Home Repair

[lucille]

Originally Posted by 72Tiger

A couple of appliance things you can do:

Once a year, unplug the clothes dryer, pull it away from the wall, take the back off, and clean all the lint out. Lint buildup can cause the heating element or the thermister to burn up. Also clean the duct out - you will be surprised how much lint can accumulate there. Partially clogged ducts make the machine work harder (contributing to it wearing out earlier), and waste energy.

Check the rubber water supply line hoses to your clothes washer for brittleness or cracks. A rule of thumb for replacement is every 5 years +/-. If you have ever come home to a flooded house, you will know how important this is.

When you replace those machine hoses spend a few more dollars and get the really good pex with braided steel. Then are less likely to break.

[kav122]

hey, thanks for the awesome hints!

[moneymatters]

Here's a link to a home and auto maintenance checklist from Simple Dollar.
I also am signed up at a website where you can have email reminders sent to you every so often that will remind you of home maintenance tasks that you should be doing on a regular basis. If i can remember what it is, i'll post it.

I feel your pain on the Minnesota winters - i live there too, and it is exceptionally cold this year!!