If you are preparing to move into your first home or apartment, congratulations! Moving for the first time is an exciting milestone, but it does involve a bit of know-how. While there are standard life lessons, such as learning how to live within a budget and embracing the art of cooking, there are also a few practical hacks you should be aware of before moving.
From learning how to turn off your water supply in a freak home flood to ensuring that paramedics and police can easily locate your home, we look at the best house hacks every first-time homeowner should know.
Learn how to shut off your water
Depending on how modern or old your home is, locating your main water source can be a bit of a search. When going through a walkthrough of your property, ask your realtor to show you where the water supply is and ensure that you are 100% clear on how to turn it off. Attempting to shut off your water supply for the first time in the middle of a flood emergency is exactly what household nightmares are made of.
Pro Tip: Ask for a tutorial on how to shut off your power while you’re at it.
Unclog a kitchen drain
The last thing you want to look at after doing the dishes is a scummy sink full of dirty water and bits of food. If your sink won’t drain properly there are a few easy hacks to unclog it. The first is to dissolve a dishwasher tablet in the sink. It will degrease, eliminate odour and keep it shiny. Alternatively, after removing standing water with a mug, toss 1 cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by 1 cup of white vinegar. Let the mixture sit for 10-15minutes before running hot water down the drain. If the drain is still stubbornly blocked, it may be time to call in a professional.
Keeping food fresh for longer
There is nothing worse than paying for food yourself only to see it go off before you’ve had a chance to enjoy it. A great way to keep bananas fresh longer is to wrap the stem in tin foil or plastic wrap. When storing strawberries, never remove the stems and store them in a glass jar in the fridge. Don’t forget to add a paper towel layer in a glass container to keep your lettuce fresh for longer. Lastly, lemons stored in sealed plastic bags in the fridge last up to four times longer! When it comes to fresh food hacks, Google is an excellent helper.
Clean your faucets
Taking a shower with a blocked up showerhead is the worst! Luckily, there is a tried and tested household hack for getting back the water pressure you deserve. You can effectively clean calcified showerheads - or your kitchen and bathroom faucets - by filling a ziplock bag with white vinegar and letting the blocked faucet soak overnight. You can remove the showerhead completely and let it soak in the bag, or you can wrap the bag around the faucet and secure it with a rubber band.
Make sure your house number is visible from the road at night
This is a simple hack that could save paramedics valuable time when trying to find your home in an emergency. If your house number is made out of bronze, wood, or is unlit, it can be harder to spot at night, resulting in emergency responders passing you by the first time. Stand across the street on your first night and check how visible it is. You may want to consider installing a light outside as an extra precaution.
When you need a little extra space to store your household belongings during a move, call Len’s Self Storage. With secure top-quality self storage units in Edinburgh and Glasgow, you can store your items with ease while you get settled in your new digs. Give us a call on 0131 552 8141 / 0141 810 8580, drop into one of our branches for a tour or get a quick and easy quote online.
