It’s easy to fall into habits around the house, trying to do what’s quickest and most convenient. Of course, with our busy lives of work, kids, family, and friends, some things slip our minds. Your home is one of the biggest financial investments you’ll ever make. Whether you intend to live in your house for 30 years or you want to sell it in the next two or three, you need to take care of it so it retains its value and is a place you’re proud to call home.
Take a look at these very common things most of us do around our home that we shouldn’t do at all.
Overloading the Closet Rods
The idea of going through all the old clothes and getting rid of what we don’t wear anymore – and never will again – is overwhelming. Instead, we buy more hangers and stuff our closets to the bursting point. We run the risk of bending the rod to the breaking point and ripping the hardware out of the wall, ruining the drywall.
After you get rid of the extra clothes, especially the things you haven’t worn in 20 years, make sure your closet rod is supported with extra braces. The rod itself should be steel and the supports should be metal. This is a sturdier option. If you can’t make yourself throw away that old high school shirt, at least you won’t break the rod or ruin your wall.
Forgetting Your Gutters
It’s easy to forget your gutters exist. Unfortunately, if you don’t maintain clean gutters, especially after big rain storms, you run the risk of water pouring down the side of your home and finding the cracks and crevices in your foundation.
Check your gutters for debris and leaves after major weather events and at the end of each season, not just summer and winter. If you have shade trees or pine trees around your home, you’ll want to clean your gutters out more frequently.
Using Bleach Tablets in Your Toilet Tank
Those little blue tablets that promise to keep your toilet looking clean and smelling fresh are a cheap and easy way to save a little time and effort. Unfortunately, when you use them in your tank, the flapper valve and other plastic and rubber parts in your toilet wear out quicker.
Instead of using tablets in the tank, find the kind that sit in the toilet bowl and clean with each flush. You may still have to take the scrub brush to the bowl from time to time, but at least you don’t have to worry about not being able to flush the toilet.
Cleaning White Grout with Vinegar
Vinegar is a great way to remove odors and clean your house without using chemicals that are bad for the environment. That doesn’t mean vinegar is good for everything. If you have white grout, especially in your bathrooms, that you are determined to keep clean, your toothbrush and vinegar habit doesn’t help. Over time the white grout, made with sand and cement, can become yellow and crumbly due to the acidity of the vinegar.
Try an alkaline or an oxygen-bleach cleaner for your white grout lines. The toothbrush (and getting on your knees to scrub the grout lines) is optional.
Covering Rust Spots with Paint
Painting over rust spots isn’t a bad idea, but most people think they can spray a coat or two of paint and the rust will be gone forever. Not quite. It’s a temporary fix at best. The rust will seep through before you know it.
If you want to make your old rusty chair or table look new again, you have to add a few steps to the process. First, scrape off excess rust or peeling paint from the area. Next, lightly sand the rust spots. Then use a rust primer and then apply your paint. Make sure you buy paint that’s meant to cover metal.
Curious about what else you probably shouldn’t do around your home? Take a look at these 25 bad homeowner habits you need to break, according to This Old House.
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