Your home is your castle and your haven. You’ve enjoyed many years in your older home. You couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. You’re always looking for ways that you can spruce it up to make your home look its best. Regular maintenance over the years is key. Consider five tips you can follow to make your home look like new.

Change Your Windows to Make a Difference

Your windows can make or break your home. If you have older windows with peeling paint, you can begin with fresh paint. However, vinyl windows are more energy-efficient. They’ll last twenty to twenty-five years. You’ll love the way new windows can breathe new life into your home inside and out.

There’s Nothing Like a Fresh Coat of Paint

If your home is painted, you won’t believe the difference fresh paint can make. As a rule of thumb, consider freshening up your exterior paint every ten years. Depending on your location, you may need to bump that up to five years if you notice that your paint is fading sooner. If you get tired of painting, vinyl siding will transform your home. Change up your color when you really want to make it pop.

Exterior Maintenance

As you consider ways to give your home a facelift, don’t forget to look up. Your roof may need to be updated. You can have a professional evaluate your residential roofing to see if it is in need of replacement. If you have asphalt shingles, you should think about replacing them anywhere from fifteen to thirty years. Wood shingles should be replaced every twenty years or so. If you have a metal roof, you could get as much as twenty-five years out of your roofing before you need to replace it. Consider an alternate type of roofing when you want a brand new look.

Pay Attention to Landscaping

A well-maintained lawn can turn your residence into a neighborhood showpiece. Whether you like to do your own work or you bring in lawn care professionals, make sure the yard gets the attention it deserves. New landscaping designs can take everyone’s breath away.

Keep Your Driveway in Tiptop Shape

A paved driveway can really make your home have a finished look. If you don’t have an asphalt driveway, pavement is an investment that will offer you many returns. If you already have pavement, add fresh seal coating to your driveway every one to three years. You’ll protect your driveway from damage and make it look like new.

Get the most out of your older home by giving it tender loving care on a regular basis. You won’t need to move to a new home. When you put time and energy into your home, it will be worth it.

Guest Post By:

Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from Utah. She enjoys Tennis and spending time with her family.

You may be wondering: why is having a clean carpet important when you are looking after your health? The truth is, even if you vacuum your carpets on a regular basis, toxic pollutants may still be lurking underneath, but fret not. Here is a compilation of things that you should know about carpet maintenance.

Your Carpet Serves as A Home Filter

A carpet serves as more than just a home novelty piece; it actually maintains the quality of the air in your home. Your carpet traps dust, bacteria and allergens on a regular basis. Airborne pollutants can easily affect the health of the people at your home. Keeping a systematic schedule of carpet maintenance is crucial therefore hiring a professional carpet cleaner like Ellenbrook carpet cleaning may be one of the best options to prevent the spread of bacteria released by molds.

Look for a Carpet Cleaning Company That Has Your Best Interests at Heart

This is the tricky part that most people tend to ignore. Hiring a professional carpet cleaner can save the fibers of your carpet, prolonging its life. However, finding the best carpet cleaning company may not only extend the life of your carpet, but also save you a lot of money in the long run. Be sure to do thorough research about the ones available in your area. Most cleaning companies may be similar to one another, but try to look into the competitive advantage each has over the other, like asking for the chemicals they use. This actually led us to our next point which is knowing the ingredients used by your cleaners.

Be Mindful of the Cleaners Used For Your Carpet

Let’s be honest: carpets are quite costly. In order to lengthen your carpet’s life, you might want to go through the ingredients of the chemicals that your cleaners use for your carpet. To put it into perspective, imagine the things you put into your body. Of course, you’re going to want to eat the most nutritious food possible in order to be healthy and make the most out of your body’s abilities. In a similar way, you would want to use only non-toxic cleaning solutions to ensure optimal care on your carpets. Aside from the cleaning done by the cleaners, the cleaning agents used may also affect the quality of your carpet. Being mindful of what chemicals are used during carpet cleaning is important. Make to look out for toxic chemicals such as perchloroethylene, Naphthalene and Butyloxy Ethanol. Though many carpet cleaners use these cleaning agents, they have a tendency to leave a residue which may be a catalyst for bacteria to breed.

Vacuuming Your Carpet Is Not Enough
As mentioned before, your carpet holds a lot of bacteria and allergens that may trigger respiratory problems. However, let’s go deeper and paint a picture. Aside from the bacteria that is accumulated by our carpet, think about the usual activities that we do that contributes to the state of your carpet. If you have any pets, there may be an instance pets have urinated on your carpet on top of their fur sticking to it. Often times, people step on the carpet with the shoes they used outside of the house. Sometimes, food is dropped and stains the carpet. Bugs and insects living and frolicking inside the carpet is also another possibility. These are just some instances why your carpet carries dirt that is four times its original weight. Hiring a professional carpet cleaner can work on deep-seated dirt that your vacuum cleaners can’t get.

A Damp Carpet Is A Breeding Ground for Bacteria

Just because you are done cleaning the carpet doesn’t mean that the job ends there. Before using your carpet again, make sure that it is thoroughly dry. Many people make a huge mistake by skipping this part. You can prevent this by making sure you’re aware whether your carpet cleaners clean through carbonation or through steaming, as the methodology used allows you to determine the drying time for your carpet.  Steaming, contrary to its name, uses hot water mixed with chemicals in order to extract the dirt out of the carpet. On average, this method requires 1-2 days of drying time. On the other hand, carbonation involves using millions of tiny bubbles to rinse through each and every fibre of the carpet, making dirt rise to the surface. The latter tends to use less water, heat, and harsh chemicals.

Now what?

Take a look at all the points presented and think about what is common among them. It all boils down to getting a carpet cleaning company who doesn’t only do a good job, but is also wary about the methods and solutions that they use in order to maintain the quality and cleanliness of the carpet. As professionals, they should know that each carpet requires a different approach and has different maintenance needs. With all that said, investing in good carpet cleaning means investing in your own health and quality of life.