Alternatives To Expensive Home Repair in Central Florida | Lori "Alexia" Clemens, Broker Associate | White Brick Exclusives

Sometimes owning a home isn’t all that much fun. Sure you love the weekend barbeques in the backyard and game nights with the kids in the living room. But when the plumbing starts to have problems or dry rot is destroying your window sills, home repairs get you down. They are often expensive with a frustrating process of inconvenience and mess. Here are 7 cheap alternatives to expensive home repair in Central Florida.

Hydro Jet Plumbing Maintenance

If you notice there are issues with slow drainage or even slow intake, it is best to do something sooner than later before the backup really causes problems. While there are dozens of home DIY solutions involving ingredients such as vinegar or baking soda, it might be most cost-effective to hire a plumber to do a hydro jet cleaning. This is a maintenance service and usually very reasonably priced. It clears the pipes from start to finish with high powered water streams removing debris and gunk.

DIY Insulation

Homeowners usually think that ineffective heating or cooling is a result of a problem the HVAC unit. Before you spend thousands to upgrade to a new unit, put your gloves on and climb up into the attic. With a few hundred dollars worth of insulation materials, you can roll the insulation along walls yourself. This traps heat in the house and prevents a cool house from being heated by summer temperatures. While you have the gloves on, clean dust and debris from vents and change the filter. These are simple and inexpensive ways to keep the HVAC running efficiently.

Install Washing Machine Standpipe

A common repair in every home is replacing molded drywall behind a washing machine. There is a simple cause for this problem with an even simpler solution. For under twenty buckaroos, you can install a standpipe to hold the washing machine exit line in place. If that line doesn’t pop out and start splashing water everywhere, you eliminate the problem.

Caulk Windowsills

That window dry rot is tough to prevent in some places like Central Florida where weather conditions can be harsh. You can help slow the issue down and prevent a lot of the dry rot with outdoor caulking along the edges of the window. Doing this pre-repair for a few dollars per caulk canister can save you thousands in removing and replacing the window sills. It also prevents you from dealing with the mess and inconvenience of windows removed from the home

Circuit Breaker Reset

This is a trick that will cost you nothing. But if you have to repair a circuit board, it will cost you. Especially if codes have changed and you need to upgrade. One of the biggest problems with circuit breakers is they rust and get stuck. This is not only a problem when trying to move a circuit switch, it can lead to failure of the board which is a fire danger. Simple go through each circuit, switch it off and continue down the board. Once you have turned the last one off, go back to the first and switch it on. That gives it enough time to reset and clears any dirt, debris and potential rusting behind the circuits.

Shaving Cream Carpet Cleaner

Carpet stains happen to every homeowner. Kids, pets and just day-to-day whoops lead to discoloration and staining. Instead of spending money on cleaning or even replacing carpets, blot the carpet with white shaving cream; not the gel type. Blot the stain and around the edges of the stain. Clean the shaving cream up with cool water and let the spot dry before allowing feet, fur or people, walk on it.

Toothpaste Metal Polish

Toothpaste is effective in cleaning more than just that bright smile of yours. In fact, you might love this trick so much your smile will light up the room. Rather than replace old, dingy and slightly rusted bathroom fixtures or cabinet metals, get an old rag out and start polishing with toothpaste. It can also clean glass top stoves and saves a ton of money compared to expensive polishes and cleaners. Simply wipe on, put that elbow grease into it and then wipe off to see your new shine.