5 New Year’s Resolutions… For Your House

If you’re like most of us, you either made some resolutions or set some goals for yourself for the coming year. The start of a new year is a nice signpost for initiating a change. So we decide to lose weight, read more, eat healthier, watch less TV, save money and exercise more. But why stop there? Why not make some resolutions to improve the place you spend most of your time? Here are some short-term and longer ranging goals you can set to give yourself a better home.

Defend Against Hidden Dangers

A safe home is a good place to be. That’s why you invested in smoke detectors, right? But there are other unseen dangers to be informed about. Every time you do a load of laundry, you clean the lint trap. Or at least you should – studies show that almost a third of Americans don’t clean their lint trap – which costs you significantly in energy bills, as well as posing a fire danger. On top of that, even when you DO clean the trap, there’s 3-6 feet of dryer vent where excess lint can catch on its way out of the house. You should clean this out at least twice a year, but to truly ensure safety, experts recommend cleaning it every 3-4 months. Start now, then mark the next 3 dates on your calendar. In addition to smoke detectors, many homes now have carbon monoxide detectors installed. If you haven’t, strongly consider it. Even in Florida, chimney flues and furnace vents get stopped up – especially since we use them less frequently – and can cause a CO leak that can silently kill you. Similarly, 21,000 people each year die from lung cancer caused by radon. According to the EPA, 1 in every 15 homes has elevated levels, so the $20 cost of a test kit is well worth it.

Reduce Clutter

One thing most of us are guilty of is collecting and saving far too much stuff. Not only is it a bad habit, but it’s one our kids will also pick up on. That doesn’t mean you have to get rid of everything, or do some yearly purge. First off, be conscious and intentional about what you keep. Go paperless with your bills and take advantage of digital options for space stealers like DVD’s, books and music – especially if its material you only partake of once or twice a year or less. And when Christmas comes around again, consider giving or asking for one of these greener gifts! And as much as doing a big spring cleaning or garage sale appeals to some, you may get overwhelmed with the amount of work you imagine it will take. Choose instead to go area by area – each month clearing out another room or closet and donating unneeded items to charity – the write off is likely worth more than the 25-cents you’d get at a garage sale anyways. A word of warning – don’t clean one room by just mov— er, reorganizing it into another room. Actually go through everything. It’ll take less time than you think, especially if you get the whole family involved!

Work Out a Weekly Routine for Keeping Your House Clean

And speaking of the whole family… Nobody said that you have to clean the whole place by yourself. Nor do you have to be solely responsible for keeping it all clean. Everyone in the family can and should pitch in to keep the house presentable. Start with making sure all dishes go in the dishwasher, if you have one. Or be like my grandparents who hand washed the dishes after each meal. Either way, don’t pile them up in the sink to attract bugs and rodents, or smell up the place. Similarly, everyone is responsible for making sure their clothes go in the hamper, jackets get hung up, and stuff like keys and backpacks and phones are placed in the appropriate spot each day before bed. Assign each member of the family chores, and rotate them so everyone gets to do their most and least ‘favorite’ each month. Each person gets one or two tasks: dusting, sorting laundry, vacuuming, taking out the trash, filling & running the washing machine, changing sheets, cleaning the bathroom, hanging the clothes out to dry, turning on the dishwasher.  Once you get into the rhythm, you can get a whole lot done in just an hour or two.

Preparing to Entertain

How many opportunities to spend quality time with family and friends is lost because we’d be embarrassed to have them see how the house really looks? Hopefully, the weekly routine helps eliminate much of that problem. The next step is making sure your home is inviting to guests. Now that our TV’s hang on the walls, it’s harder to hide them when company comes over, but they don’t have to be the centerpiece of your home either. Have a room that’s organized and ready for guests – plenty of comfortable seating, good lighting, some candles and floral accents can really open a place up and make it feel welcoming. Wanna go a little further? Add a splash of color to the walls. Nobody likes to look at white or beige all the time. Add a little wine red, pastel yellow, or eggshell blue to one or more rooms – or all three – and make it feel like your home is an oasis from the boring and cliché.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

We’ve mentioned several of these in other posts, but it’s always good to remember – it’s never been easier – or cheaper – to be environmentally friendly than it is now. Install a low-flush toilet, low-flow showerheads, and only do laundry when you have a full load. Consider redoing your lawn with approved native Xeriscaping. Plus, some Florida counties have rebates you can take advantage of to defray some of the cost of water saving improvements, inside and out. Replace your light bulbs – not only do LED and CFL bulbs last longer and use less energy, they also tend to give off more illumination without increasing the temperature in the room. And regardless, turn the lights off when you leave the room. Set your thermostat at 80 for AC or 65 for heat when you leave the house – better yet, get a programmable thermostat that will turn on or off in anticipation of your return. Or, if you really want to go all out, get a Nest or similar device that you can control from your smart phone. You’ll not only be saving the planet, you’ll be cutting down your utility bills too. We’re big proponents of the going green movement here at Good News Pest Solutions. In fact, we’re going to be highlighting several tips every month for the next year on how you can be more environmentally conscious throughout your home. We would be remiss if we didn’t mention another green home improvement – 100% All natural pest control! Yes, for over 10 years, we’ve used green methods and found them to be not only safe for your family and pets, but also more effective than the chemical treatments of the past. Give us a call and we’ll come by and show you what your neighbors from North Port to Bradenton already know about our award-winning pest solutions. By the way, statistics say we don’t stick to personal resolutions for as long as we’d like. A big part of that failure is a lack of accountability. The nice thing about these resolutions for your home – everyone can be a part of it – make a commitment with your family to keep these resolutions and we promise by next year you’ll have a cleaner, more inviting house and a whole lot less stress (about the house, anyways)! Click here for more tips on Going Green around your home!