Sponsored by One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® service providers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Since moving to Texas, we have owned two newly built homes – this meant everything was new, from the walls and paint to the HVAC systems and windows. Our most recent home purchase, though, is one that’s almost 20 years old – so things aren’t fresh and shiny, or functioning at their best. While we really love this house, we’re having to learn some maintenance and care things that weren’t even on our radar before! If you’re in the same boat as us, here are some Tips for Owning an Older House that we’ve learned that may help out.

Our biggest wake-up call when we moved into this house a few months ago was the HVAC system – the air conditioner just couldn’t keep up at all. Being early summer in Texas when we moved in, this was certainly not ideal, especially considering we have kids, as well as a ferret (they’re extremely sensitive to temperatures, so it could actually be dangerous for her). Since we know practically nothing about these systems, we knew we needed to call in the professionals from our local One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® service provider to come and take a look. Owning an older house typically means older systems, so we knew they could help us get things working properly because they’re a brand we can trust, and they provide quality service when we need it (for us AND our pets!)

The local One Hour service provider is part of the Direct Energy family of brands, with independently owned and operated locations all over the country. That means you get local service, backed by a national brand! Their service is backed by an on-time guarantee, and even endorsed by UWIN® (that’s a consumer service resource that lets home service contractors provide a nice, extra level of protection – as well as peace of mind to residential consumers who actually get the services). To find your local One Hour service provider, check out their website or call 855-One-Hour.

Our technician, Shane, showed up and was very professional and friendly. He handled all of our not-so-knowledgeable questions and concerns, then took a good, deep look at all the aspects of our HVAC system. He definitely knew his stuff, which shouldn’t be a surprise since the One Hour technicians receive ongoing HVAC training. They’re thoroughly skilled to address any HVAC issue, and get you back to feeling comfortable inside (especially if you’re in this Texas heat – dang!). Everyone can appreciate a properly-cooled house – even this cool dude!

Honestly, I was a bit concerned about what type of technician would show up at first, but I should’ve known that One Hour service providers ensure you’ll be served by a reliable professional who’s not only well-trained and skilled, but also clean, courteous AND background-checked. This was HUGE for me, as a parent, when it came to someone coming into our home!

One thing we learned about owning an older house – you never know HOW things were actually installed or maintained! As Shane went through everything, he made sure he answered all of our questions, showed us photos of the spots he was talking about, and cleared up any aspects we didn’t quite understand. It turned out that our HVAC system had many things not even installed correctly, which explained clearly why it wasn’t working right! He pointed out areas that could be fixed to bring up the functionality (and save on our terrifying electric bill from wasted usage due to leaks), and also the spots that were just fine. I really liked that he also let us know of some aspects that weren’t exactly 100%, but that wouldn’t make enough of a difference to justify paying to fix them now. That’s honesty, right there! We even got some tips to help prepare for the upcoming seasons:

• Change air filters regularly, especially before winter begins
• Properly ‘winterize’ your A/C units
• Have a pro check your HVAC systems for any leaks or issues

I was so relieved to know what was actually going on with our HVAC system, and how we could get it running better for a more comfortable home and family. Now that we’re on our way to having that taken care of, here are a few other tips we learned about owning an older house:

• Check your Roof – missing/loose shingles (or hail damage, if you’re in an area, like us, that deals with that) or overhanging tree limbs may need to be taken care of
• Look at your windows, doorways, tiles, showers and other spots that may need to be resealed if the caulking/sealant has worn away or started to peel up
• Double check your air vents, making sure they’re clear of junk or debris for proper airflow
• Check your locks – doorknobs or locks may wear out and not work 100% after some time
• Test your smoke alarms and CO2 detector (if you have one) to ensure they’re still functional
• Keep an eye on drains and pipes – you don’t want them blocked!
• Stay alert for signs of foundation issues – doors getting funky in the door frames, corner cracks from settling, etc. This is something you want to catch early on!

What are your best tips for owning an older house?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® service providers

This post is in partnership with Swiffer. All opinions are mine alone. #SwifferFanatic

I’m not ready for summer. Yes, I’m excited for the kiddos to be home (although nervous for how to still fit in work/to dos of course) and trying out the pool in our new house, hitting the zoos and all the fun that comes this time of year. That being said, there’s some important things that need to be done around the house that I’ve been neglecting. If you’re in the same boat, here’s some tips for Getting Your Home Ready for Summer so we can ALL be a bit more prepared for the coming season!

Since we’re going from cold (some places FREEZING) and wet to hot and mostly dry, it’s important that we get our home ready for summer and the weather it brings with it. A few tasks now can not only save time and frustrations later, but possibly even money! That’s right, some things mean energy savings when the heat strikes – and I’m a huge fan of saving on our budget!

Tasks for Getting Your Home Ready for Summer

• Check Your Air Conditioning: Make sure the units are functioning properly, the ducts are cleaned out (you don’t want settled dust and yuck from the winter months blowing into your house) and air filters are replaced as needed. 
• Check for Leaking Energy: All that cool air you’re paying for can escape from little spaces on windows, door gaps and other places. Check around for spots that may need to be re-caulked and fix or add weather stripping as needed. 
• Be Ready for Nature: Warm weather means grass, plants and much more outside time – meaning it’s going to get tracked in onto your floors. Have a convenient spot for your cleaning supplies, such as your handy Swiffer products. I use my Swiffer Sweeper daily to get all the pet hair and grass the dogs drag in, and the Swiffer WetJet is perfect for keeping the floors clean of pawprints (and kiddo foot prints, of course!). 
• Check Your Dryer Vent: This is often overlooked, but it’s crazy how blocked up the vent for your dryer can get. Now is a good time to clean that out for better air flow!
• Prepare for Bugs: I hate bugs – like REALLY hate bugs. Whether you’re the type who sprays to prevent too many in your home, or just like to make sure there’s not cracks or crevices they can get in at, make sure you get that handled soon. 
• Give Your Plants Attention: Time to prune your trees, check your plants, and maybe even prepare your garden area. You don’t want to be out there doing a TON of work on them during the mid-summer heat, so tackle it now.
• Change Your Ceiling Fan Direction: I had no idea that ceiling fans can go different directions, and that it mattered depending on that season until a friend mentioned it randomly! It turns out that during the winter, fans should go clockwise to better distribute the heat that rises – but in the summer they should rotate counter-clockwise (at higher speeds) to get a good breeze going in your home. 
• Switch Out Your Winter Items: From your winter coats in the closet, to snow blowers in the garate – it’s time to get those put away. Things like cute t-shirts and shorts should be brought back out from storage, as well as your outside items like lawn mower, weed wacker, gardening tools, etc.
• Check the Deck: Many decks or patios need to be resealed every so often, so now is a great time to check if yours is due for it. With how much time may be spent out there this upcoming season, better have it in great shape to fully enjoy!

If you haven’t tackled your Spring cleaning yet, it’s never too late – and I for one love starting off the summer break with a really clean house, because heaven knows I’d rather spend the summer enjoying my family than more-than-normal cleaning. Luckily it’s then super easy to maintain with the Swiffer Sweeper and Swiffer WetJet – and it helps that the kids think it’s great fun using these so are more than happy to help out! 

What do you do to get your home ready for summer?

 I’m excited to share this spring cleaning post, sponsored by Swiffer #SwifferFanatic

I have no idea how the whole ‘spring cleaning’ thing started, but I’ve always loved the idea of doing a major deep clean and organizing of my home at a regular-ish time each year. That way I know it’ll get done, and it makes our house feel fresh for the coming seasons. On a whole extra note, Spring Cleaning for a Move not only gets that job done, but also helps save time and hassle later when you’re switching houses!

I’ve shared some of my tips for Spring cleaning before, and today I’m sharing a few more – plus how it’s a great time when you’re also planning a move. As many of you know, we recently put our house on market to down-size a bit. We love our current house, but it’s just TOO big and pricey for us to stay in. So part of the preparation before we sell and move, is to purge a bunch of unnecessary stuff. It’s far too easy to collect ‘stuff’ when you have a big house, so by going smaller we can declutter.

The first step to decluttering for your Spring cleaning is to go through all the obvious places – closets, pantries, under stairs, shelves, drawers etc. Sort through your clothes and decor, your dishes, even the tools and supplies in the garage. Decide what you really need/want to keep, and what would be best to get rid of. Make a bag or box (or multiple, if you’re really trying to get rid of a bunch of things) for donations and also for garbage/recycling.

Now check the less obvious spots – in couch cushions, up high on the kitchen cabinets, and the like. Really go through and do a good check for any place items may have been shoved or collected. After that, you should have your excess or no-longer-needed items ready for either disposal or donating.

You’re now ready to start your deep cleaning – but don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be a huge project! I kind of make a list of everything that needs to be done, then check off things one room at a time so I don’t lose track of where I left off in case I’m interrupted.

Some of my Spring Cleaning items are:

• Dust everywhere – don’t forget those hard to reach places like ceiling fans, high ledges, light fixtures and blinds. I love using my Swiffer® Dusters™ (my kids also LOVE cleaning with this, so that’s a bonus for me!) because they easily trap the dust, dirt and other fluff that accumulates everywhere. 
• Clean the windows – inside and out
• Wipe the baseboards well – those can sure get icky!
• Sweep all your non-carpet areas – our Swiffer® Sweep + Vac™ is my hubby’s favorite, while I’m more into the Swiffer® Sweeper X-Large™. Either one is great, as they do excellent at collecting the junk on our floors – including the ridiculous amounts of dog hair! 
• Clean the mirrors, counters, sinks, toilets and showers in the bathrooms
• Clean the counters and sink in the kitchen
• Clean the stove, oven and microwave. Wipe off and/or clean the dishwasher, as well
• Vacuum all carpeted areas – don’t forget the edges really well, too, since these can often be skipped over during normal vacuuming jobs
• Wash all bedding, towels, wash clothes, etc. – I know this gets done regularly, but I like having a time when EVERYTHING in the house is clean at once 🙂
• Mop all non-carpeted areas – I’ve used the Swiffer® WetJet™ Mop since I was younger at my parent’s house, and now rely on it for my own home. For our wood floors, the Swiffer® WetJet™ Mop Wood Floor is excellent for our nice wood floors in our office and family rooms. 
• We also organize the garage, and give it a nice sweep
• To top it off, we wipe off all doorknobs and light switches (because you know those collect germs like crazy)

It may seem like a LOT, but it’s actually not that much for an extreme deep clean once or twice a year – especially with the right tools to help you get the job done, as well as a family to help with all the jobs! Adding in the decluttering aspect is excellent for if you’re preparing to move because it 1) makes yours house appear nicer for selling, 2) makes cleaning easier, 3) gets rid of stuff so you have less unnecessary stuff to move and 4) makes stuff more organized so packing is easier when moving day arrives.

What is YOUR big Spring Cleaning item?