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Minnesota Mortgage Blog

December 8th, 2011 11:20 AM

As winter weather and quickly fading sunlight bring an end to exterior home projects and landscaping, homeowners must turn their attention to the inside of their homes. While the holiday hustle and bustle might seem like a difficult time to schedule in any household projects, it's a great opportunity to address smaller scale home maintenance and repairs that don't gobble up too much schedule space. Here are 10 great ways to keep the home humming in fifth gear during the holiday season:

Consider wrapping your hot water heater tank to help keep water temperature high and drive down your utility bills. Make sure to get proper instructions on how to install, and pay close attention to all safety requirements.
Similarly, get some duct tape and pipe insulation from the local home store and wrap your hot water pipes. Not only will you save money, but you won't have to wait all morning for your shower to warm up.
Inspect and clean your laundry appliances. First, unplug them from any outlets. Then start with the washer by disconnecting the water hoses and see if the fiber or rubber washers need replacing. Disconnect the vent hose from your dryer and clean any built-up lint.
Clean underneath your refrigerator, and clean off its coils, and change your fridge's water filter if it features water dispenser.
Inspect the grout on your kitchen and bathroom tiling around sinks, showers and tubs and clean and repair where necessary.
Remove the drains from your sinks and clean them thoroughly. Also, remove the lower, u-shaped "trap" under your sinks and remove any clogs. Similarly, remove showerheads and any removable faucet heads and soak them in vinegar to clean off mineral build-up.
Tighten things up by going from room to room with flat-head and Phillips-head screwdrivers, as well as some Allen keys, securing any loose hardware on furniture, cupboards and similar fixtures.
Have any banged up wooden furniture? Sanding down and re-finishing dings and scratches is something that can be accomplished out of the way and on a manageable scale. Make sure to do any refinishing in a well-ventilated area.
As the season winds to a close, make sure to take down any holiday lights. If you staple your strings of lights to your home's exterior, make sure to fully remove the staples with a pair of pliers to prevent them from rusting and spoiling your home's trim.
Make sure to mulch any Christmas trees and similar decorations, such as wreaths and garlands. Most home stores and tree sellers provide mulching services, and your city or county trash service might do so as well.