Large Home Maintenance Tasks You'll Need to Complete Every Few Years

Your home is a considerable investment that requires constant maintenance. Home maintenance is not an easy task given the busy schedule trying to balance work and social life. It's essential to set aside time to ensure all utilities are in good condition for the smooth running of your home. Don't be overwhelmed. Some of the maintenance can run for years before an upgrade. Here is a list of maintenance tasks that save you money.

Check Out the Gutters

Gutters protect the siding, foundation, and roof by controlling rainwater. If not checked for years, they clog, causing the roof to leak or cause water to infiltrate the house. The frequency of cleaning the gutters highly depends on the surrounding environment, i.e., if surrounded by trees or not. Those scared of heights can hire professionals to carry out the task.

Repaint Your Home

Paint protects the walls from rot and water damage giving a home a lovely appearance. However, if not checked for a while, it starts peeling or chipping, which indicates a need for a new coat. The work is ideally done around summer to ensure the paint dries out quickly.

Cleaning the Swimming Pool

Most large homes have swimming pools on their property. It's ideal for treating the water after a while and replacing filters and valves. It's essential to inspect all the equipment around the swimming pool areas to ensure they are in good condition.

Septic Tank Pumping

It's essential to hire septic tank pumping services to get rid of solids and sludge. Some of these particles take time to break down; hence, pumping allows particles to move. Leaving the septic tank unattended can cause filters to clog, preventing water flow to the system.

Inspect HVAC Systems and Boiler

HVAC systems control heat and air in your home. It's essential to schedule system checkups and to serve with a technician. Technicians carry out several services like checking the ductwork for damages, cleaning and servicing the A/C compressor and furnace. If you have steam heat, then draining your boiler will clear accumulated sediment.

Check Out Your Plumbing

To ensure an uninterrupted water supply, check out the pipes to ensure no leaks. Other areas to check for water leakage are the walls and the ceiling. Ensure the flapper in the toilet tank isn't worn out and the faucets are not dripping. These two are likely to increase your utility bill, which homeowners can prevent.

Every homeowner should maintain their home to ensure it's in good condition. Regular maintenance protects homeowners from incurring high costs in repair.

10 Space-Saving Tips to Organize a Pantry for Small Kitchens

When you have a small kitchen, it can be challenging to maneuver your way around it. It can also be tough to keep things neat because there are many food items and tools you need to use in the kitchen.

The problem is that your small kitchen will only look smaller if you leave things disorganized.

If you're looking for organizing tips for your small kitchen, this article is for you. Read on to find ten helpful space-saving tips that can help make your kitchen pantry look spic and span.

Sort by category

You should organize or sort items together that fall under the same category so that you won't have a hard time looking for them when you need them. Grouping them also makes it a lot easier to know how you're supposed to organize your small kitchen and which cabinet should have which items.

To begin your kitchen organization journey, here are a few pantry organization categories that you can use to group your food items:

• Canned Goods

• Baking Items

• Condiments

• Spices

• Pasta/Noodles

• Breakfast Food

• Chips and Snacks

Label everything

It would help if you got into the habit of labeling everything in the kitchen. There's nothing more confusing than having unlabeled containers filled with white powders in them.

It could be flour or baking soda, but what kind of flour could it be? Almond Flour? Bread? Cake?

With a simple label, you could avoid all the confusion.

Aside from the name of whatever you're storing, don't forget to add a few more critical details. For example, if you are reusing leftover bread and have kept it in the freezer, don't forget to add a label to it to know what is in there.

It's also best that you add a date of when you stored them and an expiry date for these opened or used food items to know the viability of these products.

Stack it in style

The inside of pantry cabinets usually has plenty of vertical space that you aren't using as much as you could have. In this case, it would be ideal if you will learn how to get storage solutions and stack them inside.

You don't have to purchase plastic storage solutions that can increase your carbon footprint.

A great alternative would be dim sum steamer baskets which are excellent for storing smaller pantry items, like spices and the like. They're also lovely to look at and neat when you see them in your pantry cabinets.

If you don't have a spare dim sum steamer basket, a bamboo basket is acceptable and does the job well.

Make a built-in pantry

Instead of adding outside storage solutions to your kitchen shelves, why not get a built-in pantry with pre-made shelves. Instead of just being the standard shelves you would expect, you can get creative with it based on your kitchen needs. It's much more convenient, and it's an exciting way to build the inside of your pantry.

Install pull-out shelves and drawers

When you have a small kitchen, it can be much harder to move freely around it. You're likely to cause a mess or get injured when trying to reach items further back from your shelves or cupboard.

If this is an issue that you don't want to have, consider getting and installing pull-out shelves or drawers. Installing pull-out shelves and drawers is undeniably pricey.

However, if you use the kitchen often and use your kitchen shelves all the time, it will be a good idea to invest in these once you have the budget for them.

Hang a pegboard

Another creative way to organize tools and other things in your pantry if you have a small area to work with is to hang a pegboard somewhere. You can use a pegboard to hang all sorts of things.

For example, you can hang any kitchen tools you have. Even spices and nonperishables can stay on the pegboard.

A pegboard pantry can be a great way to store some of the kitchen items that you want to show off. Unlike when they're hidden away inside the pantry shelves and drawers, hanging them on the pegboard gets them the attention they deserve.

Install canned food dispenser

If you have many canned foods in the pantry, you might want to get can-dispensing storage in your pantry. It's a lot fancy, but it simply uses gravity so you can conveniently grab the canned food you need.

Aside from canned goods, you can also use them for canned drinks, and you can use them in the fridge.

Make use of a turntable

A turntable pantry tray is one of the most convenient things to install or add to your pantry. It's a great way of ensuring that you get any stored items and have easy access to them.

Lazy susans and turntables are two good items for having a variety of things. You can even get turntables that have multiple layers so that you make use of that vertical space.

Add some glass canisters

Glass canisters or mason jars are an attractive way of storing food. They're also excellent for storing all sorts of things, especially ones you want to show off. If you have a pantry with no doors on them, glass canisters are excellent. What's even better is that they're reusable, so you can use them wherever and whenever.

Stack plastic containers

If you are using plastic containers, try and take advantage of their durability by stacking them on top of one another.

Again, many concerns about storage issues can be solved by using the available vertical space. So, stacking plastic containers can help keep things organized.

With these ten space-saving tips, you should be able to keep your pantry organized even if you don't have a vast space to work with. From working with vertical space to using clever storage solutions, there is a bevy of kitchen organization tips that you can apply. So, try them in your kitchen today to get an organized kitchen.

Does Artificial Grass Landscaping Add Value to My Home?

Artificial Grass Landscaping is undoubtedly a smart and affordable way of maintaining your lawn. Not only can it add the desired beauty to your property, but it can also increase its overall value in the market in no time. On top of it, it saves you from all the challenges associated with landscaping with natural earth-grown grass. 

With artificial grass, you don’t have to water, mow, plow, grow or trim your yard on a regular basis. Thus, you can also save on your utility bills as it does not require any water or electricity for maintenance.

Moreover, an artificial grass lawn can cast the same vibrant perception that a natural one does, but only better! That’s because unlike natural grass, which tends to turn yellow, brown, and eventually die, synthetic turf does not decay and maintains the same lush greenness for very long durations.

With that being said, let’s take a closer look at some of the major ways artificial grass landscaping can add value to your home:

1.    Artificial grass saves money

Artificial grass is a low-cost solution to natural grass landscaping. 

It does that by eliminating the need for lawn care equipment such as mowers, weed whackers, edgers, fuel, gardener, fertilizers and pesticides etc. 

Also, with almost no water and electricity needed, it can last for years and ends up saving a significant amount of money on your monthly utility bills.

So regardless of whether you want to buy, sell, or renovate your house, landscaping with artificial grass is always going to be a smart investment. 

2.    Artificial grass enhances the “curb appeal”

There’s a reason why property dealers talk so much about “curb appeal”. After all, the first impression is the last impression! And what better way to impress passersby or potential buyers than a beautiful front yard?

A well-maintained lawn not only adds beauty to your surroundings but also leaves a positive mark in the neighborhood as far as cleanliness is concerned.

And synthetic turf does not fade or discolor that easily. Instead, maintain the original color, texture, and height for longer time spans, so you don’t have to lose on your curb appeal ever.

3.    Artificial grass saves water

Water scarcity is a major problem. So, you may not always be able to supply the required amount of water needed to maintain a natural grass lawn.

On the other hand, Artificial grass needs no water at all unless you want to clean a stain or dog poo from it. 

No wonder why vast sports and athletic fields are done using synthetic turf and not natural grass!

4.    Artificial grass needs no maintenance

One of the major challenges with a natural grass lawn is its regular maintenance. And then there’s the size or area, which can further impact the overall cost of equipment and manpower. Plus, it’s something you’ll have to do regularly or every other week, which can take a serious toll on you. 

So, the smart decision here would be to switch to an artificial grass lawn and save yourself from all that fuss. Just contact a synthetic turf supplier, and you can start reaping the economic benefits of an artificial grass lawn like many others.

5.    Artificial grass increases the value of your home

Due to the significant amount of savings including low utility bills, low-maintenance cost, water, and so on. artificial grass can surely increase the value of your home in many ways. 

So even if you’re not planning to sell your property, artificial grass lawn can still be quite economical as compared to natural grass law. 

It’s a modern substitute to natural grass, that looks exactly the same but feels even more luxurious to have in your front yard. 

6.    Artificial grass is non-toxic, and child & pet friendly

Modern technology allows the making and manufacturing of clean and green synthetic grass that poses no threats to children, pets and is totally environment friendly. Many companies give special attention to the safety, durability and cleanliness while engineering these synthetic turfs. They’re made from natural materials such as crushed walnut shells making them completely non-toxic and safe.

High-quality artificial grass also prevents any microbial or bacterial growth, as well as any unpleasant odors.     

Conclusion

Yes, artificial grass can definitely increase the value of your home as high curb appeal is known to boost the market value of a property in real estate. 

From first impression to long-term return on investment, artificial grass lawn is the smartest one-time investment you’ll ever make for years to come. All the while saving on several cost factors associated with traditional landscaping with natural grass. 

While other ways of increasing your home value includes upgrading to high-end finishes, and energy-efficient features, artificial grass landscaping certainly stands tall as a low-cost strategy. Something anyone can do regardless of the budget and purpose.

Make Unpacking Easier When You Move

Planning a move? Moving involves a lot of work, and most people have a hard deadline to meet, which means that they must somehow get packed and organized in time for moving day.

However, not many people plan for the day after the big move. What happens when you reach your new home? It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re surrounded by boxes. What do you unpack first? How do you get started?

Many people start unpacking but at some point, get distracted and put off completing the job. In fact, according to recent stats, it takes the average American nearly six months to finally unpack that last box when they move to a new home. (For some people, it can take even longer!) The good news is that having a plan can take some of the stress out of unpacking.

First, if you hire movers, be sure to check your moving inventory to ensure that everything has arrived safely. Next, move the boxes to their relevant rooms — if the movers didn’t do so already. (Clearly labeling your boxes with their contents and the room in which they belong is essential for this process.)

The order you unpack your boxes may depend on when they arrive in your new home. If they arrive earlier in the day, you may want to unpack your kitchen first. If the boxes arrive later, however, you may want to start unpacking a bathroom and your bedroom, so that you have what you need for a good night’s sleep.

Start with the essentials, such as soap, shampoo, towels, toothbrushes and toothpaste, toilet paper, and other toiletries. That way, you can use the bathroom and shower before bed. Then you can tackle unpacking after a good night’s sleep.

Next, focus on the kitchen. If you’ve moved a refrigerator, position it and let it sit a few hours before plugging it in. Hook up other large appliances, and then unpack smaller appliances such as the microwave, coffee maker, blender and toaster. Unpack your dishes, cutlery, glassware and other cooking tools next.

After the kitchen and bathroom are unpacked, you can tackle your bedroom. Labeling a box with your bed’s linens will make it easier to find and unpack these first. If your bed needs to be assembled, you may want to wait and assemble it the next day. You can always sleep on a mattress on the floor and leave furniture construction for another time.

After you handle these high-traffic rooms, move on to the living room. Arrange furniture first, then set up your television, stereo, gaming system and other devices. If you have one, tackle your home office next, and leave the garage/storage area for last.

For more details about unpacking, check out the accompanying resource by Moving of America.

This infographic was created by Moving of America, a provider of moving services in NJ