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2016 Fall Home Improvement LINCOLN DAILY NEWS SEPT. 27, 2016 Page 15
The cheapest pressure washers spray water at around
1,200 PSI. This is enough to cause serious damage to
a person, so remember: Safety first. A pressure washer
is like any other powerful tool; it may look like fun
and games (and it may be fun to use), but safety is no
laughing matter. Remember to turn off any external
electrical sources, and be careful near utility lines.
Pressure washers are typically loaded with detergent,
depending on what sort of cleaning you need to do.
Mildew may call for a bit of bleach, depending on how
much is found on the house.
The great thing about a pressure washer is that it can
wash more than just the walls. Pressure washers are
good for cleaning decks and porches as well. While
cleaning may take a few passes, it’s a relatively fast way
to clean, and definitely not boring.
Window Sealing
While you’re outside,
now is a good time
to check around the
windows for any leaks
in the seal. This is
important for two
reasons.
First, there’s nothing
more frustrating than
finding that one leak
in a window that’s
letting in the cold air
in during the dead of
winter. Once you find it, no amount of heat can make
one forget about it.
The second reason to check window seals is one of
health and safety. Much like cracking paint, holes
in a seal can lead to excess moisture building up and
turning to mold. Moisture can lead to bigger damages
in the surrounding structure altogether.
Luckily, caulking a seal is still easy to do with the right
equipment, although the type caulking gun can be a
cheap or expensive purchase. Then again, a good caulk
tool is built to last, so consider this a worth-while
expense, even if you (hopefully) don’t need it as much
in the future.
There are also a number of adhesive foam substitutes
and filler substances that work well for smaller repairs,
or for specific places that need sealing, like a window
AC unit.
Prepare Yard Equipment
While you’re outside checking on the
walls and windows, be sure to put away
and prepare yard tools for storage. This
is probably one of the cheapest things
to do in maintaining a home, since it
really only requires you to move things
and take them apart. Now is the time
to drain the lawn mower of oil and
use up the rest of the gas in it. Roll up any garden
hoses and disconnect them from a faucet. Bring any
sprinklers you have inside as well. Then you can put
all of that away, likely trading places with the winter
equipment, and you won’t have to think about it again
until the spring.
Declutter with Pegboard
A pegboard is a giant piece of wood full of small
holes that everyone’s grandfather has in their garage.
A pegboard provides a space to hang tools that are
held by nails, hooks, hangers, and all sorts of extra
fasteners that one has lying around. A pegboard is the
easiest form of do-it-yourself organization. There’s no
overly complicated set of instructions; it’s just a piece
of wood with holes in it.
With fall approaching, certain tools will need a place
to hang until the winter passes. But you may want