The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and your home still has the winter blues. Spring Cleaning is the perfect time to freshen up our homes and get a head start on the busy seasons of Spring and Summer.
One of the biggest parts of Spring Cleaning is getting rid of the clutter that you don’t need.
Start in the basement or garage where things have a tendency to pile up. Create storage by category: sporting goods, gardening tools, seasonal decorations, etc. You can buy bins or get cardboard boxes from your local grocer. Label and seal each box.
Take a walk around your property, and inspect for any damage that may have occurred during the winter months. Check lawn furniture and make any necessary repairs.
Check the roof for leaks, missing or broken shingles and check for blocked drain pipes.
Make sure your air conditioner works and change filters. Arrange for any needed repairs now, since contractors may be more difficult to find during the height of summer construction season.
Changing season means changing clothes. Go through closets and get rid of items that you
No longer need, or that the children have outgrown.
Try to get the whole family involved. Making it fun makes the job much easier. Have a garage sale and give each member of the family a responsibility. You will de-clutter your home and make a few dollars too. And who can’t use some extra cash in this economy?
Clean The Air:
The long winter months with closed up homes and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems working over-time can result in the perfect breeding ground for contaminants. Come Spring, many homeowners throw open the windows, scrub the floors and breathe fresh air, but what many fail to realize is that their indoor air quality may be preventing optimal cleanliness.
Leading environmental health researchers have discovered that indoor air quality is often 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air! Given that many of us spend more than 90% of our time indoors, the health risks associated with indoor air quality are becoming a major concern.
Your Spring Cleaning ritual is the perfect time to improve your indoor air quality. Maintenance is a key factor. The first step is to change air filters. Have you entire HVAC system inspected and, if necessary, cleaned. Many components of your HVAC system can trap contaminants and contribute to poor indoor air quality if not kept in proper working order.
A Thermostat That Cleans For You:
With Spring Cleaning at hand and indoor air quality a major concern, a thermostat that makes your HVAC system perform to its’ full potential is extremely important. A Lux Clean Cycle thermostat is the perfect solution. It is a fully programmable thermostat that not only gives homeowners the advantage of automatic temperature control, but also has the added benefit of helping keep a home’s air clean. What makes it all possible is the innovative Clean Cycle. This feature ensures the heating and air conditioning fan to run for a set duration of time each hour to circulate and filter the air in the home. The Clean Cycle is programmable as well, allowing homeowners to program the fan to run anywhere between 9 and 60 minutes each hour. It also includes a comprehensive graphical filter monitor that indicates when the filter needs cleaning for optimum air quality and system performance. A programmable thermostat that improves the quality of your air and saves you money. Now what could be better than that? Please see AMAZON.COM for a wide selection of thermostats for your home.
Change Your Clocks & Change Your Batteries:
We are always told that when we change our clocks for Daylight Savings we should also change the batteries in our smoke detectors. However we should also be changing the batteries in our thermostats.
Thermostat batteries should be replaced at least once a year, or sooner if the LOW BAT battery symbol appears in the thermostat display screen.
To replace the batteries in a thermostat, remove the thermostat’s body from the base plate attached to the wall by pressing the thumb latch, usually at the bottom center of the unit and swinging the body towards you, up and away from the base.
Remove the used batteries from the battery tray and discard appropriately.
Install two new Energizer or Duracell, AA size alkaline batteries into the battery tray. Observe the polarity markings shown in the battery tray to ensure proper installation.
*If you install new batteries into Lux thermostat within 60 seconds, the thermostat will remember its programmed settings so that you will not have to reprogram it.
When finished, hang the top of the unit by the tabs, usually at the top corners of the base. Then snap the bottom of the unit into place. Do not use unnecessary force. If the body does not snap into place easily, remove the body, re-hang it from the tabs and try again.
WARNING: Use Energizer or Duracell alkaline batteries only for thermostats requiring batteries. These are high quality batteries that are proven to be reliable. You may experience problems when using off-brand or cheap batteries. The internal resistance(called impedance) of these batteries is so high that many thermostats do not operate properly with them. The high impedance values do not allow enough current to flow through the battery in order to allow the thermostat to function properly.
