It’s easy to work on improving the parts of your home you can see, like your decorations, furniture, and walls. However, sometimes the areas that need the most care aren’t obviously visible.
Here are some of the most forgotten areas in your home that should be cleaned and upgraded more often.
Table of Contents
1. Air Ducts & Vents
How long has it been since you last cleaned or replaced your air vents?
Your air ducts are essential to a healthy, comfortable home – they circulate the hot and cold air into and out of each room. Over time, your ducts and filters will become contaminated with dust and other kinds of dirt like pet dander, pollen, and mildew. All of these irritants can cause serious allergy and health problems for your family over time.
Additionally, a dirty air filter can cause your home to smell funky. Trapped dust particles and dirt give your space a musty smell. Vent filters can also trap tobacco smoke, paint fumes, cleaning agents, and other strong odors.
The National Air Duct Cleaners Association recommends cleaning your ducts every three to five years. If you have pets, family members with serious allergies, or smokers in your home, you will need to do this more often.
Your air filter should be changed every 90 days in order to keep the system running at full efficiency. Again, this is just a rule of thumb – your home may require more frequent changes or cleanings due to family conditions or pets.
2. Pipework
You might know quite a bit about home maintenance, but do you know much about caring for your plumbing system?
Clogged drains, high water pressure, leaks, and contaminated pipes can lead to expensive repairs when things go wrong. The best way to protect your house and avoid any extensive plumbing work is to maintain your pipes – just like you would any other part of your house.
To stay on the safe side, consulting a trusted plumbing company on a yearly basis to have a thorough inspection conducted is recommended. A professional will have the knowledge to point out pipes that need extra insulation for cold weather, leaks that are forming, and small problems that could turn into big issues.
Although it might seem like a hassle to worry about pipes you rarely see or think about, it’s smart to be proactive when it comes to your plumbing system. The more you ignore it, the higher your risk of a plumbing accident becomes.
3. Roof and Gutters
Gutter cleaning and roof maintenance are essential parts of protecting your home and maintaining a like-new appearance.
Over time, your gutters collect quite a bit of debris – from leaves and twigs to dirt and animal contaminants. When gutters are full of debris, runoff water does not drain properly. This can cause problems with roof leaks and affect the foundation of the home.
According to Angie’s List, you should clean out your gutters at least twice a year, maybe more if you have lots of trees and animals on your property.
Similarly, you should schedule a roof inspection twice a year if you want to keep up with maintenance. Professionals can help remove overhanging tree branches that could penetrate the roof surface, as well as clutter like dirt, rocks, and branches.
4. Baseboards
You might vacuum, sweep, and mop often, but how regularly do you take a close look at the baseboards of your house? Many of them pick up a fair amount of grime, especially in rooms like the kitchen or bathroom.
Many baseboards are covered up by furniture and decorations. At least once a month, try to go over all of the baseboards in your house with a combination of warm water, liquid dish soap, and vinegar. Not only will this improve the overall appearance of your home, but it will ensure that your floors and walls stay clear of nasty grime.
5. Ceiling Fan Blades
Your fans might look clean from below, but more often than not, the blades are trapping a great deal of dust. As soon as you turn on a dusty fan, all those contaminants get hurled around the room!
A couple of times each month, take a microfiber ceiling duster to your fans. These products slip a fluffy cleaner over each blade to clean both the bottom and the top simultaneously. If you’re dealing with a kitchen fan that could be coated in grease and smoke, make sure to wipe them off thoroughly before dusting.
Keeping your ceiling fan blades clean isn’t just hygienic – it’s good for your family’s health. Like your air vent filters, ceiling fan blades can trap irritants that lead to bad allergies and breathing problems.
Added bonus: the more you clean your fan blades, the longer the fan will last before you need to replace it.
Sometimes, the best home improvements are invisible to the naked eye.
Next time you’re considering where to spend a little time and money on your house, go for a hidden spot that really needs some TLC! Your air ducts, gutters, pipes, roof, baseboards, and ceiling fans might not be the most exciting projects to tackle, but taking care of them will seriously improve the comfort and wellbeing of your home!