Owning a house is most of the population’s dream but how you keep it functional throughout the years is something that few are concerned of. Most people believe that once they buy a home and fully furnish it they should stop investing in it and simply enjoy its view and facilities. But, as much as we would love to, not looking after your house at least once in a while can lead to capital restorations and bills of thousands of dollars after a few years.

Kitchen appliances, faucets, toilets, air systems and ventilations, roofs, patios, furniture – everything your house is made of should receive a facelift after a few years in order to avoid investing much more when they start to crack and need replacing. Thus, in order to maintain a harmonious house both on the outside and on the inside, here a list of home maintenance tips you should all take into consideration sooner or later:

 

Toilets

Water leaks can often cause further damage if not treated and fixed accordingly in a fashionable time. If you want to avoid paying costly bills to a plumber, make sure to check your toilets regularly for any leaks, uncharacteristic smells or anything that might go wrong. The easiest way to see if your toilet is leaking is to add some food coloring into the toilet’s water tank and let it set for an hour. If when you come back the original color has diffused, turning into a different color, than your toilet is leaking.

 

Ventilation systems

 

Ventilation systems have the ability to set hot and cold water into motion throughout the house, offering you heat during the winter and coldness in the summer days. However, unclean filters often cause plenty of health issues, including respiratory problems such as asthma or heavily breathing.

 

Unclean filters represent one of the main sources of bacteria and fungus which could determine a bad health condition. Thus, it is recommended that you check your ventilation system at least once a year and change the filters. This also applies to your A/C system, in which case you should consider replacing the filters after six months.

 

The roof – the roof is on fire!

 

Avoid using this sentence in real life situations and make sure your roof is always in a good condition. No matter your option when insulating the house and types of materials used for roofing, you should check for cracks, minor burns or other signs of deterioration after five years.

 

You should also pressure wash your roof periodically to eliminate staining, mold, and mildew.

 

Although good roofs could last a lifetime and most contractors offer at least 20 years of warrantee for their durable services, weather conditions are truly the ones determining the usage of your roof. It comes as no surprise that heavy weather conditions (abundant rains, heavy snows, storms, tornados) can affect the structure of your roof, thus you should consider checking for cracks and holes even more often.

 

Paint

 

What better way to rejuvenate your entire house if not by applying a brand new layer of paint all over? Paint can also cover for plenty of bacteria and cause the apparition of mold when it is infiltrated by water. Avoid this by applying special antifungal anti-water paints and repainting the exterior of your house once every 5-6 years.