Your home maintenance checklist

A few years after owning that dream home that you had craved for for so long, it comes as an anti-climax when you realise that the house cannot keep that fresh aura that it once had.

From fading paints to worn-out rugs, most people feel their years of hard work have not brought a lasting investment.

But the good news is that the damage can be prevented, according to Mr Benson Hinga, an interior designer, “Ensuring your home doesn't age before its due date is a full concept in interior design known as home maintenance,” he says.

"It is all about extending your house's life and conditioning it to the best of your comfort.”

How do you do that?

Mr Hinga says a house needs to be spruced up from time to time to maintain its aura.

"Once a roof starts leaking, the ceiling covers will be damaged, the fading paints will give the walls a tired look, and the leaking bathtub will make your house stuffy. To avoid this, it is vital to come up with a maintenance plan, and which does not require a massive budget," he adds.

“Of course the first step in repairing anything is identifying the problems or the potential ones. Once you have done that, you will need to decide on the possible solutions, and whether it is a do-it-yourself-repair or you will need to engage the services of a professional,” he says.

If it is inside the house, you will need to do internal maintenance, which involves re-roofing (or fixing a leak), repainting, re-upholstering (changing the furniture’s fabrics), rearranging, repainting, repairing worn-out items, as well as replacing tiles, among others. Exterior, on the other hand, is about doing fresh landscaping on your lawn, sprucing up the porch, doing the garden and repairing other faulty items within the compound.

From experience, he says, the major problem starts with the roof, and others come as a result of this. “Once you have started seeing dirty patches on an otherwise clear ceiling, it is proof that your roof is leaking and needs to be repaired.”

He also cites broken windows, fading paint, broken taps, a faulty cooker, clogged water pipes, leaking bathtubs and sinks.

Maintenance in different parts of the house

Sitting room:

By having items that are moved only occasionally, thus reducing the chances of damage, he says, the sitting room is easier to decorate, and also cheaper. “In most cases, you find that the couches in the sitting room will outlive the kitchen table, or even a bed," he adds.

Regarding maintenance, explains the décor expert, you can either replace a damaged item or just re-upholster where needed.

Re-upholstering the speaker's diaphragm (or simply washing it with hydrogen peroxide) is another way of prolonging its life, while television covers can be redecorated.

Kitchen:

The kitchen is the most involving room to maintain, given the many activities that take place there. But Mr Hinga says it is worth the effort. “Remember this is where you prepare your meals, and thus cleanliness of the highest order is paramount. If you don't want a foul-smelling kitchen, you need to ensure that the drainage system is functional.”

Because of smoke, which according to Mr Hinga accelerates wearing out of paint, you need to repaint regularly. Also, he adds, anything broken, like kitchen cabinets, should be repaired or replaced to avoid spillage. Anything faulty should also be replaced.

Bedroom:

For this section of the house, it is essential to think about your comfort before deciding what to repair, he explains. Ask yourself whether the carpet is so worn out that you need a new one. Is the bed comfortable enough? What is the size of the mattress? Is it long enough? Is it so thin that you are suffering backaches?
“You should also consider the exterior as this is also an important part of maintenance. Think about the lawn and flowers that are adjacent to your bedroom."

Bathroom and toilet:

Regular bathroom maintenance, says Mr Hinga, is an essential part of housekeeping. Once bathroom maintenance is done, he continues, you save yourself a considerable amount of money as you will avoid problems related to plumbing, leaks, mould, clogging and mildew.

While there are many aspects of maintaining the bathroom, the main one, explains Mr Gerald Gikonyo, a plumber in Nanyuki town, is leaking as it causes other problems.

"Once there is a small leak, there will be moisture under the sinks and bathtubs, and thus mildew and mould will start to grow."

Similarly, he continues, a significant leak or break will result in clogging of the drainage system, and thus water will stagnate inside the bathroom. He notes that these problems will also occur in the toilet.

The first step in remedying the problem, according to Mr Gikonyo, is to identify the leaks and have them repaired by a qualified person.

"Look for leaks under the spouts, pipes, bathtubs, toilet bowls and other piped sections of the toilet," he says, explaining that if left unattended, they will lead to moisture accumulation and thus the growth of mould, not to mention rot and decay.

Decay can also occur on or under the tiles and thus it is necessary to be on the lookout for loose or broken tiles.

"Due to stagnant water, the grout or any other sealant that keeps together your bathroom tiles might wear out, leaving space for water to seep into the spaces below the tiles." This, according to him, means that grout needs to be reapplied and if the tiles are badly damaged, to be replaced.

Of importance, he adds, is the use of drain covers to avoid clogging of the drainage system.

“Drain covers will block hair, dirt and other particles that can clog the drains,” he says.

He adds that the bathroom should also be cleaned regularly. Where there are stains, oxygen bleach can be useful.