A new paint job? New kitchen appliances? New bathroom décor? New air filters? New copper or plastic pipes?
To some, these all sound like daunting tasks or a wallet eater but all of these gifts we contribute to our home may indeed increase its longevity and value! This idea of “new” or “re-installing” has its benefits down the line just like performing an oil change or tune up for your car, obviously on a longer time frame scale.
There are many opinions out there by contractors when one should change certain things with the home. I will mainly focus on home maintenance that is for the health and well being of you and your family. So, take a deep breath with me and let’s start with your homes air.
Yes, I asked you to take a deep breath because many homes with air conditioning have air filters. If you have allergies while in your home or notice much more dust on the counter tops then it is a good sign that you should change your air filters. You may even need to get the air ducts steamed cleaned out by a professional. It is recommended to change out your air filters once a year! This filtration system helps protect you and your family from unwanted odors, bacteria, pet dander, dust and above all allergies. Many people also have the mini air filters that you can get from tech stores but require you change or clean those twice a week! So, ask yourself when is the last time you changed your filters?
If you have already taken care of the filters then you can breath easier. So, another question you should ask yourself is whether your skin is dryer after a shower? If your showers are foggy, have water spots or a build up of calcium then that means your water has tons of unwanted minerals and contaminates. A good way to fix this is to go above and beyond and get a home water filtration system, which would do wonders for your pipes and your skin! By having a water filtration system you don’t get those water spots, you don’t get the very dry skin feel and you don’t get any calcium build up on faucets. You can go a step further if you know your home has a few leaks or is really outdated to have its piping system re-piped with copper or plastic as well.
While on the subject of water it is also very important to change your refrigerator filter. The filter lasts about 6 to 12 months, which is designed to remove lead, contaminants and other debris from the tap water. This is a filter you do want to change because you may not only be drinking tap from your refrigerator but ice as well.
There are many other gifts you can get your home but I hope you get the idea that you should really start doing the due diligence on your home. If you don’t fix a leak right away then you obviously know it may grow into a bigger problem. However, if you do decide to go for appliances this year for your home then the biggest benefit of all is that the industry has focused on their products to be more cost effective for electricity, water and labor.
I can go on and on of the different gift ideas for your home but they all have one thing in common which is that they are preventive care maintenance and help with the health and well-being of your family. So, with the bonus this year share some of that for the love of your home.
