With owning a home, there comes a lot of responsibility. Keeping up with your home’s maintenance should eventually become a routine. But first, you must know what things need maintaining. 

Checklist: 

1. Siding. Your home’s siding should be inspected annually. It is important to look for any deterioration or separation in your home’s siding. The benefit of checking your siding will help prevent the growth of mildew/rotting. 
2. Floors. Keeping your floors clean is extremely important to its overall lifespan. You should be regularly vacuuming your carpet, but you will need to get your carpet professional cleaned at least once a year. 
3. Gutters & Drainage. Especially during the spring and fall, you will need to clean out your gutters and outdoor drain system. There will be leftover leaves and dirt from the previous seasons that you will want to remove. 
4. Air Conditioning Filters. Inspect your air conditioning filters and look for dirt. Your filters should be checked monthly and should be replaced at the minimum every three months. 
5. Smoke/Carbon Dioxide Detectors. It is important to check that your detectors are fully functioning. You will be able to check your detectors by pressing “test” and the alarm will sound. 
6. Clean your kitchen disposal & dishwasher. Both your disposal and dishwasher can contain leftover food and residue. To clean your dishwasher, you will need to clean out its drain, do a vinegar rinse and a baking soda rinse. In order to clean your sink’s disposal, pour your vinegar in ice cube tray then place it in the freezer overnight. In the morning, put the vinegar ice cubes down your disposal while the disposal is running. 
7. Inspect your roof. This can be done annually, but it is important to check for any leaks. If you do find something wrong, contact a repairman immediately to attend to the problem. 

The maintenance of your house will help in the lifespan of your home. Make a checklist and consistently stick to it so that your home is always in great shape. Things will break and need to be fixed, but it is better to know as soon as possible and attend to it.

Mold in your home is a serious issue requiring immediate attention. It can pop up anywhere in your house, but the most likely place you will find it is in your bathroom.

Some of the conditions needed for mold to grow are damp and steamy areas, poorly ventilated rooms and from moisture on exposed plumbing . Sound familiar? Not to mention the environment created in your shower stall right after a shower or bath.  Wet tile and shower liner, water beneath your shampoo and body wash, as well as an exposed soap bar make for a perfect storm in your bathroom.

Mold almost seems impossible to prevent, unless you want to remove your soap and other shower items daily. Fortunately, with a few smart choices in material and design, there will be no need to simulate your last camping trip.

If a bathroom has not yet been installed, make sure the design includes waterproof material, which will prevent moisture from reaching difficult to access areas that can create a breeding ground for bacteria and mold to develop. Proper ventilation is also key to stopping this issue before it starts. Whether a window is present or not in the room, consider installing a bathroom fan that can be run during hot showers and baths to prevent steam from rising and causing mold in the wall tiles and ceiling.

Existing bathrooms do not have the benefit of newer materials that would make it easier to keep the environment mold-free, so a little more hand-on work is required.  If a ventilation fan is not currently installed in the room, adding one would go a long way in keeping the area dry. Use it during shower or bath time and for 30 minutes afterwards to keep moisture away.  Consider minimizing bath products in the shower to ensure that there are less dark, wet spaces for bacteria to grow under.  Before exiting the shower, use a towel or squeegee to wipe or scrape away as much moisture from the walls as possible. Finally, make sure to clean all exposed tile at least once a week.

Children will be to heading back to school before too long and the summer full of activities is coming to an end.  Time to look around and survey the house, perhaps cleaning up some unwanted items left by the kids.  One item you may find is stuck-on candy. Many times when children (or their friends who are visiting) have candy, it can find its way to the carpet. Find out how to remove candy stains from carpet below!

Gently remove any chunks or excess of candy by hand. Gently work one (only one!) of the cleaning solutions from below into the stain. Be very careful not to rub stain into the carpet, but instead blot the stain, starting at the outside edges and working your way inside. This keeps the stain from spreading further. For best results, add solution to a spray bottle and spray on your carpet stains.

A detergent solution is the safest way to remove candy from carpet. Mix 1 cup of warm water with 1/4 teaspoon of clear liquid hand dishwashing detergent. Avoid laundry detergent because the dyes in the detergent will stain the carpet. Also do not use dishwashing detergent (the kind that is used in the dishwasher) because they contain bleaching agents and dye. When using a detergent solution, it is important to rinse the carpet well afterwards. Any leftover residue will attract and show dirt.

Ammonia cleaner is somewhat stronger than a vinegar solution. Ammonia solution should be tested before used on any stains. Mix a solution of 1 tablespoon of ammonia per one cup of water (do not use a stronger solution as it could discolor the carpet).  Test a small, hidden area and watch for any color change. If a color change does occur, do not use the ammonia solution. Make sure to rinse the carpet area and blot up the excess ammonia solution with a dry clean towel.

Hopefully this advice will help with your stain removal!  If you find you cannot remove the stain to your satisfaction, please let us know.  We are happy to answer questions and help in any way!