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Teresa's Timely Tips Newsletter
| Click on the desired content to be directed to that information without having to scroll down. | Fall Newsletter Content:
Tips for Your Home This Fall
Household Problem Solving Tips Part I
Household Problem Solving Tips Part II
How to Declutter Part I
How to Declutter Part II
Real Estate Update
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| What feels better than freshening up the house after a long winter stuck inside? Nothing, except maybe, to do a thorough house cleaning before that cold season spent indoors. There's plenty of household tasks that it just makes sense to tackle in the fall, including some regular maintenance jobs. If you're going to spend the majority of time over the next several months inside, why not make it a comfortable, energy-efficient and organized one? Cleaning and home maintenance experts say there is plenty to do around the house in the fall.
Fall cleanup - Any deep cleaning you didn't get to this spring should probably be done this fall, said Chris Miller of Household Help Inc She suggests doing tasks such as:
* Turning over your mattress and washing all of your bedding, including comforters and blankets.
* Getting your carpets professionally cleaned. Think of all the sand and grass clippings that have been walked in on your flip-flops this summer.
* Cleaning your windows, inside and out, including in between the sills. Many new windows have UV filters and aren't supposed to be cleaned with glass cleaners. Instead, experts suggest buying some microfiber towels. You can get them at the dollar store. Take a microfiber cloth and get it damp with warm water, Wipe the window, then use a dry microfiber cloth to dry it. Other deep-cleaning ideas for the fall from the Web site organizedhome.com include:
* Cleaning your house from top to bottom, focusing on public rooms such as the living room, family room, entryway and guest bath.
* Get out the vacuum. Vacuum the drapes, window treatments, baseboards and in the corners. Move furniture and vacuum beneath and behind it. Vacuum upholstered furniture, or have professionally cleaned if needed. Pull the refrigerator away from the wall, and vacuum the condenser coils. For bottom-mounted coils, use a long, narrow brush to clean coils of dust and debris.
Home maintenance - Before the chilly weather of fall begins, make sure your furnace is tuned up for the winter and change the filter, said Miller. She said homeowners with a fireplace should check the flue and have the fireplace cleaned if it is wood burning. Fall is also a good time to have your air ducts cleaned. Greg Kruchko, the owner of the local Mr. Handyman, said one of the biggest must-do tasks of the season is to clean your home's gutters. If you don't clean out your gutters, you run the risk of water building up in them during cold weather. This can cause "ice damming," Kruchko said. "That will ruin a roof." It's also a great time to install gutter protectors that keep debris, like falling leaves, out of the gutters, he said. Other home maintenance tasks for the fall include: Examining your chimney for any damage, Kruchko suggests.
* Putting away summer equipment, such as outdoor tables and chairs, umbrellas, grills and children's toys.
* Touching up paint on decks, trim and railings, says organizedhome.com. Use a wire brush to remove flaking paint; prime bare wood first.
* Draining and storing garden hoses, the site recommends. Install insulating covers on exterior spigots and have sprinkler systems blown free of water.
* Inspecting washing machine hoses for bulges, cracks or splits. Replace them every other year.
* Checking the dryer exhaust tube and vent for built-up lint, debris or birds' nests. Make sure the exterior vent door closes tightly when not in use.
Beware of Bugs
Cindy Wysocki, owner of Maid in Racine said she finds more cobwebs in homes in the fall, because the spiders are coming in to get out of the cold. Bugs and mice are looking for a warm place to stay for the winter. It's probably a good time to look for rotted, cracked or damaged wood around the house, which is the perfect entrance for critters into your home. A lot of people neglect the wood. Look at the trim around the garage door. It's typically weathered at the bottom. Wood is like a straw. It sucks the water up. That causes rot, splitting and damage. It's important to keep wood on a home painted, sealed and caulked. Replace wood trim with PVC material trim that requires no maintenance and can be painted. Keep the water out and make sure the house is sealed well.
Energy-saving fall ideas
Fall is the time to get your house sealed up and ready for the cold. Expert suggests caulking around windows and doors. This will keep the chilly air and bugs out, and keep the heat in.Although caulking is something newer homes might not require, all homeowners should also be checking weather-stripping and door sweeps.
Other energy saving maintenance ideas for the fall include:
* Installing ceiling fans, which Kruchko said might sound like a strange autumn task. However, he said with the fan blades tipped to push warm air down, homeowners can help save on heating bills and make themselves more comfortable.
* Using a hot water heater blanket.
* Insulating and wrapping pipes.
* Checking the attic insulation and adding more if necessary.
* Replacing windows, which, if you can afford it now, can really help save with energy costs, Kruchko said.
* Have an energy audit done, which will tell you where heat is escaping your home and costing you money.
Quick Tip— Once the growth of your grass slows down and you are fairly certain you will not have to cut it again, it is an excellent time to apply fertilizer. Fertilizer is strong with nitrogen, which will strengthen its root system to combat against weeds in the spring.
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Here’s a get-to-the-point list of 10 things that you may have had to deal with at some point and didn’t know what to do.
1. Repair Small Holes in Screen. Plug holes with clear nail polish, let dry, and repeat until filled.
2. Get Water Out Of Your Watch. Strap watch to light bulb, turn on for a few minutes. Water drops will form on crystals. Open up and wipe off.
3. Easily Untie a Knot In A Chain. Cover the knot generously with cold cream.
4. Easily Reduced Ashtray Smell. Keep a small amount of baking soda in ashtrays at all times.
5. Keep Piano Keys Looking New. Keep cover open. Ivory turns dark if exposed to darkness
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| 6. Caring For Leather Upholstery. Brush with skim milk every three months adding a drop of any essential oils for a nice odour.
7. Repair Scuffed Patent Leather. Cover with same colour polish, let dry, and then cover with clear nail polish.
8. Remove Salt Rings From Shoes. Brush with a solution of vinegar and water.
9. Stop Clothes Catching on Hangers. Put a coat of clear nail polish over splinters and rough edges.
10. Tip on Storing Plastic Curtains or Tablecloths. Sprinkle talcum powder between the layers as you fold.
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| Do it in small chunks. Set aside just 15 minutes to declutter just one shelf, and when that shelf or that 15 minutes is up, celebrate your victory. Then tackle another shelf for 15 minutes the next day. Conquering an entire closet or room can be overwhelming, and you might put it off forever.
Set aside a couple hours to do it. This may seem contradictory to the above tip … and it is. It’s simply a different strategy, and I say do whatever works for you. Sometimes, for me, it’s good to set aside part of a morning, or an entire Saturday morning, to declutter a closet or room.
Take everything out of a shelf or drawer at once. Whichever of the two above strategies you choose, you should focus on one drawer or shelf at a time, and empty it completely. Then clean that shelf or drawer. Then, take the pile and sort it (see next tip), and put back just what you want to keep. Then tackle the next shelf or drawer.
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| Sort through your pile, one item at a time, and make quick decisions. Have a trash bag and a give-away box handy. When you pull everything out of a shelf or drawer, sort through the pile one at a time. Pick up an item, and make a decision: trash, give away, or keep. Don’t put it back in the pile. Do this with the entire pile, and soon, you’ll be done. If you keep sorting through the pile, and re-sorting, it’ll take forever. Put back only what you want to keep, and arrange it nicely.
Be merciless. You may be a pack rat, but the truth is, you won’t ever use most of the junk you’ve accumulated. If you haven’t used it in the last year, get rid of it. It’s as simple as that. If you’ve only used it once or twice in the last year, but know you won’t use it in the next year, get rid of it. Toss it if it’s unsalvageable, and give it away if someone else might be able to use.
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| From June 2009 to September 2009 in the Florence area 56.61% of homes on the market sold with a average price of $181,559 and an average of 112 days on the market and in the Lake City area 40% of homes sold with an average price of $53,416 with an average of 100 days on market. This is a big improvement over sales from last quarter. First time home buyer's tax credit is still available for up to a $8000 tax credit and there are also tax credits available to make your home more energy efficient - such as insulation, energy efficient windows, and more. It is a good time to buy because prices are low. All of Lake City qualifies for USDA Rural Development 100% financing for first time home buyers.
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