10 Feel Good Ideas For Your Home!

Fall is fast approaching as the evening nights are dipping into the 40’S. Soon Halloween will be here and winter will set in. With a small amount of preparation you can have a bright cheery outlook and feel good all winter while saving money.

1. Wash your home’s exterior and windows. You will enjoy the sparkle of your windows and the look of your home each time you pull in the driveway. Mold and mildew that feeds on dirt, is easily remove with common siding cleaners and a hose.

2. While outside, look for one of the biggest energy-wasters: air leaks. Inspect the caulking and seals around windows and add or replace the weather stripping around your doors to prevent heat-sucking drafts. Check for leaks around outlets and switches, and add easy-to-install outlets or switch gaskets as needed

3. Inspect your roof with a pair of binoculars for wear and damage. During wind storms it is common to have shingles blown off the house. The time to catch it is now as you prepare for winter.

4. Let there be light. If you have boring recessed lights in your dining and living rooms, consider replacing one of the room's lights with an eye-catching chandelier. In other areas of the home replace low wattage lights with energy saving lights that produce more light. A 60 watt bulb can be replaced with the equivalent of a 100 watt compact fluorescent and will use less than ½ the power. Have brighter rooms and spend less on electricity.

5. Rearrange your furniture for a fresh look. To take out carpet indentations from heavy furniture, grab a screwdriver and a steam iron. Use the screwdriver (a spoon or butter knife will do the trick, too) to loosen the matted carpet. Then, hold a steam iron one-quarter of an inch above the indented area so that the steam saturates the carpet. This will "fluff-up" the matted area and even out the carpet.

6. Clean your carpets. You can rent a steam cleaner for about $25 per day.

7. Spend the money on a preventative furnace service call for a tune up. A finely tuned furnace is almost like a musical instrument, humming along as efficiently as possible while keeping your family warm. You will enjoy the peace of mind and not be left stranded with no heat.

8. Switch out your old manual thermostat for a programmable one, which will be more convenient and accurate. Programmable thermostats contain no mercury and are better for the environment because using less energy reduces greenhouse-gas emissions associated with energy production. Because the thermostat will do the thinking for you and never forget, it will save you money on your utility bills--to the tune of about $150 per year--when used properly..

9. Inspect your attic for the right amount of insulation. Insulation gives you the fastest return on investment. Your attic should have the equivalent of R-60. Depending on the type of insulation you need 20-24 inches. You do not need to use similar types of insulation. Be careful not to block the eaves as your attic needs to have fresh air from the outside.

10. Get rid of items that you never use. Check the garage, attic and every room. Getting rid of cutter will make you feel better.