Do you live in a small building that doesn’t have maintenance staff on-site? Do you love the accomplished feeling you get when taking care of your home yourself? Are you handy?
If so, this list might be the list for you! Please remember to speak with your landlord prior to taking on any of your own small maintenance tasks, but once you have their blessing here are some fantastic ways you can take care of your home, without having to wait for maintenance to stop by!
Changing Light Bulbs & Replacing Batteries
You probably have all of the materials you need for this one already. If a lightbulb burns out, double-check the required wattage and switch out the old bulb for a new one! Remember to turn off the switch before trying to replace the bulb! You can also replace the battery on things like smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and keyless entry doors. It is recommended for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to change those batteries every 6 months!
When to call maintenance: If the lightbulb that needs changing is in a hard-to-reach spot, or you suspect that any of your battery-powered items in your home aren’t functioning properly.
Repairing Nail Holes & Touching Up Paint
Did you recently redecorate? Do you now have excess nail holes from where your wall décor used to be? Asks your landlord if they’re comfortable with you touching up the left behind holes to get rid of the eyesore! They should also be able to tell you the brand and color of the paint!
When to call maintenance: If you don’t have confidence that you can do the job well or the hole that needs repair is bigger than the size of a dime.
Unclogging Drains
If any of the drains in your apartment are clogged, be it toilet, shower, or sink, you can give it a go at unclogging it! For a toilet, you’ll most likely need a plunger. For a sink or shower, whose drains usually get clogged with hair or other debris, there are handy tools that you can use to pull that debris out!
When to call maintenance: If you are not able to unclog your drain with some ease, it’s time to give maintenance a call.
Replacing Your Air Filter
Many apartments will come in and replace your air filter once or twice a year. For some people, especially those who have seasonal allergies or homes with pets, that just isn’t often enough. Luckily, replacing your air filter is as easy as going to the hardware store and buying the right sized filter, pulling out the old filter, and replacing it with the new clean filter. You can locate your filter by looking in your HVAC closet, it should be in a slot on the air intake side. The size of the filter is usually printed on the side, but if you can’t find it your management office or maintenance team should be able to tell you the correct size! Pro tip: write the replacement date on the filter and also set a reminder in your phone for your next filter change! You can dispose of the old filter simply by throwing it in the trash. If you have allergies or other sensitivities, you might consider wearing gloves and a mask!
Overloaded Circuit
Did you make the mistake of putting too much electrical load on one circuit in your apartment? No need to call maintenance! Just go to your breaker panel and flip the circuit back on. Make sure you reduce the load on your circuit before continuing your task, so you don’t trip the breaker again!
When to call maintenance: If turning the circuit back on doesn’t fix the problem, or you continually have circuits shut off even after reducing the electrical load, it’s time for maintenance to come take a look.
With a little bit of effort, you can expand your knowledge on taking care of your home and help yourself learn how to do these things for the future. Please remember, if there is a maintenance emergency, please reach out to your manager and/or maintenance staff and let them handle the issue.
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