Winter weather, in many areas, always seems to signal the beginning of the seasonal struggle to keep your house free of stale, damp air. Sadly, this air quality issue isn’t just confined to old homes; many new homes are built so airtight that they develop air quality issues too. There are a few ways that you can improve the air in your home this winter.
One of the ways that air quality in a home can worsen is from volatile organic compounds, chemicals, and dust. These things can build up in your home and make it smell bad or affect your family members’ allergies. Opt for natural cleaners instead of harsh chemicals to cut down on the chemical stink. Baking soda and vinegar, alone or together, can clean up just about any mess as well or better than most chemical sprays. Painting in your home can be done with low VOC paint to help cut down on this issue too. If your home has carpets, make sure that you vacuum and clean out your vacuum’s filters regularly so that you don’t just keep blowing the same dust around. Also, use a damp cloth to dust surfaces in your home so that your air system doesn’t blow it around.
While it’s a good idea to circulate the air in your home all year round, you’ll want to make sure that any air filters that you have in your system have been cleaned or replaced recently to avoid putting extra strain on the system and blowing dust through your ducts. To keep particles out of your duct system, a good choice is to install a filter for the air that’s entering your home. To help keep the heat in your house while still allowing for proper ventilation, consider installing a heat recovery ventilator which transfers the warmth of outgoing air to the fresh incoming air, reducing the heat loss that can happen.
Excess moisture in your home can cause damage to your window frames and contribute to mold and mildew in your home. Too much moisture can not only cause damage to your home, but it can contribute to health problems for anyone living in the home as well as mold and mildew need moisture to grow.
Some ways to deal with an overabundance of moisture in your home include: using your kitchen and bathroom fans to push the moisture outside, avoiding hanging clothes to dry in any room that doesn’t have a fan, and installing humidity sensors for your bathroom fans. The great thing about your extractor fans having a sensor on them is that you can just set them to the proper level and let them run until the air hits the proper humidity. The colder the temperatures are outside, the lower the humidity should be inside your home.
Reducing the moisture and increasing the airflow in your home can make your home much more comfortable for you and your family.
While the holiday season approaches, it often seems like the best option to take your home temporarily off the market. After all, everyone stops looking for a new home over the holidays, right?
While people who are buying a new home without any time constraints often take a break during the holidays, many other home buyers don't have the luxury of taking time off their search. For anyone who's relocating for work or has an offer on the home they currently own, the clock might well be ticking down on their opportunity to buy, making them motivated to buy!
Don't completely avoid decorating your home if you're keeping it on the market during the holidays. You'll want to avoid overwhelming your home with seasonal stuff, particularly if your home is small or if you normally bring out a truckload of ornaments; too many decorations for the size of the space can make it hard for interested parties to see just what the bones of your home look like. Try putting up a small tree instead of a huge one, some simple strings of lights instead of huge blow up lawn ornaments, and keep most of the knickknacks packed up. You'll want a classy display that can be simple to pack up if your sale closes before the end of the holiday season; packing is enough work without having to pack away piles of decorations as well.
Optimally, you'll want to accept every requested showing that you can, although that can be tricky to balance with the family festivities. Some ways to deal with the mess created by a big holiday dinner could be: have the holiday meal at another family member's house this year if you normally host it; have the meal at your house, but make it potluck to keep the prep and clean-up to a minimum; book dinner at a nice restaurant and rest easy knowing that you won't have to clean up at all!
When it comes right down to it, you shouldn't stress too much over having your home available to prospective buyers over the holidays, most of the people who come through your home will be more than aware of the fact that it's the holiday season, after all. Put on a pot of coffee and leave out a plate of freshly baked cookies for visitors, and they'll understand if you've left out the wrapping paper or if your carpet has some pine needles on it.
8313 W. 10th St
Indianapolis IN 46234
dennis@indyhomepros.com
317-316-8224