I think most of us have experienced a time when we’ve looked around the house and seen that we have left a large number of household jobs for too long. As a Sydney maintenance electrician I know that it can all get out of hand pretty quickly, even for the proudest home owner. All of a sudden there are Autumn leaves all over the yard and driveway, your gutters are clogged, there’s a lamp with a blown globe, your carpets have a few odd stains, your oven needs a clean and now that it’s getting dark earlier you haven’t got around to making sure the garden lights are still working. So, inevitably, you spend your weekend getting down to business.
You can avoid letting your Sundays become a day-long maintenance project by keeping up with home maintenance bit by bit, so that all those tasks don’t pile up and become unruly.
We’ve put together a “no brainer” home maintenance list for you to save your Sundays.
- Date your light bulbs – Replacing all your light bulbs at the same time will make for less unexpected globe blows at inconvenient times. Write a date on the side of the globe with a permanent marker so that you know when it might be time to replace them again. If you’re finding that your light bulbs are blowing often it can be for multiple reasons. Electric Express, your Sydney maintenance electrician, can see if there’s a loose connection in the lamp fixture or install higher quality, energy efficient bulbs to avoid the problem.
- Clean your stove’s rangehood filter and your oven – Removing the grease build up in your stove’s range hood and the buildup of grease and grime in the oven will not only make for better cooking conditions but can also reduce the risk of kitchen fires.
- Test your smoke alarms – This one is really important. Our smoke detectors are often overlooked despite the fact that they could save a life. Set a reminder in your calendar to check the batteries in your smoke detectors every 3-6 months. A good time to check your smoke detectors is at the beginning and end of daylight savings time. Alternatively, book in a regular Sydney maintenance electrician appointment annually and we can take care of the smoke detector tests for you.
- Clean your gutters – Blocked gutters can often lead to broken gutters. Avoid this by getting up on the roof after Autumn and clearing out the build up. Do you hate having to clean your gutters? Installing mesh over your gutters can solve the problem. This will ensure water can flow through without leaves, sticks and other debris building up.
- Clean and drain your water heater – If it’s been a few years since you drained your hot water heater to remove sediment, or you’ve never done it, it’s probably time. While this doesn’t have to happen every year by draining it every couple of years you will ensure it continues to function optimally.
- Check for frayed cords and wires – Frayed wiring, dodgy power points or broken cords are a recipe for disaster and frankly, they just aren’t safe. While you will probably notice most cords that are beginning to fray, have a look at lamps, your iron, your toaster, kettle and other older, well-used appliances to ensure their connections are in safe, working order. As a Sydney maintenance electrician this is something we can check out for you and replace if necessary on our next maintenance call out at your place. That way you won’t have to throw away your appliances prematurely, we can give them a makeover instead.
- Rake the yard – Raking the yard every few weeks during Autumn will ensure your grass doesn’t end up beneath a foot and a half of mouldy leaves. Raking can be a pain so maybe you can put this one on the kid’s chore list instead.
- Clear cobwebs and surface spray outdoor areas – Removing cobwebs and grime from around windows, doors and awnings will keep your home looking top notch. Invest in a surface spray that will deter spiders and insects from making their home there during Winter and it will mean less cleaning in a couple of months’ time. There’s always the option of hiring someone to do this for you, though you can hire this equipment from bunnings.
- Clean refrigerator and clothes dryer coils – Unplug your refrigerator and use a vacuum to remove the buildup that forms on the back of your refrigerator. By cleaning these coils you’ll actually reduce your electricity usage somewhat as when your fridge coils are covered in dirt they can’t release heat effectively. With clean coils your fridge will work more efficiently. This is also important for clothes driers, follow the same steps ensuring the dryer is unplugged before you start.
- Mould in bathrooms due to poor ventilation – It’s quite normal for mould to start to build up in your bathroom and other wet areas. What is important is you stay on top of cleaning it as mould spores can be dangerous to your family’s health. Before you start, make sure you’re wearing a face mask to protect your airways. Use warm water mixed with vinegar and a sponge to remove any mould from walls and ceilings. We recommend eight parts vinegar to two parts water. Once you’ve taken the mould off soak your sponge, rinse the area with just water and dry with a towel.
Tick these jobs off the list a couple at a time rather than all at once so that you aren’t faced with a long weekend of home maintenance. If you would like to book in for our Sydney maintenance electrician service so that we can cross some of these jobs off the list without you having to lift a finger, give me a call today. We can make sure all of your electrical maintenance is up to date so that you can get onto the other things, like delegating maintenance tasks to the kids.
Think we have forgotten a “no brainer” task? Jump onto our Facebook page and let us know!