When you are preparing your walls for painting, the first thing you need to do is to remove dirt that may have accumulated on them over the years. This is done by power washing. Failing to remove dirt from walls prior to painting will cause a fresh coat of paint to fail sooner than later.

Impurities removed from walls through power washing include dust, mildew, chalk, old paint and mud. Some power washers operate on gas while others operate on electricity. Electric power washers are more preferred since they have the ability to deliver more power.

Safety tips when using a power washer:

1. Power washing should be done by skilled hands. Even if they are not difficult to operate, leaving them in the hands of an unskilled person can make them dangerous to people and property. The biggest challenge with handling one is in learning to use the right pressure.
2. Power washers should not be pointed at other people. The pressure expressed by the power washer is extremely high, so just like a gun, you should not aim it at people especially when it’s discharging water.
3. If you are working on a ladder, angle your ladder such that it will compensate for the ‘kick’ that comes when the water makes contact with a surface.
4. Power washers should not be used around or near power sources, such as meter boxes, lights and sockets. Turn off the power before you begin and after you finish, check to ensure that no water leaked into any power sources.
5. Power washers should be used with the right levels of pressure. A psi of between 1500 to 1800 can eliminate spider webs, grit, dust, dirt and fungus. For washing off loose paint, a force of 2500 psi will work. Anything higher and you’ll damage the walls.
6. Note that wood sidings are especially vulnerable to power washing and the right level of pressure should be applied when working with wood.
7. Before power washing, your house should be protected against the pressure blast. All windows and doors should be closed. If any windows and doors are leaky, extra caution should be applied when blasting around them.
8. Make sure the pipe doesn’t get tangled during power washing. Remove all items that could be in the way, such as furniture or kids’ toys.
9. Power washing should only be done on still days. If done on a windy day and you are up on a ladder, the combined force from the wind and water pressure could make you fall.
10. Start power washing from the top of your walls and proceed vertically in a downward direction.
11. Washing should always start with a low pressure and from a safe distance. Only increase pressure in small amounts and move closer to surfaces in small distances.
12. A power washer should never be aimed at windows or doors.

Moisture, dirt and dust found in the air are carried into vents and ducts which can cause mold, and dust contamination over time. If these contaminants are not cleaned out, they might result in health complications in people with allergies and sensitive respiratory systems. Additionally, dirty air vents and ducts will not effectively move air in and out of your heating and cooling systems.

As such, it’s important to clean air vents and ducts every few months. For each cleaning session to be successful, you should follow the below 5 tips:

1. Check for the presence of mold

If your house has inadequate ventilation, this can cause moisture accumulation resulting in growth of mold. As air travels through ducts that have mold growing in them, it causes mold spores to detach and blow into the house. If the spores are blown into moist areas such as bathrooms, kitchens or basement, large parts of your house to get mold infestation.

Though mold is visible, it might not be easy to see it in areas deep inside the vent. The best way to detect mold presence is through lab analysis. Depending on the extent of infestation, you might either have to clean out the mold or replace the damaged areas.

2. In case of mold infestation, find out the source of the moisture problem

Even if you clean out the mold and replace moldy areas, the problem will still recur if you don’t address the moisture problem. In addition to cleaning your vents and air ducts, find out what is causing moisture accumulation and fix it. Though this will increase your costs, it’s better compared to the damage you could end up with in the future.

3. Check for clogging and debris accumulation

If pests such as cockroaches, flies and rodents die inside air ducts and vents, they could cause clogging. As they decompose after they die, you will notice particles releasing into your living areas from the air vents or air ducts. You can also tell you have a clogging problem if air is not circulating as well.

4. Identify professional air vents and ducts cleaners

To hire qualified professionals, check for valid licenses, a good reputation and lots of experience. This is the only way to guarantee that your air vents and ducts will be cleaned properly, keeping them efficient at heating and cooling.

5. Get cost estimates

Costs will depend on certain factors such as: how extensive the air ducts or vents are, whether you have mold infestation, the amount of dirt contained in the system, and ease of accessibility. Ensure you understand how the cleaning professionals arrive at their estimates.

6. Confirm the job has been done right after every cleaning

After cleaning is completed, you should notice a change in the air quality. The air ducts and vents should also appear visibly clean. Additionally, allergic symptoms should start to subside.

Trees around the house can be a great thing: they provide shade, serve as wind breakers, add beauty and increase property value. But when overgrown, trees can also pose a threat to you and your house. If you allow your trees to become overgrown, they might cause the following damage:

1. Old and overgrown branches might fall and injure people and cause damage to electricity & telephone lines, your house, car and other belongings. Not to mention, downed electric lines can result in fatalities and fires.
2. Broken branches and leaves that find their way onto the roof of your house will clog gutters which could result in water flowing into your roof, walls and basement.
3. Rodents can invade your roof by walking on tree branches that grow too close to your roof.
4. You might lose complete use of your patio, deck or balcony, if leaves and tree branches grow over that space.
5. Constant rubbing of tree branches on your roof will wear your roof material faster. Additionally, constant shade from the sun will cause dampness on your roof leading to faster deterioration.
6. Your house might get musty and cold due to improper circulation of air.
7. Large root systems can cause damage to the foundation of your house, eventually affecting the entire structure. If there are cracks in the foundation, tree roots can grow into them, causing problems such as foundation uplift, sinking of buildings where roots have leeched water from soil and penetration into water and sewage pipes.

To prevent all these problems, you should trim and prune all trees and vegetation that grow around your house to keep it under control. Tree branches should be at least 4 to 6 meters away from your roof. Before you plant any trees, learn all the facts about them, including how long their branches and roots will grow. Big trees should be planted farther away from the house.

Safe removal and trimming of trees is important to prevent damage and accidents. If you are not confident about trimming overgrown tree branches, contact a professional in your area to do it for you.

If your house is old, it’s very likely that it has an unfinished basement, with cold, bare concrete and exposed studs, and its main purpose currently is to hold all the junk you don’t really use. This doesn’t need be the case anymore, as it’s possible to finish your basement and turn it into a warm inviting space, just like any other part of your house.

But before you go about transforming your basement into a livable space, it’s important to take into account the challenges you might face. To do this, you have to ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you have a moisture problem?

If your basement is damp or has visible pools of water all the time or periodically, you have to get the problem under control before you start finishing up the space. Failure to do so could result in more problems in future, such as a weakened foundation and mold.

2. Is your basement already connected to the main heating and cooling system?

If not, is it possible to tap into the existing system that is used to heat and cool the rest of the house? If this is not an option, will your budget allow for a new heating and cooling system? All these questions can be answered by a professional who specializes in installing heating and cooling units.

3. Will the renovation interfere with ducts and piping?

If there are any pipes that run below the ceiling level, they might need to be moved, especially if they interfere with ceiling height.

4. Is your ceiling high enough?

A quick check with your contractor or with the building department offices in your area, will reveal whether the ceiling of your basement is up to code. If you don’t have much headroom to begin with, using drywall might be the way to go as installing a suspended ceiling might diminish ceiling headroom.

5. Has your house been checked for radon?

Some geographical locations have high amounts of radon in the soil. Radon is a radioactive gas and because it’s odorless and colorless, it’s difficult to detect. If tests reveal a high level of radon, house inspectors will advise on measures to take to make the basement habitable.

Mold finds its way into people’s homes by blowing in through the AC, windows and doors, or by attaching to pets, clothes or other items. Once in the house, mold spores seek out moist areas, where they form their colonies. It’s therefore important to remove all sources of moisture before any remediation (cleaning) efforts can begin, as not doing so will cause the mold to colonize the area again.

Mold remediation should be done in the following five steps to prevent this nagging problem from coming back:

1. Identifying the source of moisture that is feeding the mold.

The source of a water leak might not be obvious so it’s important for the remediation company to conduct a thorough inspection of the whole house to find the source of moisture leakage.

2. Documenting, through photographs, videos and writing, the details of the infestation.

Detailed documentation will help the remediation team come up with a plan. The plan can include details like: the timeline for the cleanup, resources needed for remediation and whether you will need to move out during the cleanup. Proper documentation will also serve as a reference point in case of future problems.

3. Assessing the extent of the contamination.

This is important because mold can spread beyond areas that are visible on a day-to-day basis. Knowing the extent of the spread, will aid in crafting an approach for cleanup, without missing any part.

4. The cleanup (remediation).

Before beginning, the area with the mold infestation has to be isolated by sealing with plastic sheeting and duct tape. This is done to protect you, your family and the rest of the house from mold contamination.  Once the area is completely sealed off,

1. The source of moisture leakage is repaired to prevent growth of new spores.
2. Dust in the contaminated areas is suppressed by misting. This will prevent any spores or dust particles from escaping during cleanup.

• Wet or moldy material is bagged and taken outside.

1. All non-porous items and surfaces are cleaned using a wire brush then wiped down with disinfectant wipes. The process is repeated with detergent solution until all mold is eliminated, then the surfaces are dried with cloth. Depending on the level of mold contamination, a vacuum cleaner can also be used, followed by a thorough wipe down with a damp cloth and detergent solution.
2. The room is then dried thoroughly and all materials that were removed are replaced.

5. Verification process to assess whether the cleanup was successful.

The following are signs of a mold-free room:

• Absence of dust, dirt, mold or a moldy smell.
• A completely dry room, without any signs of wetness.
• There should be no furniture or surfaces in the room with mold on them.
• No one in the house should complain or suffer from physical symptoms related to mold inhalation.

Mold remediation should only be performed by professionals, who have the right equipment, disinfectants, protective clothing and knowledge of how to fight mold.