As temperatures warm up in much of the U.S. – including Chicago – people across the country are getting ready for spring cleaning and spring repairs. Going the Do-It-Yourself route instead of hiring services could save them some cash.
Casey Finn, founder of The DIY Playbook, joined WBBM Newsradio’s Rob Hart on the Noon Business Hour with need-to-know tips for the spring season this week.
“I have a few tasks that often get forgotten… and these are things that you can do in under 30 minutes,” she told Hart.
First, she recommends cleaning bathroom fans. This step can help people avoid costly mold remediation later.
“Here’s a trick that you can do,” Finn said. “Take a piece of toilet paper, turn on the fan, and it should lightly suck it up. And if it’s not, it means that it’s probably not doing its job. So, you want to pop off that cover, vacuum it out, and get all that dust out of there.”
Next up is the dryer vent. Finn warned that these can become attractive to critters – some birds even created a nest in hers.“We had to clear it all out, and it’s a really big fire hazard if you have lint or any other objects in there, so this is definitely something that you wanna take care of,” she said.
Outside, homeowners should also be wary of big leaf piles that got trapped under snow back in November and are still clinging to the ground. Critters love those too.
“With the nice weather this weekend I definitely advise walking around your property checking out all those leaf piles and making sure that you have no new friends that came for springtime,” Finn said. While outside, she also recommends checking outdoor spigots and faucets.
One last easy DIY project Finn recommends is checking window tracks. These can often get overlooked, she explained.
“So many people are focused on the glass and making sure that that is nice and clean, but don’t forget the tracks,” she warned. “That’s where all of the dirt goes. Personally, I like to use my steam cleaner and it does a good job to get it all out.”
