house, then the electricians will take care of that and redo things as they need to so that the house will be safe. Before you move into your new home, make sure you know what type of wiring is in the home. You will need to account for updated electrical wiring in your home before closing. 

Make Sure the Foundation Is Holding Up Well

The foundation is another cause of concern in many older homes. If you want to do any remodeling in the house, then you need to be especially cautious of the foundation. You can get house underpinning done to make the foundation sturdier so that you don't have to worry. Check for any cracks in the foundation or bricks on the outside of your home. Fill in cracks to help reduce your energy bill and keep your home sturdy for years to come. 

Check Out the Bathrooms and Plumbing

The bathrooms in an older house may cause you some issues, and you need to check them out. Make sure the plumbing isn't leaking and that there aren't any issues with the toilet or tub. Replace older faucets and things as needed to make the house more modern and comfortable. The appearance of the bathrooms might be outdated as well. While making plumbing improvements, you might also want to do a visual renovation. Remove any old tiles and replace them with modern ones. Old faucets might also need to be replaced. 

Get New Doors or Fix the Squeaks

A problem in many older homes is squeaky doors. If you are having any issues with that, then either replace the doors or oil the hinges. You might want to paint or stain the doors throughout the house, as well, to give them an updated and clean look.

Change Out Light Fixtures and Light Bulbs

If the lighting in the older house is a bit dimmer than you are used to, then you can change that. Replace all the light fixtures with those that look modern and pretty. Put new light bulbs in and increase the wattage and number of bulbs throughout the house to brighten it up. If you are redoing the electrical system, anyway, then have a few more lights put in where you need them.

Take care of the older home well so that it will be safe for you to be there. Make sure things are going well with the plumbing, electricity, and other important components of the home. Make updates where needed and enjoy the special 100-year-old home.

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How To Prevent Clutter From Building up in Your Home

There’s nothing more annoying than coming home to a huge mess. Here’s how you can prevent extra clutter from building up inside your own house.


How To Prevent Clutter From Building up in Your Home

Cluttered homes lead to cluttered minds, and no one wants to live in a place that doesn’t feel relaxing or supportive. Clutter has a nasty habit of seeming to pop up out of nowhere as time goes on. Even if you try to be clean, the little messes tend to pile up quicker than you can deal with them until you’re buried in the clutter. Because it’s so important that our homes be a place where we can feel safe and comfortable, we want you to know how to prevent clutter from building up in your home.

Schedule Regular Purges

Almost everyone is familiar with spring cleaning, but you can’t get by with only an annual deep clean. The clutter will get out of control by then. You need to schedule a few times throughout the month or year when you go through and get rid of what you don’t need. Whether you dump it all into trash bags or donate useful items to a place like the Purple Heart Pickup, it’s a good idea to do frequent purges.

Don’t Keep Things Without a Proper Place

One of the reasons that clutter starts to build up is because things come into your life, and you don’t have a place to live. When you get items like these, you tend just to throw them wherever they might fit. A good rule of thumb is that unless you know exactly where something will go in your house, you don’t need it. Don’t bring in new items if you can’t immediately think of a good place for them.

Go Paperless Wherever Possible

Drowning a bit in paper is fairly common nowadays, but it’s a pretty archaic way of dealing with things like bills and communication. One of the best ways to prevent clutter from building up in your home is to switch to paperless options wherever possible. Not only is it good for the environment, but you also won’t have to deal with mountains of paper that you’re afraid to throw away in case you somehow, someday need them.

Rethink Items Before Bringing Them In

The best way to tackle a problem is to stop it from becoming a problem in the first place. If you struggle with clutter popping up all over the place, be more cognizant of anything you bring inside your home. Everything that goes through your front door could turn into clutter if you’re not careful, so take some extra time to think about the items you want to bring in. You’ll often find that you don’t really need a lot of those items at all, and tossing them right away will save you some cleaning later on.

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