How To: Clean a Garbage Disposal in 2024
If your sink smells like the dumpster behind a restaurant, take ten minutes to clean out your garbage disposal with these freshening tips.
Are you Living with Bats?
Are you Living with Bats? Everyone loves Batman. He fights crime, saves the girl, defeats the evil doers. He’s awesome. Not everyone loves bats as much. These creatures can wreak havoc in a residential dwelling, spreading diseases and destroying attic and crawl spaces. The worst part is, most people in Florida don’t even know they’re living in their house. They attribute some noises here and there to the house settling or a sound coming from the outside. By the time they figure out what’s going on, it’s become a massive infestation.
What is Thermal Imaging Used for?
Have you heard a professional home inspector talk about “thermal imaging” but are still somewhat unsure about what that really means? Then you have come to the right place. Shield Home Watch Property Inspectors we get asked this question often, so let’s talk about what this means and how it can be beneficial to a whole home inspection.
How to Improve Air Quality in Your Home
One of the most important factors within your home is the quality of air that you and your family breathe. There has been a rise in awareness about indoor air quality, and we thought it might be helpful to discuss ways to improve the air inside, rather than hope that your air purifying or ventilation system is doing the trick.
How to Test GFCI and AFCI Panels
The electricity receptacles in your home are not created equal. This is especially true if your home was built sometime in the 1980s when a change in receptacles started taking off. Chances are you’ve seen the difference among receptacles but maybe aren’t familiar with how they are different. Let’s learn how to test GFCI and AFCI panels.
Become Familiar with Homeowners Associations Requirements in 2020
Homeowners associations, or HOAs, are governing bodies that set and enforce the rules of a neighborhood or condominium development. They maintain common areas and oversee the amenities, covenants and restrictions of the neighborhood. There are many ways a HOA can be beneficial to you, but there are also aspects that you might find restrictive. If your new home falls under the jurisdiction of a HOA, learn all you can about it so you don’t have any unpleasant surprises.
It’s Gettin’ Hot In Here – 5 Reasons Why Air Conditioners Fail When You Need Them The Most
In general, air conditioner manufacturers make high quality equipment. If your air conditioner fails suddenly stops working, first check the fuses or circuit breakers after letting the unit cool down for five minutes. If it’s a particularly hot day, your central air conditioner’s high-pressure limiter may have tripped due to the unit over working. If you know where this switch is, be sure to check it as well.
Below are additional common issues with AC systems that you should be aware of.
Does Your Home Have A Non-Insurable Electrical Panel?
Whether you’re a current homeowner and you’re taking a look at your electrical systems, or you’re interested in buying a home, it’s a good idea to know about non-insurable electrical panels – and what they could mean for your home.
In this article, we’ll discuss the basics of non-insurable electrical panels, a few of the top brands that made them, and what you should do if you find one in your home.
Florida Hurricane Preparedness in 2020
Now that we are entering the 2020 Hurricane Season, how many of us aren’t ready if a storm does come to our area this year? Contact Shield Home Watch to assist with hurricane preparedness for your Florida home.
Best Roof Types for Florida Homes 2020
Florida Roof Types – There are five types of roofing materials that are the most common in Florida homes. These are clay, slate, concrete, metal and wood. If you are looking for a home or already own one, it is important to make sure that the roof is sturdy.
What Retirees Need to Know about Buying a Vacation Home in 2020
Many retirees decide to buying a vacation home as their ideal place to rest and relax. A second home can be a gathering place for friends and family, and a supplement to your retirement income via future renting potential. Plus, any mortgage interest you pay is tax deductible as long as it’s a personal residence, meaning you occupy the home at least 14 days a year. Two weeks of vacation doesn’t sound so bad, does it? Renting comes with tax deductions and other benefits to consider as well. If you think a vacation home might be right for you, check out these home-buying tips.
9 Organizing Mistakes That’ll Totally Mess Up Your Dreams
Organizing is about giving everything the right place (sometimes the donation bin), and while that sounds straightforward, it’s pretty easy to choose the wrong places, turning your attempt at a tidier home into wasted effort.
7 Places to Check for Signs of Mice Before You Buy
There’s nothing worse than the idea of settling into the home you’ve just purchased after dreaming about it for years, only to find out there’s mice! I hate mice! I think they’re sent from the devil to destroy our stuff. All they do 24 hours a day is try to get into your home and wreck your stuff. I had this experience with my home and it sucked. I had to become an expert at finding mice in order to be able to get rid of them. The hard part is that when someone is selling a home, everything is usually very clean, and you can bet they cleaned up any mouse droppings that they came across. So when you are checking the house you need to know the places to check for signs of mice.
How to Find a Qualified Home Inspector in 2020
When you are buying a house for the first time, second time, or any time after that it’s always best to get a home inspection done prior to closing on a house. I imagine, most of you would likely agree with me when I say that having a home inspection is a fairly important part of buying your first home. This article will dive into how to find a home inspector, what to ask and where to look.
Why Do I Need Home Insurance?
A new home can be the biggest purchase of your life; but consider this: You budget to furnish your home. You house all your belongings there. It is where you live, raise your family, and make memories. Following this train of thought, your home becomes a great financial (and personal) investment, so why not protect it? Home insurance is the safety net that helps you repair, rebuild, or replace that which can be susceptible to numerous risks. Continue reading to learn the benefits of home insurance.
6 Things You Must Do Before Drilling A Lock
Drilling is a method of destructive entry, so it should normally be used after other unlocking techniques have been exhausted. That means that using it on a lock, will break the mechanism and require it to be replaced. For that reason, drilling a lock is a last resort. It should only be used when there is no other method available to open the locked door.
Resolving Drywall Cracks and Nail Pops in 2024
In fact, as your home settles, it is very common for hairline cracks and nail pops to appear on both the interior and exterior walls. These are normal and are caused by the natural expansion and contraction of the materials in your home. A nail pop is what happens when wall studs and drywall contract, causing the nail to pop out from the surface. This is not a structural problem, it is purely cosmetic. Addressing drywall cracks and nail pops should be incorporated into your ongoing home maintenance plan.
20 Must Have Tools For Homeowners
The biggest change in becoming a homeowner (besides the freedom of owning your own place) is that you can’t call the landlord anymore to do repairs for you. That’s why you need to make sure you have a well stocked toolkit. These tools are all must have tools for homeowners. Most repairs you can do with a few YouTube videos and these tools. In fact, I’ve fixed my dishwasher and refrigerator in the past week using just a couple of these tools.
3 Common Painting Mistakes To Avoid Every Time
Painting is easy, right? You just go the store, pick up paint and roll it on the wall. Well that’s the idea anyway. The problem is, a lot of paint jobs end up looking like DIY projects, which isn’t good. If you can avoid these three common painting mistakes, your paint jobs will look like a pro completed the work and the best part, you’ll be able to finish the project much more quickly than the average DIY project.
Spring Cleaning – Top 10 Tips
Want to make your spring cleaning a breeze? Check out our Top 10 Spring Cleaning Tips and checklist for a clean and healthy home this spring-time.
9 Tips for Keeping Your Garbage Disposal in Top Shape
If you’re still dumping coffee grounds down your drain, listen up: You could be cutting your appliance’s life short! But it’s not too late to correct your mistakes. Discern good from bad habits with this guide to properly using and maintaining a garbage disposal.
Driveaway Services – Hire Someone to Drive Your Car To Another State in 2020
If you’re looking for a professional to drive your car for you, this is known as a “Driveaway” service. It is the hiring an individual or company that specializes in driving cars from one location to another, sometimes thousands of miles.
Smoke Detector Maintenance Tips for Home Fire Safety
smoke detector maintenance. Replace smoke alarms every decade. Vacuum alarms at least once a year to remove dust, a big contributor to faulty alarms. Replace batteries every year unless you use the long-life kind. Avoid using long-life batteries in older smoke alarms as they could render them inoperable.
What You Need to Know About Mosquito Season in Florida 2020
In any geographic region, mosquito season depends on two factors: rainfall and temperature. In many parts of the country, the first warm days of spring signal the start of mosquito season and winter’s first frost signals the end—except in more arid areas, where mosquito populations don’t pose a problem even in colder months.
Black Mold in a Toilet – The Cheap and Easy Solution (and how to get rid of it) in 2024
Do you have black mold in your toilet? Not to worry, here is a super easy way to get rid of it without chemicals (or if you prefer chemicals, we have that information too). Own a home for long enough and you are likely to find black mold in your toilet.
How to Clean Fireplace Glass (Naturally and for FREE)
Today I’m going to blow your mind with how to clean fireplace glass. Not only am I going to blow your mind, but I’m going to show you a natural way for cleaning your fireplace and it’s 100% free.
This method was shown to me by a friend, and when he told me, I just looked at him in disbelief because it seemed so ridiculous (Which is why we are going to put some pictures of doing this). But after I tried it once it’s the only way I have cleaned the inside of my fireplace door for the past 10 years. Best of all it hasn’t cost me a penny.
Moisture Absorbing Buckets – Disastrous in a Vacation Home
Whenever I come across new information regarding vacant homes through education or personal experience, I like to share it with my clients. This particular blog discusses Moisture Absorbing Buckets. Shield Home Watch Services does NOT recommend the use of Moisture Absorbing Buckets in vacant homes or vehicles.
Four Benefits of Spring Cleaning & Power Washing Your Home 2020
Once winter is over, millions of Americans rush to clean their home in preparation of the new season! The reasons for spring cleaning go far beyond the appearance of a clean home. Here’s just a few benefits of giving your home a deep clean.
How To Unclog A Dishwasher With Standing Water
While cleaning up after dinner, you notice that a significant amount of water has accumulated in the bottom of your dishwasher. You know that a little water is normal, but this seems excessive. Learn how to unclog a dishwasher with standing water, in this Shield Home Watch Blog post for Homeowners.
How to Choose the Best Smoke Alarms for Your Home
Smoke alarms are one of the best and least expensive ways to provide early warning when a fire begins. When properly installed and maintained, smoke alarms can help prevent injuries and minimize property damage. And when you look at the facts, it’s clear that, in many cases, they mean the difference between life and death.