“2020 has been a tough year for everyone. We’ve all experienced some level and type of loss during the past 9 months. Here’s an article on how to cope with those feelings of loss.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
Category Archives: Home Maintenance
10 Things You Gotta Do Before Winter Sets In
“The weather’s getting colder and the leaves are changing so it must be time to prepare for your home for Winter. Check out this list of ‘To Do’s’ that you don’t want to forget.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
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A Fall Checklist of 10 Things You Gotta Do Before Winter Sets In
Such as look for roof leaks before the first winter snow. Preventative maintenance is key. Read
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© Copyright 2020 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Caring for Houseplants Through the Winter Months
“Did you know that you should treat your indoor plants differently during the winter months, than the rest of the year? Read on to learn more!”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
Originally Published by American Home Shield
Whether you have hanging plants in front of every window or a small cactus on the mantel, houseplants are a great addition to your home decor. Their green leaves and beautiful blooms bring a touch of the outdoors into your living space, and they can really brighten up your home and mood during the dreary, bleak winter months. Additionally, some potted plants that you may keep outside on the patio or deck during the summer won’t survive cold winter temps and need to be brought inside.
But caring for your houseplants during the winter is a little different from caring for them during the summer. Plants go dormant during the winter, when shorter days, drier air and cooler temperatures make them vulnerable. Nurse your plants through the cold months with these tips for indoor plant care in the winter.
Get Your Houseplants Ready
If you really want your houseplants to thrive during the colder months, you need to make sure they’re optimally healthy before the seasons change. Give each plant the care it needs to thrive during the warmer months, and set them up for winter success with a last boost of fertilizer before temperatures drop.
Water Less Frequently
Most plants enter a dormant phase during the winter, but you might not notice it. For many species, it just means they stop growing. Some, like cyclamen, will wither up and dry out, appearing as if they have died. And it’s normal for some plants, like ficus, to drop some of their leaves as they prepare to conserve resources in the winter.
Since your plants aren’t actively growing in the winter, they need less water. Overwatering in the winter can lead to root rot. Most plants need watering only when the soil is dry to an inch or two below the surface and just before it starts to shrink back from the sides of the pot. Don’t water more if plants drop leaves in the winter — remember, that’s normal. Stay vigilant for signs of overwatering, which include yellowing leaves, insects and mold on the soil. When you do water plants, make sure the water is about the same temperature as the room, so you don’t shock the roots.
Boost Humidity
Plants prefer humidity levels of about 50 percent, but the combination of dry winter air and home heating can leave indoor humidity levels as low as 10 percent. Add a humidifier to the room where you keep your plants to compensate, or move them into the kitchen or bath. If you can’t do either, place plants in a tray of water, but use stones to elevate the pots above the water’s surface. That way, they won’t get too much water, but they’ll get humidity as the water in the tray evaporates.
Group Plants Together
Plants breathe through their leaves, releasing water vapor from their pores in a process known as transpiring. Grouping plants together in your home allows them to share moisture with one another, further counteracting the drying effects of winter air and central heating.
Protect Plants from Drafts and Heat
Plants like to say warm — most thrive in temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit in the day and above 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night. While plants need sunlight to thrive, you should keep them away from drafty windows and exterior doorways. Cutting down on drafts from leaky windows keeps your plants healthy, and it cuts your heating costs. If you can’t afford to replace or reseal your windows, there are other solutions, like installing storm windows or window insulation film. On especially cold nights, move plants away from windows and replace them in the morning.
Cold temperatures can harm plants, but it’s not a good idea to let them get too hot, either. Keep plants away from radiators, heating vents, ovens, fireplaces and space heaters. Brown tips on plants like monstera can indicate overheating. If you have succulents or cacti, it’s especially important to keep them cool — not cold — in the winter. It helps them bloom in the spring.
Make Sure They’re Getting Enough Sunlight
Shorter days mean plants get less sunlight, so put them in south- and west-facing windows to maximize sun exposure. If you have more plants than windows, consider investing in a grow lamp or simply replace bulbs in nearby light fixtures with full-spectrum ones.
Plants also tend to get dusty indoors, so you’ll need to keep the leaves clean. Dust them gently with a wet cloth about once a month or put them in the shower and give them a quick rinse. Again, use water that’s the same temperature as the room to avoid shock. Dust on leaves can clog your plants’ pores, suffocating them.
Hold the Fertilizer
Most plants don’t need fertilizer in the winter because they’re not actively growing. There are exceptions, however. Philodendron, for example, needs liquid fertilizer every six to eight weeks year round. Make sure you research the winter fertilizer needs of your specific plants before withholding it.
Let Them Rest
Because they’re not actively growing during the winter months, most plants can’t summon the resources to recover from trimming, transplanting or repotting during this time. Let your plants rest during the winter. Wait until spring to repot or propagate.
Even though they’re protected from the worst of winter weather, indoor plants are still vulnerable during this time of year. Take care to give your plant babies what they need to survive the winter months, and they’ll repay you by bouncing back come spring.
11 Ways to Create a Welcoming Front Entrance for Under $100
“Be proud and feel good every time you come home, by using one of these helpful tips on improving your front entrance.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
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11 Ways to Create a Welcoming Front Entrance for Under $100
Wouldn’t it be nice to approach your home’s entrance with a grin instead of a grimace? Take our tips for beating a clear, safe, and stylish path to your front door. Read
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© Copyright 2020 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
7 Ways to Use Ground Covers in Your Yard
“Got some problem areas in your yard, or maybe you’re just not sure what to do? Here are several ideas on using Ground Cover for a multitude of issues.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
Originally published by American Home Shield
Ground cover plants can do more for your yard than you realize. Check out these 7 ideas to see how.
Low-growing ground cover plants are an often-overlooked solution to many of the most common landscaping problems homeowners face when implementing DIY backyard ideas. And that’s a real shame, because many ground cover plants are easy to grow, come back year after year and can bring color and texture to your flower beds or lawn.
Whether you’re looking for a way to fill in the bare soil under your trees or in other shady spots, need a way to make lawn maintenance on slopes easier, or are simply looking to revitalize the look of your flower beds and landscaping, ground cover plants can meet your needs. These seven tips for using ground covers in your yard can help you solve your landscaping problems and give you the best yard on the block.
1. Make Slopes Easier to Manage
Mowing, weed-eating or otherwise maintaining grass on a slope or hill is a real pain. It can be dangerous, too, especially on a steep slope or in wet grass.
Landscaping with ground cover plants can make caring for landscaping on a slope, embankment or hill much easier. Most ground cover plantings don’t need to be mowed or trimmed, so you can put the lawnmower away and stop struggling with the weed-eater string. Longer ground covers like ivy, Japanese painted fern, Japanese forest grass and pachysandra are great choices for a low-maintenance, visually appealing slope.
2. Fill Shady Spots
It can be hard to grow traditional turf grasses in shady spots under trees, but there are plenty of ground cover species that love the shade and will grow well under your trees, filling in the space with greenery and texture. Grape hyacinths can add quick bursts of color to shady spaces in the spring, and after they go dormant, good ground covers for shade, like pachysandra, vinca minor, liriope and wintercreeper can offer foliage and flowers throughout the summer.
Plant ground covers in between tree roots. Add some compost, garden soil, mulch and other organic material to get ground cover plants started and to avoid the need to dig too deeply into the soil around your tree’s roots.
3. Pair with Other Plants
Ground covers are a great way to add movement and texture to flower beds because they’re usually much shorter than many popular flower bed plantings. Colorful ground cover plants like creeping phlox, basket of gold and creeping thyme can fill in your flower beds and add interest to your garden.
4. Add Texture to Beds
If you like to grow large, showy plants in your flower beds, a single species of ground cover can provide an attractive backdrop for them. But mixing several species of colorful ground cover plants can create a beautiful mosaic of different colors and textures in your beds. Go for different shades of green with covers like Scotch moss, ajuga, creeping Jenny, Dutch clover, and golden pearlwort, or add some color with flowering ground covers like nepeta, Angelina sedum, basket of gold or amethyst in snow.
5. Soften Edges
If you’ve been making hardscaping outdoor home improvements, like installing patios or pathways, you might be looking for a way to soften the sharp edges around your new installations. Many ground cover plants are well-suited to this purpose. When planted along paths or around patios, they can spread out to soften the edges of these hardscaping features. Try creeping ground covers, like creeping thyme.
6. Fill Gaps
Looking for an attractive way to fill in gaps between stepping stones? Many species of moss are easy to grow, won’t creep out of their space and can handle a little foot traffic. Other good choices include a low-growing sedum or creeping thyme.
7. Go Grass-Free
While most people might still choose to grow a sprawling expanse of turf grass on their lawn, homeowners are increasingly realizing that it’s not the only option. Replacing your turf grass lawn with one made of a patchwork of ground cover plants can be more energy-efficient because many of these plants are more drought-tolerant than traditional turf grasses. Ground covers like Spanish daisy, lantana, creeping rosemary and silver carpet can tolerate full sun and drought conditions.
Ground covers are also easier to maintain than traditional turf grasses because they don’t need mowing. Most only grow to a certain height, and then no further. The most you’ll need to do in terms of maintenance would be to trim dead flowers off of some species of flowering ground cover, like a basket of gold.
Ground cover plants can do a lot for your yard. They can spruce up your flower beds, fill in shady spots or replace grass to cut down on maintenance. Don’t keep struggling with your landscaping problems. Solve them with ground cover plants.
9 No-Sweat Hacks to Deep Clean the Cruddiest Things
“Ever wondered how to get different things clean, that just seemed too hard, or too dirty? Well, here are some answers!”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
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9 No-Sweat Hacks to Deep Clean the Cruddiest Things
Like using a drill on your tub (why didn’t we think of it sooner?!) Read
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© Copyright 2020 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Most Common Appliance Breakdown: A Look at the Numbers
“We always recommend a Home Warranty to our clients, and here are just some of the reasons why.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
Originally published by American Home Shield
According to Consumer Reports, here are some of the most common appliance problems and repairs with data to support the results.
As a homeowner, you depend on your appliances to run smoothly so you can get through life with minimal disruptions. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and that goes double for appliances. Refrigerators, ranges, microwaves, dishwashers and other appliances have limited lifespans, and when they break down, you need to get them fixed right away.
A home warranty can help you cover the costs of unexpected appliance breakdowns. When you choose a home warranty from American Home Shield®, your covered home systems and appliances are taken care of, no matter how old they are. Duplicate appliances — like that second refrigerator in your garage — are covered too.
Any appliance can break down, but some do so more often than others. The Survey Research team at Consumer Reports has collected breakdown data on more than 381,000 appliances purchased between 2008 and 2018. Here are some of the most common appliance breakdowns reported by consumers.
Ranges
According to Consumer Reports, 6 percent of homeowners report problems with gas burners or cooktop elements not lighting or heating up, and the same number report problems with the oven not heating up. On gas ranges, it’s usually the ignition system that breaks. Problems with gas burners are also common.
On both electric and gas ranges, the oven temperature sensor (which collects temperature information to help regulate the oven’s temperature) or the oven bake element (which heats the oven) is most likely to break. Often, the ignition system for gas burners gets clogged with food debris and can be cleaned out with soap and warm water.
Refrigerators
If you have a refrigerator with an ice or water dispenser, you probably enjoy getting fresh, cold water and ice on demand — but you’re probably not so excited to learn that your water and ice maker is the most likely part of your refrigerator to break, with 17 percent of Consumer Reports members complaining about a dispenser that stops working. 13 percent complain of an ice maker that no longer makes ice. 7 percent report a buildup of ice in the refrigerator, while 6 percent report water leakage, and 5 percent say the refrigerator isn’t cooling. The ice maker, evaporator fan motor and thermostat are common culprits of breakdowns.
Dishwashers
Have you ever opened up your dishwasher after a cycle and realized that your dishes still aren’t clean? 11 percent of those surveyed noted that their dishwasher has stopped cleaning dishes properly, while 9 percent said that it is no longer drying properly, and 7 percent said that it’s no longer draining properly. As with range burner problems, some dishwasher problems can be fixed at home by cleaning out the filter or sprayer arms.
However, if you do need a new part for your dishwasher, it’ll most likely be the inlet valve, which lets water flow into your dishwasher; the wash arm, which sprays the dish racks with water; the drain pump, which empties your dishwasher of dirty water; or the circulation pump, which is responsible for spraying water forcefully out of the wash arm to clean your dishes.
Washers and Dryers
Front-loading washing machines are popular these days, but 14 percent of customers surveyed about their washing machines complained of mold around the front-loading door. You can clean your front-loading washing machine by running a hot cycle with baking soda and vinegar and drying out the inside of the drum, as well as the door and door seals, with a clean, dry cloth afterward. Prevent the recurrence of mold by drying your door seals after each load, and repeat the vinegar wash monthly.
Moldy doors aren’t the only problem washing machine owners reported. Among owners of both top-loading and front-loading models, 6 percent complained that the drum had stopped spinning correctly or at all. 5 percent reported that the washing machine no longer drained properly — if this happens to you, you may be able to drain it yourself after unclogging the drain hose. 4 percent of those surveyed reported a faulty control panel and 3 percent reported water leaking from the machine.
Things that might break on your washing machine include the door or lid switch, which keeps the drum from spinning when the door is open. The drain pump and tub bearings are also common causes of washing machine breakdowns. The most expensive problem to fix, however, is a faulty control panel, Consumer Reports says.
10 percent of those surveyed complained of a dryer not drying their clothes completely. You may be able to fix this yourself by cleaning the lint trap or cleaning out your dryer vent. 7 percent reported faulty drum rollers, motors or belts. Things that tend to break on dryers include the thermal fuse, which keeps the dryer from overheating. A faulty heating element is also common, as is a faulty drum seal.
Built-In Microwaves
Microwaves make preparing meals a snap, but not when they break down. 5 percent of consumers surveyed reported a broken control panel, while 4 percent reported either excessive noise, an inability to heat up food sufficiently, or a broken door that wouldn’t lock or close. 2 percent complained about a turntable not turning or an exhaust fan not working.
You might be able to fix a broken microwave door yourself by checking YouTube videos relevant to your model. A stalled-out turntable may be the result of food debris stuck in the mechanism or underneath the rollers. You may be able to fix a broken microwave control panel yourself by taking it apart and checking the ribbon cable connection.
Don’t Get Overwhelmed by the Numbers — Stay Covered
Don’t let common appliance breakdowns leave you scrambling to cope. A home warranty from American Home Shield can help you keep your covered appliances in good working order without sacrificing your budget or your sanity.
The Best Time of Year to Buy Things for Your Home
“Most of us wait for the ‘Best Sale’ to go shopping for certain items for our home. If you’d like to know when typically the ‘Best Month’ to go shopping for those deals, read on…”
DC Metro Realty Team – Denise Buck & Ed Johnson
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The Best Time of Year to Buy Things for Your Home
When to look for sales on mattresses, appliances, tools, furnishings, and materials. Read
Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.
Copyright 2020 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Decorating 101: How to Start a Decorating Project
“Before you start to redecorate a room, take some time to really think about the space and plan properly.”
DC Metro Realty Team – Denise Buck & Ed Johnson
5 Tips for Proper Lawn Care for Winter
“Even in the Winter there are steps you can take to help your lawn in the Spring.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – Dc Metro Realty Team
Originally Published by American Home Shield
Love your lawn, but hate how winter makes it a brown mess when spring arrives? Use these tips to protect your grass in winter so you’ll have green grass in spring.
Sure, you’ve likely mowed for the last time until spring, but that doesn’t mean you’re finished preparing the lawn for winter. (Don’t worry; you don’t have to do nearly as much lawn maintenance in the cooler months.) Become a pro at knowing how to take care of the lawn in winter — and help ensure you’ll be able to enjoy lush, green grass when springtime rolls around — by following these five simple winter lawn care tips.
1. Cut Down On — or Eliminate — Scheduled Watering
Depending on where you live, your lawn may not need any additional watering in the wintertime, now that the weather is cooler. If you are in a warmer climate, simply reduce how often and how long you water the lawn. If you’re in a cooler climate, stop your sprinklers altogether. Watering doesn’t help if the water ends up freezing anyway.
2. Keep Your Lawn Tidy
Another great way to prepare your lawn for winter is to make sure your lawn stays clean and neat. That includes removing furniture, toys, branches, leaves and other debris. They can smother the grass, create conditions conducive to diseases and invite pests — resulting in a not-so-gorgeous yard in the spring. In addition, remove any weeds that pop up. If you live in a region with warm-season grass, yours has probably turned a buff color in its dormancy, making it easy to spot those pesky green invaders.
Bonus Tip: Along with removing anything that doesn’t belong on the grass, also remedy or eliminate any places where water can collect around the yard. Otherwise, you may end up with a mosquito infestation when the weather warms up, as standing water sources are breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
3. Leave the Snow
A snow-covered lawn doesn’t just look pretty; it’s actually beneficial for your grass. In fact, a blanket of snow is just that — a blanket. It helps to insulate the grass and ground from the crisp, bitter winter air.
Related: Protect Your Home Against Snow
4. Watch Where You Shovel
If your area gets heavy snow, shoveling that snow is a regular part of your routine. Did you know that shoveling snow from salted areas onto your lawn can cause damage to your grass, though? If it’s necessary for your driveway and walkways and you can’t avoid getting it on your grass, one of the best winter lawn care tips to consider is using calcium chloride–based mixtures versus sodium chloride–based ones.
5. Avoid Excessive Traffic
Repeated walking or driving over snow-covered or frozen turf can damage the existing grass and leave bare spots in the spring. Never park a car on the lawn, and make sure everyone who visits walks along your driveway and walkways instead of your grass.
Want to learn more ways to lawn prep for winter? Find out how to protect your plants this winter.