WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES FEBRUARY 14, 2019 19
Try these 5 DIY winter home repair hacks
Even if you’re not terribly handy,
there are many simple household
repairs that you can easily do
yourself to avoid unnecessary time
and expense. This is especially
true in the winter, when little
improvements can make a big
difference in your comfort and
energy consumption.
If you’re like most people,
your home is your single largest
investment, so it’s common to be
apprehensive about tackling home
repairs if you have little experience.
However, learning to do some
basic home maintenance is a smart
way to protect and maintain your
home’s value without having to
locate, schedule and supervise a
contractor.
These common household fixes
to winter-proof your home are easy
enough for a novice, but might just
give you a boost of confidence to
tackle bigger projects in the future.
Painting
There’s no time like the dull, dark
days of winter to realize how dim a
room may be. When you’re spending
more time indoors anyway, it might
as well be for a productive purpose,
like adding some life to a dreary
room. Whether you update the
entire space or simply add an accent
wall, painting is a low-cost, entrylevel
way to enhance your home’s
aesthetic appeal.
Seal air leaks
According to the U.S. Department
of Energy, the average home has a
half-mile of gaps and cracks where
air and moisture can enter, and these
air leaks account for 25-40 percent
of the energy used for heating and
cooling a typical home. Filling
gaps and cracks brings immediate
savings while making the home more
comfortable and environmentally
friendly. It actually takes little time
or skill to fix air leaks, which are
especially common around doors
and windows. The key is using a
quality product, such as the GREAT
STUFF(tm) Insulating Foam Sealant,
which is specially formulated to seal
gaps and cracks to help block air,
moisture and pests. To make repairs
even easier, the sealant is available
with the GREAT STUFF(tm) SMART
DISPENSER(tm), which offers more
precision, less mess and product
reusability.
Add insulation
Another energy-saving idea you
can tackle by yourself is improving
your home’s insulation. A great deal
of the home’s heat escapes through
the attic, but adding more insulation
AT HOME
can help trap warmth, making
your home more energy efficient.
Insulation also helps resist moisture
infiltration and condensation, which
is particularly concerning during
the winter months.
Tile accents
If you’re overwhelmed by the idea
of laying your own tile floor, starting
with some accent tile is a simple way
to practice. A bathroom or kitchen
backsplash is a small space that
requires a relatively small amount
of material and a well-defined work
space. When selecting your tile, be
conscious of how much trimming
you’ll need to do to accommodate
features like electrical outlets;
choosing a smaller tile or using
sheets of tile may make that step
easier.
Add storage
Spending extra time indoors
is likely to remind you just how
cluttered some areas have become.
Take advantage of the time to
organize and add storage elements to
help keep your space neat and clean.
Organizer shelves and closet systems
are typically easy to assemble and
can serve as functional additions to
your home.
Get more ideas for DIY projects
to tackle this winter at GreatStuff.
com and get your GREAT STUFF(tm)
SMART DISPENSER(tm) at Lowes.
com.
Courtesy Family Features
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
718-894-0400
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Commercial and Residential Cleaning and Maintenance
Specialists in cleaning all types of awnings and canopies.
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