It’s April, from the Latin verb aperire, meaning “to open.” Time to open up the windows, open up your home, open up to refreshing and reinvigorating your home.
1. Change is Good!
For busy folks, remembering to replace the air filters on your HVAC system can slip through the cracks—indoor air quality isn’t always noticeable. Replacing filters regularly helps you manage the filtration of allergens/dust and other elements affecting your air quality. 3M Filtrete™ Smart Air Filters are built with a small Bluetooth-powered pressure sensor that monitors the airflow, fan speed and air quality of your HVAC system. The sensor on the filter detects changes in airflow. Download the Filtrete Smart App to help you understand and manage your home’s air quality. It provides useful tips and alerts customized to your home’s environment, tracking your filter’s usage and sending notifications to your smartphone when it’s time to replace your filter. You can order and pick up smart filters at your local, family-owned hardware store. If you are a current Get Dwell customer, we’ll purchase and deliver 3M Filtrete™ smart filters to you, and during the month of April there is no charge for installation. Get in touch with us here
2. Better Breathing with Duct Cleaning
If you live in a home with an HVAC system, it’s important to keep your HVAC humidifier and ductwork clean. Left uncleaned over time, mold, mildew, pet and human dander, construction debris and everyday dust can accumulate. Spore-based and other life forms can attach to, eat and thrive in this wet-then-dry-then-wet-again environment—spores then get blown throughout your entire home, which is unhealthy for humans and pets. Learn more and schedule an appointment here and we’ll make sure your ductwork and humidifier are clean and free of organic life. If you like, we can set up a maintenance plan to keep your entire air handling system clean.
3. Best to Test for Mold
Spring is the perfect time to test for mold. Our inspectors and technicians are certified by the IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification) and will thoroughly inspect your entire home using Protimeter® and thermal imaging technology to check for moisture in walls. They’ll take samples for evaluation at an independent lab. We can locate the mold, identify the problem, and deliver the solution—reach out to us here.
4. Increase Curb Appeal
Spring is a wonderful time to upgrade your home’s exterior. Even small changes such as a freshly painted door, new house numbers, a shiny new mailbox, planted flowers and mulch can make a big impact. Get inspired at your local family-owned hardware store.
5. Clear the Deck!
In Chicago we want to enjoy the outside for as long as we can during the year, and a well-maintained and functional deck is a great place to relax and entertain. Our team can repair, rebuild and refinish your deck so you can get back to meditating, spending time with family and entertaining friends. From reviving your deck with power washing to staining to replacing rotten boards, our team will rejuvenate your deck and add years of enjoyment and value to your home. Set up an appointment here
6. Fences and Gates and Latches, Oh My!
Heavy spring winds can knock a gate off kilter or cause sections of a fence to fall. Keeping your fence secure and functioning well not only adds to the overall aesthetic and security of your property but also the ease in how it operates. Wrestling with a gate or latch every time you come and go can lead to a lot of frustration over time. Check with our family-owned hardware store partners for many solutions to your fence and gate issues. They even have a self-closing gate spring that closes and latches the gate automatically when anyone passes through, making life a lot easier especially if you have dogs or kids. If you need professional repair, learn more here. If you think you might need a new fence, enclosure or dog run, learn more and schedule an estimate here.
7. Get Your Mind in the Gutter
Gutters are more than a fashion statement. Gutters and downspouts play a crucial role in protecting your home from all the water that lands on it. If the spring storm water channeling system on your home is blocked in any way, roof leaks, rotting wood and animal openings can develop. Our gutter and downspout repair and replacement service includes small repairs or whole house replacements using the best warrantied and material-specific solutions for your home. Learn more here—we’ll educate you about any problem areas and provide recommendations for affordable solutions. Or consider installing our Chicago-tested gutter guards, available at your local, family-owned hardware store, and never having to clean or mess with your gutters again. For an installation estimate by our professionals, reach out to us here.
8. Under Pressure
Get rid of accumulated dust, pollen and bugs and renew the look of your home with a professional power washing. Our pressure washing professionals know the best equipment settings and cleaning products to use for your specific home. They use only eco-friendly chemicals to both clean and rejuvenate your house’s exterior while respecting your landscaping and the planet we all share. After a long winter or at least once a year, most houses deserve a good cleaning—schedule yours here!
9. Pump It Up and Out
If you have a sump pump, it was installed to give you the best defense against basement flooding. If the electricity goes out or if this pump fails (average life expectancy of a sump pump is 7–10 years), water could flood your basement. Your next line of defense is installing a backup sump pump connected to a generator. These battery-operated systems can provide 5–7 hours of continuous pumping and approximately 1–3 days of non-continuous pumping. If you have purchased a sump pump or backup battery system from one of our family-owned hardware store partners, we would be happy to install them for you! Schedule a sump pump and battery installation
10. Wonderful Window Wells
Window wells are one of the primary causes of spring basement flooding in the Chicago area and to neglect them puts your home at risk. Water spilling over a gutter, coming out a downspout or overflowing from the yard are only some of the ways window wells get filled with water and then cause basement flooding. Our custom window well covers fit any window well and their installation includes a thorough cleaning, installation of drain guards (if needed) and a custom-built window well cover. Our UV-stable covers allow 98% of the natural light to enter and can withstand 850 pounds of weight thus providing your window well and home the extra security it needs. Contact us and we’ll make your window wells wonderful!
Here’s to refreshing and reinvigorating your home!