After spending months looking at home designs, weekends exploring our range of beautiful display homes and then watching with increasing excitement as your vision comes to life, it's a great feeling when you can finally move into your new home.
Once the furniture is in place, and the neighbours have been met, the question that many new homeowners ask is how to care for their brand new home. It makes sense, given the home is not just a source of pride and joy, but could also be a valuable investment for your future. Homeowners want to keep their properties as fabulous as possible, for as long as possible.
Below are some of the best home care tips, gathered over the years to help you out with common issues that arise while caring for your home.
Doors
You can silence noisy doors by rubbing squeaky hinges with a soft lead pencil. If that doesn't work, you can lubricate the hinge with a graphite tube.
One word of advice: do not use oil as it will cause more dust and grease to accumulate around the edge instead of keeping it clean, and noise-free.
Floors
Regular cleaning of your floor coverings will maximise
their life span. Do your best to attend to stains as soon as you can.
You will also prevent abrasion of your wooden floors by keeping them
free from dirt and grime.
Just remember that excessive moisture on wooden floors can cause severe damage, so be sure to minimise the amount of water you use while you clean.
Walls
Do 'future you' a favour, and be sure to use special fasteners if you want to hang artwork on your interior walls. Angle pins and hooks will prevent damage to both your walls and your art, and you can find them at hardware stores.
Your choices will vary based on the weight of the artwork and the construction of the wall. Be sure to get out the fishing scales before you go, in case your weight estimates are off.
Surfaces
Abrasive products are tempting when it comes to getting the job done, but in the interest of maintaining your laminated surfaces, you'd do well to avoid them.
There's a high chance they will destroy the polished finish of your kitchen benchtops and bathroom vanities. Teach any budding junior chefs that if they are cutting vegetables, they must always use a chopping board. Likewise, remember to never place hot pots or pans directly onto a laminated benchtop.
External walls
To protect the longevity of exterior paintwork, we recommend that you hose down your home at least twice a year.
Doing so will also help to keep insects and spider webs at bay. Just remember, you may need to check with your water provider or local council before you do this if you are experiencing water restrictions.
Plumbing
When it comes to the plumbing of your new home, advise your family to avoid turning taps off too forcefully, so as not to damage the washer.
If there are any adjustments to be made to your toilet flushing or hot water systems, it is always worth employing the services of a qualified plumber, as the work is high risk and could end up costing you more later. In the kitchen, it is also essential to remove food waste from your sink to make sure it doesn't block your sink trap.
Moving into a new home is a huge milestone, and we want all our customers to have many years of happiness in the property of their dreams. Our journey with you does not finish once the keys are handed over, and we love to hear back from our customers when they do!
If you have any questions about your new home, we encourage you to reach out. Likewise, if you are interested in providing us with some customer testimonial, we'd love to hear from you.
Too soon? If you are getting ready to move into your new home, be sure to read our Top tips for invaluable advice on what you need to consider ahead of moving day.
