When the weather is frightful, do interior repairs

Owning a home is a neverending cycle. Fix something, and then something new breaks; fix that and then something else goes. Home Repair Resource Center recommends following a yearly home maintenance schedule to help keep a home in good repair. The center encourages homeowners to work on interior repairs during the cold weather, so that they can focus on the exterior during the warmer months.

Here are a few helpful tips on interior maintenance that can be completed during winter:

• Shut off interior valves supplying outdoor water pipes to prevent them from freezing. By December, this should already be done; if not, set down the paper and do it now;

• Change furnace filters monthly;

• Repair any interior wall damage; touch up or repaint as needed;

• Check and regrout tile in all bath and kitchen areas, as needed, and apply a silicone sealer;

• Add copper sulfate to basement floor drains and downspout drains to control tree roots in the main sewer;

• Develop a plan for next summer’s home improvement (the perennial honey-do list);

• At winter’s end, re-open interior valves supplying outdoor water pipes.

Home Repair Resource Center will offer electrical and plumbing workshops for Cleveland Heights residents January through March. The classes are designed for the novice to the accomplished. Visit www.hrrc-ch.org to see a yearly home maintenance schedule and a list of classes and upcoming events, or stop by the center for more information about home repairs.