This post is brought to you by a Healthy Life partner, FilterEasy.
David and I moved into our house 7 years ago. It needed a lot of TLC and we spent the weeks after closing tearing up tile and carpet with our own two hands. We pulled down wall-sized mirrors and added light fixtures.
I knew it was going to be a big project, but David was handy, I was pretty good at following directions, and at least I knew that once we finished these big initial projects, we’d be able to just sit back and relax, knowing our home improvement work was complete.
lol!
Home ownership has some wonderful perks, but the maintenance and projects that comes with it never end and can sometimes add up to be quite costly. Over the years, we’ve tried to be diligent about staying on top of small maintenance items to avoid the big expense that comes from neglecting them. Some things we do include:
- We invested a programmable thermostat to make our inefficient home regulate temperature better to lower our bills.
- We replaced the rubber weatherstrips on our doors to improve insulation.
- We freeze vinegar in ice cube trays and drop them into our garbage disposal every month or so which keeps it fresh and sharpens the blades. Cheaper and easier than replacing the disposal.
- We clean the gutters regularly (and have rerouted drain spouts) to avoid letting water pool around and damage our foundation.
- We have our septic checked and pumped regularly because, ew, I don’t even want to think about that one.
Another popular money-saving task according to the experts is to check your home air filters every 2-3 months. I’m really not one to be giving that advice though, as I never remember to check our filters. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time I did, so when FilterEasy reached out about partnering up for a post, I decided to take a quick look.
Oh man, you guys. Ick.
I learned that not only can regular filter changes reduce your energy bill by 5%-10% (according to the Department of Energy), but not changing your filters makes your HVAC work harder than it should, wearing it out sooner. We had to replace a HVAC unit two years ago and the expense is no joke. If changing filters regularly can help extend the life of our new HVAC, then you better believe we’re on board.
Still, the remembering to do so thing isn’t always easy; that’s where FilterEasy comes in. FilterEasy is an automatic home air filter delivery service that delivers the filters you want right when you need them.
They just show up on your doorstep! Since remembering to change filters is the hard part (actually replacing them is quite easy) this service is a no-brainer. They offer three different types of filters, and often for cheaper than what you can get them for down the street.
Not only does staying on top of changing filters help with energy efficiency and lengthening the life of your HVAC unit, it also is important for the air quality in your home. I’m kicking myself for not changing them before allergy season; I truly wonder how much better I would have felt.
Are you interested in extending the life of your furnace and AC units, improving your air quality, lowering your utility bills, and having one less thing to forget? Then I’d encourage you to check out FilterEasy. There’s no long-term commitment, there’s no lengthy sign-up process, and you can change or cancel your account at any time.
Now for a great deal–
FilterEasy has offered to replace every Healthy Slice reader’s home air filters FOR FREE! And one reader will also win a $150 Amazon gift card!
It’s super easy to enter:
- Click here to submit your email address in the blank provided (this will automatically enter you in the giveaway for the Amazon gift card).
- After entering your email address, you’ll be directed to FilterEasy’s homepage with your free filter promo code automatically applied.
- Sign up for the service and get your first set of filters for free (I believe you will be asked to pay the shipping).
Then contest ends July 1, and the winner will be notified by email.
What home maintenance items do you try to stay on top of regularly to lower overall costs?
montessoriishmom says
This is a good reminder, I think it’s definitely been too long since we’ve changed our filters, whoops. I’ve never heard about that vinegar trick for the garbage disposal, I’m definitely going to try that!
Katherine Hurst says
What a great service!
Brittany Dixon says
It seemed random when I first heard of it, but it actually makes so much sense! I wish everything was delivered right to my house right when I needed it 🙂
Stephanie Prause says
This awesome. Also thanks for the vinegar cubes trick. Can’t wait to do that!
Ali says
Not exactly home maintenance, but…Laundry! One load a day is so much more manageable than one giant “laundry day” each week with a mountain to conquer.
Brittany Dixon says
I love that tip! I’ll be on a roll, staying on top of it for a week or two, then I always fall behind and end up with THE MOUNTAIN 😉
John says
We use filter easy as well! I love it because we used to always forget about our filters and almost ruined our AC unit!
Getty says
Could you please explain how putting frozen vinegar down the disposal sharpens its blades?
Brittany Dixon says
The ice part, not the vinegar. The vinegar is for the freshness! 🙂
Lindsay says
New home owner here … I am learning so many NEW things. I bought the house I live in from my parents (They bought it a few years ago and I was living in it while starting in the work force) and while my dad is helping me out with a lot of things I still have so much to LEARN! p.s. Do we have to purchase the filters to be entered to win the gift card?
Brittany Dixon says
No purchase necessary to be entered to win! You just need to enter your email on the page I linked to 🙂
Rose Wright says
It’ll be great if you can do small maintenance for your home with your own hands. All can hire a contractor for this work but a very few can do it themselves. When you feel the maintenance work needs special expertise and specific tools, without experimenting, you should engage a remodel company. Its experts have enough skills and ideas to fix your issues in a great way. Their work not only satisfies you but also becomes a reason for its attractive looks. You will be satisfied with their work.
Desentupidora Foguete says
The vinager tip was awesome, thanks! The problems related to filters is something that bothers me, always… allergy… but using your tricks I will try to handle this.