10 bad habits that are seriously damaging your home

At home, everyone has some sneaky habits that might not fly in the outside world. Maybe you drink juice straight from the bottle, or leave your dirty dishes in the piled up in the sink for a day or two? But some lazy household behaviours can cause long-term damage to a property, even lowering its value.

Here’s a selection of bad habits that need breaking, pronto.

Not cleaning filters

Cleaning filters can easily slip your mind, however ignoring them creates problems that are far more noticeable. 

Failing to clear filters can reduce an appliance’s efficiency, appliances Air conditioners, fridges and dishwashers can end needing to work a lot harder to function, using up more power which damages them over a period of time.

Ideally, air conditioner filters should be cleaned every three months, and dishwashers, once a month.

More dangerously, not emptying the lint filter in clothes dryers is a leading cause of household fires. These need to be changed before each use.

Rinsing food down the sink

Attention everyone who washes food scraps down the kitchen sink rather than scrape them into a bin: STOP!

When food particles run down a sink they leave residue. When you do this repeatedly the residue builds up and can clog the pipe quite badly.

Leaving laptops charging

Ever left your computer to charge while you duck out to the shops or head to work for the day? This one is another fire hazard that homeowners need to be mindful of.

Depending on the quality of the laptop battery, house fires can be caused by a laptop being left on charge. To be safe, switch the laptop charger off when you’re not around.

Also, be wary of over-using double adaptors. This can overload power draw and cause fires as well.

Forgetting to open windows

With winter approaching it might be tempting to keep windows firmly closed and have bathroom fans going just for the duration of your shower, but airing out your home is crucial to preventing mould.

The build-up of mould is very unhealthy, especially for young children or elderly people, so it’s important to keep your house dry.

Get a good breeze flowing through your house at least once a week and leave fans on until the bathroom mirror is clear and thoroughly de-fogged.

Neglecting paintwork

Paint isn’t just there to look pretty. It helps protect the timber on weatherboard homes, and if it’s neglected then rot can set in. If it’s been a while since you examined your house from the outside, take a good look and see if it needs a fresh coat or two.

Soaking up leaks

Using a towel or a bucket to absorb small leaks might seem like no big deal, especially if leaks are a rare occurrence, but if you are seeing a leak externally there may be some internal damage happening.

Leaks can be very subtle over time but can do a lot of damage, it’s better to get any leak checked as soon as you see the first sign to avoid any major damage.

Slamming doors

It might feel like the perfect way to express yourself in an argument, but keep your temper in check because slamming doors can damage more than relationships. The heavy impact can break hinges and handles, and the problem works in reverse, too.

Blasting a door open can actually cause even more damage than slamming it shut. There has been cases where a door has been forced open and the handle has gone through the walls plaster… be gentle.

Not checking smoke alarms

Smoke alarms make us feel safer, but it turns out many Australians don’t look after theirs properly.

The function of the alarm is compromised when they are not maintained or installed correctly. Every six months smoke alarms should be inspected, cleaned and tested every frequently not maintained or installed correctly.

Not cleaning gutters

They’re high up and hard to see, but that’s no reason to ignore your gutters. Allowing leaves and other debris to build up can block them and cause back flooding, damaging a roof’s eaves and the house’s interior.

Clean out gutters every three months, and if there’s been a heavy storm, check them out to make sure there are no clogged up branches and leaves. If getting to gutters is too difficult, then hire an expert, it’s a lot more cost effective to have them cleaned rather than waiting and needing to have them replaced.

Letting gardens grow wild

Not looking after a garden can cause as much damage to a home as neglecting the house itself.

Creeper plants that aren’t kept in check can cause problems for some surfaces, they need to be trimmed to ensure they don’t block windows or work their way onto the roof. Larger, more invasive tree species can create even bigger disasters.

Spending weekends gardening isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, so reluctant green thumbs should pay a professional to keep trees in check.

Source: www.domain.com.au