10 Essentials You Need to Replace for a Safe and Efficient Home

Everything has its expiry date. Even the mighty plastics have to be replaced at some point. Essential parts of your home, like door locks, fixtures, and filters, can also become worn, old, or obsolete with constant use or the passage of time.

When that happens, you have to replace them as part of your regular home-maintenance routine. That said, here is a list of things that you need to replace for a safe and efficient home. 

Door Locks

Change and know the cost to change locks as soon as you notice signs of wear and tear. If you keep the same locks, chances are, they will be easier to break into or get stuck later on.

Always check your locks for new scratch marks. This can be a sign that an intruder has tried to bust into your home. Call the authorities, and ask what you can do to secure your home, other than changing your locks.

Replacing the locks should be one of the first things you do after moving into a new place. Other than you and the previous owners, you can’t be certain as to who has keys to the house.

If a partner or a housemate has just moved out, it’s better to change your locks too. You’re only human, so it’s natural to lose or misplace your keys. When that happens, you should immediately change your door locks.

When you change locks, don’t forget to use your lockpicking set to check if the locks are easily picked or broken. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

It’s all right if you lose your keys once or twice, but if it happens more often than is normal, you should consider switching to a keyless lock. You can get an electronic lock that opens using a PIN code or biometric data.

Light Bulbs

You can easily tell when you need to change your light bulbs. They either stop working or start flickering like a disco ball. However, if you know the life span of your lighting fixtures, you won’t be caught off guard every time one dies out.

Standard incandescent bulbs have a lifespan of about 1,200 hours, so you can expect to replace them every few months or so. If you turn on the lights more often, then they will need to be replaced more frequently too.

You can get more out of your lighting fixtures if you switch to a better alternative like a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) and light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. Compared to a 60-watt standard incandescent bulb with a 1,200-hour life span, a 17-watt CFL has 8,000 hours. An LED lamp can outlast both with its life span of 25,000 hours while using even less power.

HVAC Filter
The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system in your house has a filter that catches in dust, dirt, and hair in the air and prevents it from spreading indoors and getting into the unit. Over time, the HVAC filter accumulates debris and needs to be replaced to keep the unit working efficiently.

Unlike lighting fixtures, the HVAC filter doesn’t exhibit obvious signs when it needs to be replaced. You have to check your HVAC unit and remove the filter to check if it’s still clean. Fortunately, you can also refer to the manufacturer’s instructions to know when to change your HVAC filter.

Typically, low-end fiberglass filters need to be replaced every 30 days while the high-end pleated kind can last up to 90 days. However, if you have anyone at home who has allergies or asthma, it’s recommended to change the filter every 40 weeks or less to maintain good indoor air quality. Similarly, if you have pets at home, you should replace the filter every 60 days or so since pets tend to shed, and their fur can quickly overwhelm the filter.

Faucets
Faucets can typically last for years before they need to be replaced, especially if you’re using the high-quality stainless steel kind. However, leaks are also quite common, and you shouldn’t leave a leaking faucet alone. It’s a waste of water and money.

Fortunately, a lot of leaking faucets can be fixed by changing the washer or tightening the faucet. If both solutions don’t work, then you may have to change the faucet. You can get new faucets with low-flow aerators, which only use 0.5 gallons per minute, as opposed to 2.2 gallons of standard aerators.

Showerheads
Showerheads are equally durable as faucets are, or at least the premium-quality ones are. In fact, your showerhead can last a lifetime with proper care. But you can get new, water-efficient showerheads if you want to save water. High-efficiency showerheads typically just use 2 gallons of water per minute, compared to the 2.5 to 4.0 gallons of water of average showerheads.

If your showerhead isn’t splashing uniformly, it’s not broken, but it’s clogged. You can unclog your showerhead using vinegar. Simply fill a plastic bag halfway with white vinegar, and tie the bag around the nozzle. Leave the showerhead to soak for one to two days, and that should fix the problem.

Old Toilet
If you’re still using an old toilet, consider getting a new one to further cut down the water use in your bathroom. Old toilets consume an excessive amount of water for a single flush. Some even use as much as seven gallons of water per flush.

You can get your old toilet modified to less use water for flushing if it’s still in good condition; otherwise, you can get it replaced. For an easier installation, you can switch to an upflush toilet like the water-efficient SaniPlus toilet, which has a built-in macerating pump that grinds wastewater to facilitate smoother drainage. With an upflush toilet, there’s no need to break the ground in your bathroom to connect the toilet to your sewage system or septic tank.

Fire Extinguisher

Accidents that cause fire can happen at home, especially in the kitchen. That’s why you should always keep a fire extinguisher in an accessible spot (but still out of reach for children) to stop the fire before it worsens.

Fire extinguishers typically last for 5 to 15 years, according to manufacturers. But how do you know it will work when you need it? Just check the indicator near the handle of the extinguisher.

If the needle points green, then it should have enough to put out the usual kitchen fire. Alternately, if it points red, it’s unreliable and needs to be replaced.

If you observe any of these things, then you should get a replacement fire extinguisher:

● Cracked, ripped, damaged, or blocked hose or nozzle
● Missing or unsealed locking pin
● Wobbly or broken handle
● Lacking an inspection sticker or hang tag

You’re lucky if you never find yourself in need of a fire extinguisher, but it’s better to be prepared for any emergency.

Smoke Alarm

Just like a fire extinguisher, a smoke alarm is necessary to prevent accidents in your home. “Three out of five home fire deaths result from fires in properties without working smoke alarms,” says the US Fire Admiration. Having a working smoke alarm at home cuts down by half your risk of dying at home.

An average smoke alarm has 10 years of operation before it needs to be replaced. You can check the back of the alarm for the manufacturing date and take note of when it will expire.

While the alarm itself doesn’t need to be changed often, the batteries that keep it running should be replaced at least once a year. Make it a habit to test your smoke alarm by pushing the button once a month.

Carbon Monoxide Detector

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless, toxic gas that is fatal even in small doses. The gas occurs when fuel (e.g., coal, heating oil, gasoline, natural gas, propane, and wood) does not burn completely. Your clothes dryers, ovens, cooking ranges, fire-burning fireplace, and water heaters can be sources of unburned fuel.

Once carbon monoxide enters your lungs, it can deprive your body of oxygen and permanently damage your brain and lung tissue or suffocate you to death. Having a carbon monoxide detector is a way to prevent carbon monoxide exposure.

Most carbon monoxide detectors can work for about five to seven years before they need to be changed. You can check the back of your detector to check the age or manufacturing date of yours. If yours is past its lifespan, replace it immediately.

Some detectors contain radioactive materials, so they have to be disposed of properly. You can drop off your old detector to the nearest WITS Inc. recycling center or the closest fire department with a recycling program.

As it goes for your smoke alarm, you should also change the batteries of your carbon monoxide detector at least once a year and test it every month.

Old Decor

Changing your old decor is more for the aesthetic than the safety or efficiency of your home, but that doesn’t make it any less important. The decor sets the character and atmosphere of your home. If you’re not comfortable or happy with how your home looks, then you won’t feel safe and secure inside.

That said, it’s time to say goodbye to your old decor and give your place a much-needed makeover. If you’re not fond of changing decor often, get pieces that will last for a longer time. For example, instead of real flowers that wilt after a few days, why not opt for high-quality dried flowers, which are more enduring than real flowers are and add a unique twist to your decor.

When choosing what decor pieces, buy top-grade items. You can shop online, at fairs, or at secondhand stores to find plenty of excellent decor at affordable prices.

Keeping the Home Safe and Efficient
Home is a place where you should feel the most secure and most comfortable. The safety and security of your home depend on how far you’ve gone to safeguard your property. Knowing this, you should make it a part of your regular home-maintenance routine to replace the old, worn, broken, or useless parts of your home to ensure your home remains safe and efficient.