Indoor Home Improvement
In addition to a standard
"spring cleaning," here are some other maintenance tasks you may wish to
perform in your home.
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Improve The
Look Of Your Home
- Did winter snow and ice
cause water damage on your walls or ceilings? Use a primer - sealer, before
attempting to paint
over it.
- You can clean your home inexpensively by using products you already have around the house.
These items are also more kind to the earth than chemicals.
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Controlling clutter will go a
long way toward helping your home look clean.
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Adding On To Your Home
- Spring is an ideal time
to plan and build an addition to your home. Follow these six
steps to get the best results.
- Here are some helpful
hints on how to hire an architect to design that addition, or a
remodeler to revamp existing rooms.
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can also help you shop wisely for home
products and services. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent,
deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide
information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them.
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Be Safe!
- Since it is warm enough
to open windows, spring is a good time to paint wood furniture and walls. When
using paint strippers on
furniture, be sure to do so safely.
- Protect yourself from
paint fumes by following these tips. For example, you
should avoid freshly painted rooms for two or three days.
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New carpeting
may also give off fumes. You may wish to leave your home for several hours
after installation.
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Make Your
Home More Energy Efficient
- New windows can greatly
improve the energy efficiency of your home. Consider these five
points while shopping.
- If you have a service
contract to have your heating and air conditioning systems each inspected once
a year, be sure to make your appointment now. This way, you can repair any
problems before it gets too hot (and contractors get too busy!)
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Clean or replace your air conditioner filter, to further
get your unit ready for the cooling season.
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Consider moving lamps or TV sets away from your air-conditioning thermostat.
The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air
conditioner to run longer than necessary.
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Other Resources
This is just a brief
overview. For more information, check out these resources:
Read these publications online
:
Websites*:
* Names of resources and
organizations included in this online article are provided as examples only,
and their inclusion does not mean that they are endorsed by the Savvy Consumer
Information Center or any Government agency. Also, if a particular
resource or organization is not mentioned, this does not mean or imply that it
is unsatisfactory.
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For more information on other popular consumer issues check out
our Consumer Focus
Archive.
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