Whether you’re a new homeowner grabbing your first set of keys and discovering the joys of home maintenance for the first time, or you’re a long-time homeowner looking to spruce up your existing pad, there’s never a bad time to check how ‘happy’ your house is. While some things about your house may be visually obvious, like cracked paint or loose floorboards. There are other factors to consider that can’t be detected as obviously. Here are five easy checks you can take to ensure you’re keeping yourself and your family safe.
- Start at the bottom
When contemplating what needs work in a home,it’s easy to overlook what is beneath your feet. It is important to remember that your home’s foundation is the basis on which everything else thrives on. Any issues with the foundation will be sure to have an impact on other areas of your home. In short, happy foundation, happy house. Quad cities foundation repair provides an excellent service for this.
- Check the plumbing
Although plumbing checks are usually just done for new owners of a home, existing owners should still make sure to check the plumbing on your home every few years. This is due to the fact that plumbing systems can become damaged easily if not properly maintained, causing a whole array of issues such as water pressure and temperature issues, as well as more serious problems like leaks, which can cause serious damage to your home.
- Air quality
Checking air quality if in a home is one of the least common types of checks homeowners carry out but can be a great way to assess any unknown problems you have. One way to do air quality checks yourself is to buy an air quality monitor. They will log the air quality in your home by recording; temperature, humidity (which is key for mold) as well as the level of dust particles and allergens in the air.
Although being a considerable price, coming in at around 200 dollars, it’s a great purchase to ensure your homes as safe as it can be.
- Check your alarms
It’s as easy as walking into a different room and starting a new task to forget those batteries we promised we would install. Items such as alarm clocks and remotes are easy to notice when they’re out of charge, as we use them all the time; however, the silent importance of our home alarms is easy to ignore.
Make sure you aren’t one of the 1 in 4 homes that have non-working smoke alarms by checking yours and immediately replacing batteries where needed.
- Carbon Monoxide monitoring
Having a carbon monoxide detector is vital in any home. This is because the gas is odorless and colorless, making it impossible to detect otherwise. The toxic gas claims over 430 lives a year. Ways to avoid carbon monoxide being an issue in your home include never running your car in the garage (if it’s connected), always ensure you have proper ventilation, and never heat your home with a gas range.
