New Year’s Resolutions for Portland Home Owners
Most people make New Year’s resolutions to improve themselves. This year, consider making a few New Year’s Resolutions to improve your Portland home. Here are 6 ideas to choose from:
- Renovate. Choose one project you really want to do, and get it done this year. Add on a deck, make minor kitchen renovations or install a new bathroom floor.
- Practice Portland home safety. Practice fire safety by ensuring your smoke alarms work and holding fire drills. Prevent poisoning by keeping cleaners, medications and beauty products in a place where children can’t reach them and using child safety locks. Avoid falls by having bright lights over stairs and steps and on landings. Also, keep stairs clear of clutter.
- Test for radon. Radon is a significant contaminant that affects indoor air quality worldwide. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Even if you live in an area that typically doesn’t have radon problems, the US EPA recommends testing your home for radon because testing is the only way to know your Portland home’s radon levels.
- Do one thing to go green. Change to Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL), install a low-flow shower head, use green cleaning products or start recycling.
- Check water quality. Drinking water quality varies from location to location, depending on the condition of the source water from which it is drawn and the treatment it receives. Every community water supplier must provide an annual report to its customers. Read your report to find out what your water contains.
Private wells and homes drawing water from other sources such as lakes and rivers are not regulated. If your drinking water does not come from a public water system, you alone are responsible for assuring that it is safe. Routine water testing is essential.
- Reduce your utility bills. Review your electric and gas expenses for the previous 12 months and make a plan to reduce them. There are many ways to save on energy bills: increase your insulation, weather strip windows and doors, purchase energy efficient appliances, install energy efficient windows and adjust home temperatures.
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