The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is underway! Although your plate is already full with shopping, cooking, and decking the halls in preparation for visits from family and friends, it’s important to make time for some essential home maintenance.
Keeping your guests comfortable and safe is just as important as feeding them good food and providing clean sheets and towels. You don’t want to risk any heating or plumbing breakdowns, electrical shorts, or gas leaks any time of year, but especially not when the house is filled with people trying to relax and celebrate.
You can always call your friends here at Neighborhood Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical if you’re in need of maintenance or repairs during the “the most wonderful time of the year,” but you can also take a few simple precautions to avoid an unexpected disaster. Add these simple tasks to your to-do list, and enjoy a jolly holiday season with the people you love the most!
Electrical
All those twinkling holiday lights can put a strain on your electrical system and create a fire hazard. Make sure you’re not using any light strings with frayed wiring or overloading any outlets. If you have pets, use cord protectors or special deterrent sprays — Bitter Apple is one popular example — to keep them from chewing on light cords. Keep the humans from tripping over cords by making sure they’re not running through high-traffic areas.
Plumbing
Your toilets, water heater, and garbage disposal will be getting a workout during the holidays. Make sure nothing accidentally gets flushed or forced down the drains in your bathroom and kitchen by making trash cans readily available throughout the house. If you haven’t had your water heater inspected in a while, do it now to make sure it can handle the increased demand.
Heating
We tend to take our heating system for granted, expecting it to keep us warm and toasty without any thought or effort on our part. Stay vigilant about this all-important aspect of holiday home comfort by avoiding the common winter heating mistakes we illustrate in this infographic.
Air Quality
You’re most likely planning to clean your home before your guests arrive, but make sure to dust and vacuum thoroughly — preferably with a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner — on at least a weekly basis. Don’t forget the blades of your ceiling fans! Fans can help to circulate heat in the winter, and you don’t want to circulate a bunch of allergens along with the hot air.
It’s a good idea to have your air ducts professionally cleaned in the winter, and what better time to schedule an appointment than before your gatherings begin? You might also consider installing an air purifier to keep your family breathing easier throughout the winter season.
Safety
Any fuel-burning appliances, including furnaces, fireplaces, gas ranges, and water heaters, can produce a carbon monoxide leak if not maintained properly. A professional HVAC inspection will uncover any potential safety issues, but it’s important to make sure you have carbon monoxide detectors installed on every floor of your house — and that each one is outfitted with fresh batteries.
Here at Neighborhood, we’re working hard to make sure every member of our community has a working carbon monoxide alarm in their home this holiday season. You can read more about our “Neighborhood Saving Neighbors” Carbon Monoxide Drive here on our website and help us provide CO detectors for Central Minnesota’s less fortunate by donating to the campaign via our GoFundMe page.
For more information or to schedule an appointment for HVAC maintenance or repairs before your holiday gatherings are set to begin, please give the team at Neighborhood a call or fill out an online contact form today.