DIY projects

An HGTV Pro Shares 11 Practical Ways to Make Your House More Efficient

Category: DIY projects

J. Pickens knows his way around a toolbox – as he demonstrates on his HGTV show The Work Around With J. Pickens – so when we wanted non-decor ways to detox and improve our home, we were thrilled to get J.'s take on exactly what we should do to make our house cleaner, fresher, healthier, and overall just more efficient. Check out what he had to say below.

1. Make sure your kitchen knives are sharpened. Williams Sonoma will sharpen them for you or you can sharpen them at home with a sharpening stone or an electric sharpener.
2. Make it a practice to start taking your shoes off at your front door. You will avoid bringing in large amounts of dust, dirt, pesticides, etc.
3. Make the switch to green cleaning products. "I really like Seventh Generation, Honest, and Planet for chemical-free cleaners. I also like to DIY my cleaning products."
4. Check your radon levels. Test kits are available for sale at your local hardware store.
5. Make sure your fire alarms are working. You should also have carbon monoxide detectors on every floor.
6. Clean out the vents and ducts behind your dryer for lint. Lint is highly combustible.
7. Maintain your HVAC system. You can do this by changing our your filters...

J. Pickens knows his way around a toolbox – as he demonstrates on his HGTV show The Work Around With J. Pickens – so when we wanted non-decor ways to detox and improve our home, we were thrilled to get J.'s take on exactly what we should do to make our house cleaner, fresher, healthier, and overall just more efficient. Check out what he had to say below.

1. Make sure your kitchen knives are sharpened. Williams Sonoma will sharpen them for you or you can sharpen them at home with a sharpening stone or an electric sharpener.
2. Make it a practice to start taking your shoes off at your front door. You will avoid bringing in large amounts of dust, dirt, pesticides, etc.
3. Make the switch to green cleaning products. "I really like Seventh Generation, Honest, and Planet for chemical-free cleaners. I also like to DIY my cleaning products."
4. Check your radon levels. Test kits are available for sale at your local hardware store.
5. Make sure your fire alarms are working. You should also have carbon monoxide detectors on every floor.
6. Clean out the vents and ducts behind your dryer for lint. Lint is highly combustible.
7. Maintain your HVAC system. You can do this by changing our your filters every month during peak heating and cooling seasons.
8. Switch to LED bulbs. They last much longer and save energy.
9. Grow your own indoor herb garden. You don't need much space - even a sunny window ledge will do.
10. Ensure you have a stocked toolbox. "The essential tools I always recommend are a tack hammer, rubber mallet, pliers, a #2 Phillips screw driver, and a #2 flat-head screw driver, a box cutter, and a tape measure."
11. Fix anything that broke last year that you've been putting off.