How do you keep up with routine work around your house?

[AARPTeri]

Keeping your home in good condition through regular home maintenance is a crucial part of being able to live safely and comfortably in your home as you grow older. What do you do to keep up with routine things around your house? Share your tips!

[MartinG987436]

I can do pretty much everything I need to do.  Sometimes the cat will pitch in.  Stuff technical eludes both of us,  Outside pro.  

[BertyBGone]

One of the good things about apartment living is that routine maintenance is done for me!  Now, for the inside, well....I have a stress-free cleaning routine.  If it looks dusty or dirty, I clean it!  

[Macomo55]

As I think of things that need to be done I make a list on my phone.  Then I schedule them on my phone’s calendar with an alarm set.  I find it’s an easy way to remind yourself and get one or more done a day.  I also do it to remind me when to get quarterly or annual jobs done, i.e. gutters cleaned, windows washed, irrigation turned off for winter.

For example, laundry is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday.  I set it up to repeat weekly on the calendar.  It’s an easy way to keep up with routine tasks!  

[sg4171]

I'm laughing as I read your info about placing the chairs on the table when you vacuum. I live in a condo and I move all of them in the living room when I door the floors in my dining area. I feel foolish that I didn't realize I could hang the darn things on the table. I saw it in restaurants, etc. Dah.
Thanks for info!!!!
Sandy

[MerrilyC84898]

Replacing Screens.  We are replacing the 8 x 4-ft. screens around our porch ourselves, and it’s pretty easy.  My neighbor paid a contractor $1,400 to do the same on her smaller porch.  We spent approx. $300 for the screen (upgraded 10-year, small mesh black screen, 400 feet of spline, new screws and a spline tool.

Remove the old spline with a thin blade to start, then peel up and remove.  Roll up and dispose of old screen.  Now is a good time to use an old toothbrush to brush dirt from the groove where the new screen will go.  If the frames are really dirty, wash them off with hot water and let dry.

Place the frame on a sturdy surface, groove side up.  

Working from the top, place the roll of screening with an inch margin above the top of the frame.

Unroll a couple feet to align one side to assure screen will be straight.

Use the male end of the spline tool to roll the screen into the spline groove.

Now, press the spline into the spline groove with the female end of the spline tool.

Take your time and GO SLOW on your first one.  

You will get the hang of it pretty quickly.  Tip:  When rolling the new spline onto the screen, keep the tool turned toward the outer edge so if you slip, you won’t cut the screen.

[MerrilyC84898]

Great tip for cleaning a fiberglass shower.  Squirt Dawn dish liquid on the walls and floor of the shower.  Turn on the water for a few seconds, just enough to wet the floor a little. Now take a broom (I use an angled lightweight O’Cedar) and start sweeping!  You will be amazed that the “always yellow no matter” what fiberglass is now WHITE!  

It also works on those nightmare to clean jetted tubs!  Just squirt the Dawn around, spritz a little H2O and stand there and start sweeping.  No more stretching across the expanse of the tub while on your stomach, holding on with one hand and scrubbing with the other!  Rinse well and pat yourself on the back.

No no more scrubbing on hands and knees!  I’ve tried Dawn and vinegar, Dawn and hydrogen peroxide, straight Lysol, Scrubbing Bubbles, Tilex, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, Comet, you name it.  I tried various sponges, pantyhose, net scrubbers and brushes with all of the aforementioned.  Nothing worked!  Then this remarkably easy tip, and it’s really helpful for folks with mobility issues.

[carolyns180954]

I use this method of cleaning the tub and shower in our bathrooms with the Dawn and white vinegar (50/50) mix in a squirt bottle. I discovered if I first dampen the broom and the tub, then squirt the cleaner on the broom rather than the tub or shower walls, there are plenty of suds to do the work, unless either has been neglected and needs a larger dose of cleanser.

[2Papa]

I installed my own gutter guards and haven’t had to clean the gutters for years now.  No more ladder work!

[rc61653200]

buy yourself a Roomba and a steam mop!  I assign one area of my home to each weekday for a thorough cleaning...made my life easier!

[ks6131]

Yes, I just invested in a Roomba on Prime day.  I am loving it.  I keep it's home on my first floor, but can carry it upstairs for cleaning up there.  Much easier than dragging the house vacuum up there. I have hardwood and tile floors with a few scatter rugs.

I have to sit and lie on the floor to clean all the dust under my king size bed. The Roomba can get under beds so much easier than I can and seems to do a great job.  It also does a fair job in my family room, but I need to follow up once a week to get in corners and under my kitchen cupboards that don't allow the Roomba to slide under the lip.  It tends to blow some of my dogs hair into corners

Hanging kitchen chairs upside down from the table makes it easier for the Roomba to get all of the dirt.  And I do try to pull up electric cords that it might get caught on, but this seems easier thant the hours of having to vacuum myself each week.

[MartinG987436]

I'm afraid the Roomba would chase my cat.

[ShawnF67287]

Relax and take a deep breath. Don't become overwhelmed and feel the need to do everything all at once. Divide up the rooms/areas of the house and focus on just cleaning/organizing that room for that day. It may take a while to complete, if it hasn't been done in a while. However, going forward, regular maintenance will take much less time. Play some of your favorite music to help speed things along and make it more enjoyable. Time yourself on how long it took to complete the task. Also, decide how often you would like it to be cleaned. Some rooms require once a day, or twice a week while other areas perhaps just once a month. After the initial completion, schedule it regularly on your calendar/phone/Google Assistant/Amazon Alexa to help remind you. Soon enough all will be cleaned and organized, and the regular routine of it will become less daunting.

[MitchRMorrow]

A friend at The Norcross Senior Center gave me this today at lunch. When she wants to clean her shower. She sprays the shower walls with a cleaning solution from the dollar store which she mixes with 10 parts water to 1 part solution. She then takes a sponge mop also from the dollar store and goes up and down the shower walls and in a minute or two it is clean and dry. I can't wait to try this.

[mlmh3035]

I make sure that things that need to be repaired, are. But, just as importantly, if one of those workers mentions that they smelled something musty or noticed something damp or says there’s something wrong with the shingles, I have learned the hard way not to ignore it.