Essential Tips for Easy Home Maintenance

At the end of our completed full service projects, we provide our clients with a digitally sent Project Wrap Up Guide. This handy reference guide is meant to be a refresher to clients years down the line in case you want to freshen up the paint color in a certain room, change the lightbulbs in your chandeliers and pendants, or clean a stain out of an area rug or specific fabric that your kid or pet accidentally soiled. After all, life happens, and with three kids myself, don't I know it.

Paper files for every project can take up a lot of storage space, so giving you a digital copy saves space in my office and your own home, and allows you to search for any word and find the exact page you want immediately.

Here are a few examples of what you would find in your guide, depending on the scope of your project:

• Spec sheets for appliances, as well as warranty information

• Contact information for the contractor and various vendors that worked on your home

• Lightbulb key for the installed lighting in your home

• Cleaning instructions for specific fabrics, rugs, or stone surfaces used

• Suggested cleaning solvents

• Paint colors and vendors for each room

Essential Tips for Easy Home Maintenance

While our wrap up guides provide specific information to our clients for their particular project and scope of work, today I thought I'd share some essential tips for easy home maintenance to consider in caring for your own home. Please know that these general tips are not all inclusive but a good place to start, especially if you're new to home ownership.

Wood Surfaces

• To protect surfaces, we suggest that our clients always use coasters for their drining glasses. At NLI, we go one step further and actually have custom glass tops cut for most casegoods that we procure and install.

• In dining areas, we highly suggest placemats or linens on dining tables.

• Wipe up any spills immediately.

• Use protective pads or trivets under hot dishes.

• Cover the bottoms of all tabletop accessories with felt pads to prevent scratches.

Flooring Surfaces

We also recommend the use of felt pads on the bottom of furniture feet to protect hardwood floors and tile.

I personally use Bona Hardwood Cleaners in my own home because of its Safer Choice certification after a flooring expert turned me onto them many moons ago when my kids were still little. I had the builder over to our house a few years ago and he was thoroughly impressed with how good the floors looked after nearly three decades, giving it his own seal of approval. I'll take it!

Tile and Countertop Surfaces

While most stone experts recommend using a neutral pH cleaner, this will really depend on the actual type of material you have installed since it can run the gamut from natural stonetop materials like marble or granite all the way to man-made materials like quartz and porcelains.

Verify your type of tile or stone first with a little research and test any cleaner in an inconspicuous area first. Don't hesitate to call a countertop installer or tile professional when in doubt.

Also, remember to stay current and on schedule when it comes to sealing stone like marble if required. My clients hear this alot but I'll say it again, a little prevention and routine maintenance goes a long way in protecting your investment.

Upholstery Care

• Remember that direct sunlight can cause the fabrics to fade so limit the amount of direct sun on any piece of furniture.

• Loose cushions should be flipped and rotated frequently to minimize soiling and add to the longevity of your upholstery. I always share with clients that when our kids were littles, we'd always do ours routinely on Sundays after church and that they considered it a game of sorts. Call me crazy but there's a way to make chores fun y'all!

• All spills should be cleaned immediately! Don't wait or the stain could surely set. Start by blotting the spill towards the center of the stain using a clean, absorbent cloth, then follow the care instructions according to the specific type of fabric on your upholstery and its recommended cleaning code.

• We gently hand vacuum the surface of our furniture regularly, including the deck under the cushions, with the upholstery attachments of our vacuum cleaner. Note: Do not use an electric beater bar attachment or place the vacuum nozzle directly on the fabric as this may damage the fabric. Careful is key y'all. {I'm always amazed at how much gathers underneath especially considering we have a no food outside our dining areas rule!}

Carpet & Rug Care

• As with most things, the best method is prevention. If possible, make carpets and area rugs a "shoes-off" zone to limit the amount of dirt that reaches them in the first place. We are a "shoes off" household and I know without a doubt that it's saved countless time and money for us in the long run with that one little thing of slipping off our shoes upon entry.

• Vacuum regularly but be sure that you're using the right vacuum setting for your carpet's specific material and its amount of carpet pile.

• Clean spills immediately.

• Remember to rotate your rug periodically to help with the impact of foot traffic and sunlight and to help ensure your rug wears evenly.

General Care

• Follow a home maintenance schedule. If you're not handy yourself, ask around for trusted local referrals as these types of services are available in most areas.

• I know life gets busy but if you see an issue like a leak for instance, stay on top of it and get it fixed right away before it leads to other issues.

• Keep track of repairs including the date of said repair, who the repair was made by, and keep any pertinent information easily accessible. We have a portable filing box filled with invoices, warranties, and product information guides. Believe me, you'll thank yourself if you ever choose to sell your home.

Let's face it, your home and the contents thereof are most likely the biggest monetary investment you'll ever make. A little routine maintenance can go a long way to protecting that hard earned investment. Feel free to send me a DM on IG if you have anything you think should be on our list of Essential Tips for Easy Home Maintenance.