10 Life Hacks Every Homeowner Should Know
When you buy a home, you’re taking on a long list of projects that stretch far into the future. Planning the time and budget for everything that needs to be done can be a daunting task, but it’s worth it for the comfort, security, and financial safety net that homeownership provides. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t be a little stressful from time to time, so we can all benefit from a few little tricks that can make a big difference in the life of a homeowner. Here are 10 essential tips every homeowner should know.
Make rooms look bigger with paint
One of the most common reasons for homebuyers’ regrets is size. It’s hard to know how you’ll use a space until you’re there, and life doesn’t always go according to plan. As a result, people often feel their home is too small.
Building a home addition is expensive, but a much more budget-friendly approach is to use visual tricks to make the home appear larger. Paint is a powerful tool for this. Using color theory, you can visually expand a room by using lighter tones for the walls and a glossy white for the ceiling, or by using a single color on all walls to blur the boundaries that limit space, thereby visually expanding it. If you don’t have the budget for a major home renovation, an inexpensive paint job can at least create the feeling of more space.
No-dig fences
If you’ve ever been house hunting, you’re probably familiar with one surprising fact: many homes, especially new ones, don’t have fences. You step out into the backyard and see just an open field, with invisible property lines visible in the distance.
Installing a fence can be expensive if you hire a professional, costing several thousand dollars. Do-it-yourself fencing is a labor-intensive process, especially if you have a rocky area. However, if you only need a perimeter fence, a no-dig fence is a simple solution that will demarcate your property and keep small pets safe without the effort and expense of a traditional project.
Repairing a dowel hole
Whether your home is new, underused, or historic, sooner or later you’ll encounter loose screws, especially on door and cabinet hinges. Hinges bear a lot of weight and are used so often that screws inevitably loosen. While this can be fixed a few times with simple retightening, over time this will strip the screw holes and cause the doors to sag permanently. In this case, you can either try repositioning the hinge to expose the new wood, or replace the door frame or cabinets, which will be costly.
Of course, if you don’t know how to work with dowels , all you need is a few wooden dowels and some wood glue . Fill the screw hole with glue, insert the dowel, trim it as needed, and let the glue dry. Then you can drill a new hole, and your screws will hold like new again, all for less than $10.
Rain-X on shower doors
One of the mysteries of the universe is that bathrooms, as a rule, don’t clean themselves. How can a room regularly doused with soap and water be so dirty?
One of the reasons is the mineral content of water and the tendency of soap to turn into scum. The combination of these two factors turns glass shower doors into cloudy, murky barriers that never look clean. Cleaning hard water stains and scum from glass requires a lot of effort, and it’s a task we put off for months (or even longer) simply because of the effort involved.
The secret is to spray Rain-X on your glass doors after washing them. This product is designed for car windows, but it’s also great for bathrooms. It’s water-repellent, so water from the shower will bead up on the glass and be easily scraped off before it evaporates, leaving behind all those mineral deposits and soap scum. Regularly using Rain-X when cleaning your shower will help keep your glass doors clean and free of residue.
Deodorize with vodka
Vodka has virtually no taste, is almost odorless, and typically contains around 40% alcohol. This means that vodka, even cheap vodka, is actually a very good disinfectant and deodorizer. Many theater companies and theme parks use a mixture of vodka and water to spray costumes between performances when there’s no time to dry clean them. The alcohol kills odor-causing germs and bacteria, and after drying, no odor or residue remains.
You can also use this remedy at home. If your bedding, shoes, or towels are a little musty, spray them with a 50/50 mixture of vodka and water to effectively deodorize and disinfect them. You can also add a drop of essential oil to leave a light scent.
Paint the roof
People often don’t think about their roof until it starts leaking. This is a mistake, as roof repairs are expensive, and replacing one is even more expensive. A faulty roof can also cause water damage to other parts of your home.
Most of us don’t dream of becoming roofing experts, but any homeowner can do (usually on their own) a roof . Specialized coatings for flat roofs and shingles protect the roof from sunlight, fill microscopic cracks before they become leaks, and can extend the life of the roof for years while saving significant money.
Turn on appliances at night
The modern home is a true energy-guzzling beast. We use lighting, heating and cooling systems, televisions, computers, washing machines, dryers—the list is practically endless. And all these devices and appliances require electricity, which, as you may have noticed, is expensive.
However, if you can afford to run many appliances at night, you can usually save money. This is because electricity rates are divided into “peak” and “off-peak” hours, so using a washing machine at night rather than during the day can be much cheaper. Some utility companies offer official pay-as-you-go rates , which are higher during peak hours and significantly lower during off-peak hours. If you can manage your electricity consumption, you can save a significant amount of money.
Get the Leveler ladder
Doing housework can be dangerous , and ladders are often necessary. People often don’t know how to properly install and secure a ladder, try to carry things while climbing it, or forget about gravity and try to reach things they shouldn’t while standing 3.5 meters up on an improperly balanced ladder. It’s also a funny experience to have tools and fasteners in your pockets while clinging to the ladder for dear life.
All of this can be solved with this gadget: a stairlift . This device makes using a ladder safer on uneven surfaces (such as steps or slopes), and also serves as a storage container that attaches directly to the ladder, leaving your hands free to grip it as if your life depended on it.
Leak detectors
Water will ruin your home if you’re not careful. Leaks in the roof, pipes, and appliances can persist for a long time before they become noticeable, and every day of active leakage can lead to mold, rot, and structural damage to your home. And if you’re not home when a pipe or water heater bursts, spilling gallons of water throughout the house, the cleanup and repair costs can be astronomical.
That’s why leak detectors and alarms are indispensable. By distributing them throughout your home, you’ll never be caught off guard: as soon as moisture is detected, an alarm will sound, allowing you to address the problem before it becomes a major disaster. You can purchase detectors that will send messages to your phone or other devices, alerting you even when you’re not home. They can also be integrated with automatic shut-off valves on your water supply, shutting off the water supply the moment it becomes a threat to your home.
Sophisticated home security
Securing your home typically involves using technology like alarm systems and doorbell cameras, often backed up by a security service that can contact the police on your behalf. While this is always a smart idea, it can be costly and sometimes cumbersome (especially if you have to regularly reset the systems and disable false alarms).
But there’s also a passive way to improve your home’s security: landscaping . A few thorny bushes near windows and careful management of tree branches and groundcover can significantly reduce the likelihood of a burglary. While it’s not a set-it-and-forget-it security plan, you’ll still need to consider landscaping, so why not opt for landscaping that will truly enhance your home’s security?