Homeownership need not be so complicated. Here are five basic things to know if it's your first time owning a home.
1. Where Your Circuit Breaker Is
One of the first things you should know about your house is where the circuit breaker is and what switches power what. When you do a repair that deals with electrical stuff or hire a handyman to do so for you, you’ll need to be able to locate the circuit breaker and know which switches should be turned off.
When your house suddenly loses power in its entirety or parts of it and it seems like your neighbors don’t have the same issue, you’ll need to be able to turn off switches in the breaker to figure out and test affected area and get to the bottom of it.
2. How to unclog a toilet
This sounds simple enough, but if it's your first time owning a house or managing it on your own, you might not exactly know what to do once your toilet bowl starts flooding.
To unclog a toilet, you must have a plunger at hand. As basic as that sounds many homeowners actually have the wrong type of plunger. Plungers made specifically for toilet bowls have two layers for the vacuum effect upon plunging.
3. Sealing
There are two types of sealing involved here — sealing drafts and sealing floors. Sealing drafts will save you a whole lot of money when it comes to electricity. Sealing floors will make sure your wood floors do not get water damages from spills.
4. Lawn Care
There’s a bit more to lawn care than just watering. You’ll have to know how much to water and when, and you’ll also have to be vigilant of infestations and diseases that can easily turn your green luscious lawn into a desolate patch of land.
Certain sprinkler systems are now connected to your phone and water based on the weather.
These may be worth installing if you’re having a hard time getting the “how much and when to water” balance going.
5. Gutter Cleaning
Gutters that are left with debris that has accumulated over time simply don’t function at the optimal level and can even cause major damages to your roofing system over time. Make it a habit to check your gutters annually and clear debris from them.
For the best and lowest-maintenance solution, installing gutter guards will help keep your gutters clean and working in great condition.
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