Maintaining a household is not easy. You have to accomplish so many things and just not enough time to juggle all your responsibilities alongside a full-time job. Chances are that if you focus on one thing at a time, you lose sight of all the others. But don’t worry because many other homeowners share that sentiment with you.
Being an adult in itself is hard work because everything falls on your shoulders. Paying your bills, going to work, and making sure the house is in order—all these will require your constant attention. There can be days when even getting enough sleep or eating a proper meal can feel like a chore.
That’s why if you’re offered a few tips and tricks to make maintaining a house easier, you should grab every opportunity. After all, you’re going to need all the help you can get whether you like it or not. Here are five hacks that you can use to make homeownership feel less taxing than it normally is:
Hack #1: Keep All Documents in One Place
As a homeowner, you’re going to encounter a lot of paperwork involving your home. This can be documents, appliances warranties, repair receipts, or insurance papers, to name a few. You never know when you’re going to need them, but it can be helpful if you can keep them all in one place.
For instance, you can buy a binder or an envelope with divisions so you can keep the documents organized. This will allow you to have easy access to the important documents when you need them instead of turning the house upside down every time you’re looking for a piece of paper.
Hack #2: Don’t Skimp on Professional Services
If you tend to live on a tight budget, then you’re probably not very keen on spending money on things that you can do yourself. However, going the DIY route can be more costly and counterproductive, especially if you’re dealing with an infestation problem of ants, rodents, mosquitoes, or termites.
The reason for this is that pests can be impossible to control on your own. And if you do manage to control them by using store-bought pesticides, you might put your health at risk if you accidentally ingest or inhale the fumes of harmful chemicals. Remember that improper handling of pesticides can do more harm than good.
That’s why if the situation is calling for professionals, you have to make some room in your budget to accommodate the sudden expense. Don’t skimp out on money if it will compromise your safety in the process. Instead, call pest control services to take care of the infestation problem for you.
Hack #3: Reverse Your Ceiling Fan Blades
Not many people know this, but there’s actually a switch on the ceiling fan that can reverse the direction of the blades. This is an important hack because it can help your HVAC system run more efficiently while saving you money during temperamental weathers, or simply when the seasons are changing.
In winter, your fan blades should be moving in a clockwise direction so that they can push the warm air back down and pull the cold air up to the ceiling. On the other hand, it should move in a counterclockwise direction in summer so that the colder air will be pushed down to cool the entire room.
Hack #4: Vinegar Is an All-purpose Cleaner
Vinegar is not just a condiment; it’s also an organic all-purpose solution that can replace cleaning products that use toxic chemicals in the mixture. So make sure that you always have white vinegar in your cupboard alongside another pantry essential: baking soda.
That’s because you can use vinegar and baking soda to make a paste, which you can use to clean out tough stains or remove the grime on your stovetop. You can also mix water and vinegar to deep clean your bathroom tiles. Vinegar can also be used to remove the splatters and smells from your microwave.
Hack #5: The Dishwasher Is Not for Everything
Your dishwasher can be used for a lot of things, but there are some that you should never put inside it. This is because not all cutlery and kitchenware are made equal. Dishwashers use high temperatures to kill the germs and clean the kitchenware effectively, so it’s important to know what should and shouldn’t be placed in it.
The list for what you can’t put inside the dishwasher isn’t long but it includes things like expensive china and family heirlooms that can easily break, dishwashing soap, plastic containers that can melt, any wooden kitchenware, cheese grater, kitchen knives, or your pet’s food bowl.
Don’t let your adult responsibilities take the fun out of finally having a home for yourself. It’s understandable if your duties and responsibilities as a homeowner can be stressful at times, but too much stress will only dampen your spirits. Instead of dwelling on your responsibilities, actively seek out ways and solutions to make the job easier.
