How to Tackle Those Unpleasant Jobs Around the Home

Home is your solace and safe place, where memories are made and where you can completely relax and enjoy life. Sadly, it’s not always picture perfect, though. Maintaining your home can be a chore, with some jobs causing huge disruption and discomfort.

Sometimes though, it’s not the scale of the job that causes the most concern, but the nature of it!

Some jobs are just unpleasant.  They’re not necessarily laborious – just ones you tend to avoid. They also tend to be the same jobs which are absolutely crucial to you maintaining that safe haven. Here are some tips for tackling some of the more unpleasant jobs around the home.

Cleaning Gutters 

Your gutters are a key part of the fabric of your home and serve an important purpose. As explained by the OCR, they help to control the flow of rainwater away from your roof and walls. If they are blocked, you could find yourself with a major problem.

Luckily, the solution is straightforward, if not a little unpleasant. You will require a good pair of gloves, a bucket and a secure ladder. Climb the ladder and simply pull out the leaves, moss and other debris as you go, dropping it in the bucket. You can also simply throw it down on the ground and clean up afterwards, but that may pose a slipping risk as you get up and down the ladder.

Above all, be careful. It’s safest to have a second person to hold the ladder still.

Unblocking a Toilet

From time to time, you may find yourself with a blocked toilet and when you do, it might be up to you to solve the problem. You could call a plumber, but the expense is not worth it when the solution is straightforward. You will just need a plunger and some protective equipment such as gloves.  Use a flange plunger (the kind with a sleeve-like extension) for toilets (rather than a simple cup plunger that is better for sinks.)  It is also advised by HomeServe Living that you protect the areas around the blocked toilet, in order to prevent contamination of your bathroom during the process.

Simply create a vacuum with the plunger over the bottom of your toilet and plunge away until the blockage is removed. You may also want to try a solution that breaks down the blockage first, available from most hardware stores.

Defrosting the Freezer 

Every time you open your freezer, warm air gets in and meets the cold, causing condensation. When you close the door it then turns to frost on the side of your freezer. This happens gradually, but over time, if you don’t have a self-defrosting freezer, the build-up can cause your freezer to frost up and become less efficient, as well as impacting the space available to you.

Sqauwkfox also claims that a frosted freezer may not adequately cool your food, leading to food waste. The task of solving the problem is not pleasant, and can be time-consuming and tiresome, but it is also vital to keep your freezer functioning properly.

First, remove all the food and store somewhere safe; it may keep outside in the winter months, or in the fridge or a cooler for a short period of time. Unplug the appliance. Open the door, place towels around the floor and allow to defrost, gently nudging any large bits of ice off yourself and disposing of outside. Placing a bowl of hot water inside helps too, as the steam melts the ice inside the freezer.