With the start of the year you may have given yourself a resolution to be healthier, you may have even given your car a health check to start the year right, but what about your house? All those things you promised you’d do, this is the perfect time to do them. Especially when we’re spending more time than ever in our homes.

We would encourage you to carry out regular checks on your home to ensure it in a good state of repair.

Check out our top things to look out for when giving you house the once over:

Blocked Gutter

Your gutter may be blocked with leaves and debris that has landed in them during the winter weather. The first thing to remember when cleaning a gutter is safety. You will be either up a ladder or on your roof so make sure that you have someone with you and never carry out in slippery conditions. Make sure that you have some protective wear on, some thick gloves and safety glasses will make sure no debris gets in your eyes or cuts your hands and ideally a hard hat.  We would also suggest that you clear debris from your roof first, when it rains again your gutters will just get clogged up again right away.

There are a few ways that you can clean the gutters; power wash, dry/wet vacuum, leaf blower. However, if you do not feel confident to do this contact a professional who can clean them for you.

Damaged Plaster

Holes and cracks can appear due to an incident or simply over time. You may have been looking at one wall all lockdown and decided that now is the time to fix that hole or crack. Luckily it’s not as difficult as you may think. There are a couple of things you will need before you start. Make sure whatever is underneath where you are plastering is covered, remove any excess plaster and wipe down. Using ready-made plaster, smooth over the crack or hole and make sure it is level and flat. Leave this over 24 hours to dry. Once ready, sand down and paint or add you wall paper. Remember that cracks could be a sign of subsidence or movement of the building. If you have any concerns contact your insurer directly and seek professional advice.

Plant Growth in external walls

You don’t want plants growing in your wall as this could weaken the structure of said wall. Luckily its super easy to get rid of plants and prevent them from coming back. When de-weeding your wall, you want to make sure that you pull all plants out by the root, this will make sure that they don’t grow back instantly. Alternatively, you can put salt in the dirt that the plant is in. This will overload the plant with iron which causes it to die.

Damp

With damp, prevention is key rather than a cure. There are many simple things you can do to prevent damp within your home. Damp loves cold, wet conditions hence why damp can be found in bathrooms and by window seals. Try and keep rooms that may be more susceptible to damp warm. Making sure your home is well ventilated with vents, extractor fans or by slightly opening a window can also be preventative. When the damp goes, you may be left with dark stains, luckily there are now products such as anti-mould paint and sealants that will help get rid of the stains but be careful as these contain bleach. This is great for no mould but can damage furniture, floors etc. so be careful when using them.

Condition of window and door frames

Doors and windows are the link between your home and outside so it is important to keep these in good condition. Try cleaning at least twice a year. Using a soft cloth, warm water mixed with washing up liquid (or similar). This will get rid of dust and insects that may cause algae and fungi. Using a mild detergent solution, rise the soapy water off. Make sure that any glass cleaner you use does not go onto the frames as this could damage them. Avoid using a hosepipe on the frames as you would not want to completely saturate your window or door frames. And finally make sure to clean out your vents and weather seals too.

We hope these tips make your house check easier to carry out.

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