Services Around Your Home

As you live in your home you will find that there are regular maintenance type things that need to be taken care of. We’ve compiled a quick list of routine maintenance reminders and tips that will help keep your home in the best condition possible.

• It is a good idea to change the battery in your smoke detector(s) once a year, we recommend you do this around the first of the year so that it is easy to remember.
• Have your furnace serviced & cleaned once a year for better efficiency & remember to change out your furnace filter monthly (especially if you have pets!).
• If your dishwasher gets a film from soap build-up, fill the soap dispenser with Tang and run the dishwasher when it is empty. The acid from the Tang will dissolve that soap film and leave your dishwasher sparkling new.
• If you have a wood-burning stove or fireplace and you use it frequently, you should have it inspected annually and cleaned as recommended. This will ensure that your fireplace is as efficient as possible and it will help reduce any potential fire hazard.
• If you have allergies or if you do any major construction (like refinishing your hardwood floors), you may want to consider having your ductwork cleaned. This will help eliminate any extra dust particles from the air & keep your home smelling fresh.
• You NEVER want water standing around the foundation of your home, because it can make the ground move! Make sure that water flows through your gutters properly & that downspouts redirect water away from your home.
• Concrete patios & driveways, and even your garage floors, will crack. Cracks aren’t a big deal as long as both sides of the crack are level. It is a good idea to seal and caulk any concrete crack to prevent water penetration. If you have heaving concrete, then you may want to call a concrete leveling company before you have the whole thing replaced.
• Lawn aeration helps water and fertilizer to get into the roots of your grass and is a good idea if you would like to accelerate the green-up process in the spring.
• If your sprinklers don’t self-drain, be sure to have them blown out no later than October 15, 2005 to avoid an early fall freeze.
• And while we are talking about your yard, if you plan to do any digging, make sure you call to have your utilities marked. If you dig without have them marked and you hit a gas line, you will be responsible for paying the city to have it repaired! Here is the phone number for Colorado Springs Utilities: 719-448-4800.
• If you want to do any improvements to your home, be sure to check with regional building to make sure you don’t need a permit & to ensure you are in-line with any applicable building codes. Here is the website for region building: www.pprbd.com

If you have a maintenance trick that you think others could benefit from, please let us know, and we’ll get it added to our list. Or, if you need help with something around your home, contact us to find out who we are currently recommending as our preferred vendor for any of this work.