You know those small home maintenance chores you’ve been putting off? Now’s the ideal time to tackle those tasks. Daylight Saving Time ends on November 7th, which means we’ve got about a month to deal with these jobs around the house that we’ve been procrastinating over. They might not be fun, but they don’t take long and they’ll help make your home safer and your stuff last longer.
Your end of Daylight Saving Time home to-do list includes:
- Check fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors - Spend 10 minutes testing these safety devices around your home and replace batteries as needed. In addition to the step stool, you may want some headphones in case you accidentally trigger the alarm in the process.
- Flip your mattress - Depending on the type of mattress you have, flipping or rotating it helps all sides of it wear evenly, which extends its life.
- Clean your coffee machine - No matter what kind of coffee maker you use, it needs some extra TLC from time to time. Cleaning your Keurig or traditional drip machine is bound to make your morning coffee taste even better.
- Clean your AC vents and furnace filters - It’s a good time to clean the furnace filter and dust the heating vents and radiators, as well as your air conditioner vents.
- Clean out the dryer vent - It’s something we never think about, but according to the U.S. Fire Administration, about 29-hundred clothes dryer fires are reported each year, with more happening in the fall and winter months. Cleaning out your dryer vent ductwork can prevent a fire, just make sure to also clean the lint filter every time you use the dryer.
- Take stock of your medicine cabinet - Before cold and flu season is a good time to check for expired meds and stock up on basics you may need.
- Clean the gutters - Let the leaves fall from the trees, then clean out those gutters before it gets too cold outside. And if you don’t want to do the dirty work yourself, you can always hire a pro for the job.
Source: Real Simple
Photo: Getty Images