Don't feel bad about it.
Don’t neglect your most valuable asset. Caring for your home is essential as research shows
that for every $1 spent on maintenance up to $100 of repairs can be saved.
Cleaning gutters regularly (twice a year) is important in keeping water flowing where you want instead of causing damage to your basement or crawlspace. Clogged gutters can freeze in the winter and be a cause for time consuming and costly repair.
Take a walk around your house from time to time. Check for issues like rotting wood where insect infestations can grow. Check the foundation of your house for cracks. Minor vertical cracks are normal but major cracks or ones that run horizontally are a big problem.
A fire in your home can be a disaster. Make sure you have a fire extinguisher that’s easy to get to in case a fire breaks out. Check the gauge on your extinguisher and make sure they work. A fire extinguisher is no good if it doesn’t work properly.
Weather proofing is important if you want to keep your home warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. Without it your heating and cooling costs will rise as your AC and/or furnace will have to work harder to keep your home comfortable. Caulking is a handy tool for this kind of weather proofing.
Research shows that 20 percent of the air moving through a home’s HVAC ducts is lost due to poor connections, holes, or bad insulation. Sealing your ducts can help save on heating and cooling costs. It’s worth the effort.
Use duct tape to seal any obvious leaks.
If not maintained, a fridge can ramp up energy costs because it needs to work harder to do its job. Check the coils on the back of the fridge. Coolant keeps your fridge cool, with dust and hair build-up the exchange of heat and cold can be hindered. With this simple maintenance you can save on costs.
It’s easy to see if a toilet it leaking on the outside but toilets can also leak on the inside. Leaky toilets can waste up to 1,000 gallons of water per day. This is an easy thing to look for and requires food colouring. With 20 - 25 drops in the upper tank, wait without flushing for 15 minutes. If the bowl is clear, no leaks.