Care and maintenance keeps your home looking good.
Living on your own, with your spouse or significant other for the first time is an exciting new phase of life. The new responsibilities associated with home-ownership often temper the excitement. Keeping both a well-manicured exterior and a clean interior is a lot of work. Many new homeowners have little or no experience with household upkeep. Overwhelmed with new tasks, projects and maintenance leaves many wondering what to do and where to start. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Routine Interior Care
1. Dust all furniture, televisions, stereos, bookshelves and pictures with a soft dust rag. Begin at the top and work your way down. Starting at the top allows dust to fall to the lower areas and then you whisk it away.
2. Apply glass cleaner to windows and mirrors and wipe with lint-free paper towels.
3. Spray showers, bathtubs and sinks with an all-purpose cleaner and wipe clean with a damp rag. Dry with a rag to avoid water spots. Pour or spray toilet bowl cleaner into toilets and scrub with a toilet brush.
4. Wipe counter tops with a damp sponge to remove dust and surface dirt. Remove stove grates and wipe the stove with a damp sponge. Use a grease-fighting stove cleaner to remove grease and grime. Wipe the front of the refrigerator and handles with a damp rag.
5. Sweep or vacuum all floors throughout the house. Mop hard surface floors with the appropriate surface cleaner and a sponge or string mop. Dry the floor to avoid water streaks and spots.
Routine Exterior Care
6. Mow the grass with a power lawnmower or reel lawnmower. Cut the grass as necessary to maintain the desired lawn height.
7. Pull weeds from flowerbeds, lawns and between masonry surfaces. Pulling weeds as they crop up saves time later when they overtake your space.
8. Sweep the patio, porch, deck, driveway and sidewalk to remove all debris and dirt.
Periodic Interior Care
9. Apply wood paste-wax to wood furniture. Allow the wax to dry to a white haze and buff with a soft cloth to remove the wax.
10. Spread floor wax over floors with a lamb's wool applicator. Allow the wax to dry to a white haze and buff the floor with a rotary buffer.
11. Seal natural stone floors and counter tops with sealant to prevent staining. Seal grout lines between tiles with a grout sealer.
12. Remove window treatments and launder according to the manufacturer's directions
13. Empty the refrigerator of its contents. Take out the shelves and wash them with warm soapy water. Dry thoroughly with a rag. Wipe all interior surfaces with warm soapy water or an all-purpose cleaner. Rinse and dry thoroughly.
Periodic Exterior Care
14. Access gutters with a tall stepladder or extension ladder. Remove the accumulated leaves and debris to allow water to flow freely through the gutters and downspouts.
15. Wash the exterior windows with glass cleaner and wipe clean with lint-free paper towels. Wash the siding with a mild detergent and water. Use a long-handled broom to scrub away stains. Apply a mold and mildew remover to get kill mold and mildew growth. Wash outdoor furniture with a mild detergent and scrub stains away with a scrub brush. Spray the furniture with a garden hose to rinse off soap reside.
16. Clean and seal wood decks and fences with weatherproofing sealant. Roll on weatherproofing paint or clear coat with a long-handled paint roller.
17.Apply fertilizers and herbicides to lawns and flower beds as directed by the fertilizer or herbicide manufacturer.
18. Change batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors every six months to keep you and your family safe. Have your furnace and chimney professionally cleaned before the start of each heating season to remove hazardous buildups.
Occasional Home Care
19. Scrape, wash and repaint painted interior and exterior surfaces.
20. Inspect roofing shingles and chimney flashing for lifted areas. Nail in lifted shingles with roofing nails. Apply roofing tar to gaps around chimney flashing to seal it from water entry.
21. Use caulk to seal cracks and crevices around windows and doors. Remove and replace split or pulling bathtub caulk and replace it with new caulk.
22. Scrape paint off wrought-iron railings with a wire brush. Wash the railing and repaint with a rust-inhibiting paint.
Tags: with damp, Allow white, Allow white haze, all-purpose cleaner, avoid water, chimney flashing
