Here’s five helpful tips to help students maintain a well kept home. Credit: Ritika Shah | Lantern File Photo
After a draining day of classes, there really is no place like home.
That is unless your home is a rat-infested, leaking ice box with a dysfunctional toilet and thriving ant colony.
Like many other “adulting” activities, managing a home is not an experience most college students have entering university. While the internet can be a helpful resource in navigating maintenance mishaps, it can feel overwhelming as a first-time renter to see lengthy instructions littered with unfamiliar jargon.
Below is a list of five frequent household hurdles college students may have to confront, with simple solutions to attempt before resorting to hard-to-reach landlords or pricey professionals.
Pesky pests
Though the occasional fly or spider may not warrant a call to the exterminator, recurring appearances from icky insects are enough for many to take matters into their own hands. Whether it’s cockroaches, ants or stink bugs, there are many steps one can take before defaulting to an expensive visit from pest control.
According to Raid’s website, the first step is identifying the particular pest inhabiting your home. If the species is difficult to determine, Raid’s insect identification tool can assist by asking a handful of questions pertaining to the bugs’ activity, and then presenting images of potential species whose behavior aligns with what’s described in the questionnaire.
Once the user matches the bugs in their home to one of the tool-generated species, the resource provides more detailed information about the respective insect, including where it lives, what it wants from humans, why it poses a problem and tips to prevent future entry.
For more immediate assistance, Ortho recommends sealing any cracks in windows and doors using caulk or weather strips, storing all food in tightly sealed containers, drying any damp areas and using aerosol pesticide products to kill all visible bugs, according to its website.
Safer Home’s website states natural repellants like lavender and peppermint oil can be sprayed throughout the home to drive away certain insects. The website also recommends diatomaceous earth, neem oil and pyrethrin as particularly quick-acting and effective insecticides that are generally human-friendly.
Faulty furnace
In the thick of winter, the thought of returning from a frigid walk around campus to an even more frigid home is chilling, in more ways than one. If the culprit of your chilled home is a broken furnace, there are a few quick fixes to attempt before dropping hundreds on an HVAC — heating, ventilation and air conditioning — technician.
According to Accurate Heating, Cooling & Plumbing — an HVAC contractor based in Central Ohio — residents should first confirm their furnace power switch is flipped on. If it has been accidentally switched off, flip it back on and wait a few minutes for the machine to begin working, the contractor’s website states.
After confirming both the furnace and thermostat are on, the website suggests house residents investigate their circuit breakers, furnace gas valves, air filters and exhaust vents to ensure the home’s electricity and gas are properly functioning. Moreover, they should certify that airflow to and from the heater isn’t restricted by heat or pressure buildup.
Unfortunately, remedying a malfunctioning furnace often cannot be solved by the mere flip of a switch or cleaning of an air duct. If a repairman must be called, there are ways to keep warm within an unheated home in the meantime. For example, United Heating Cooling and Plumbing’s website advises residents to insulate their homes by caulking any gaps in windowpanes and covering the windows with towels, curtains or even plastic.
Additional temporary measures include closing the doors to unused rooms, keeping a constant stream of warm water running through major pipes to prevent freezing, clustering with roommates in one room to hinder the heat from dispersing around the home and even using other appliances like blow dryers as a heat source, United’s website states.
Squirrels and raccoons and rats, oh my!
Whether it be through chimneys, roof vents or holes in siding, it can be inconveniently easy for unwanted critters to invade homes. In the unfortunate event that neither a landlord nor animal control can come to the rescue soon enough, there are a few solutions one can undertake to keep the creature from wreaking home havoc before a specialist can arrive.
Generally speaking, Wildlife Removal USA’s website states the best way to eliminate animals from a home is by identifying entry points, installing traps in those locations and sealing the holes once the creature has been removed.
Contrary to what many may presume, the website explains that various animal-repellent products actually tend to be ineffective, though those made from the creature’s natural predator scent are better than others. Similarly, devices like ultrasonic sound emitters are thought to irritate certain critters’ hearing, but such technology is often unsuccessful in actually deterring the animals from one’s home.
Wildlife Removal USA ultimately proposes calling a professional to safely remove the creature(s) themselves, or at least contacting local animal control offices for humane, DIY suggestions. More information about removing specific species — including bats, birds, opossums, raccoons, rats, snakes and squirrels — can be found at the bottom of Wildlife Removal USA’s webpage.
Troublesome toilet
Being a toilet in a college home can’t be easy. The typical wear and tear undergone by the fixture can only be multiplied in homes with numerous residents limited to one singular appliance. Luckily, there are a variety of DIY repairs to attempt before needing to phone a landlord or pricey plumber.
In the event of a blocked toilet — which usually results from unwelcome materials or objects finding their way into the appliance — YourRepair’s website simply advises declogging with a plunger. If this doesn’t shift the obstruction, a professional’s expertise is likely needed.
If you open the top of your toilet’s cistern and find there is no water, Stevenson Service Experts’ website suggests confirming the water in your home is on and the shut-off valve behind the toilet is in the open position. Once the water supply is found to be functional, the next step is adjusting and cleaning the fill valve, which may have slipped out of place.
If the tank still isn’t filling with water, calling in a professional is likely the best path forward. Until then, however, YourRepair advises pouring a bucket of water into the bowl as a temporary solution to enable flushing.
For a toilet handle that has become disconnected from the flushing mechanism, Lowe’s offers step-by-step instructions involving turning off the water, disconnecting the bowl’s lift chain from the flush rod, unscrewing the handle nut inside the tank to remove the handle, installing a new handle and reattaching the lift chain to the flush rod, taking the time to test the attachment so the chain is neither too lose nor too tight.
The flapper — the valve that sits at the bottom of the tank and allows water to flow out of the toilet — may be damaged if the toilet’s water is continually flowing and the tank never fills. In this situation, the flapper needs to be replaced. The Spruce offers photo-accompanied instructions for flapper reinstallment, which can be found on its website.
Unlucky leaks
From faucets to ceilings to walls, leaks can present themselves within a home’s infrastructure in a handful of distinct — but equally irritating — ways. According to Superior Plumbing & Drains, LLC’s website, some common explanations for water leaks include a too-high water pressure, the rusting of water pipes, the house’s foundation naturally shifting with time, clogs in plumbing pipes and sudden fluctuations in outdoor temperature.
For a leaky sink faucet, Home Depot’s website offers step-by-step instructions to resolve the issue, which consist of shutting off the sink’s water supply, removing the faucet handle and cartridge, replacing the cartridge and reattaching the handle. Leaky shower and bathtub faucets are slightly more complicated to repair, potentially requiring a screwdriver or needle nose pliers.
Leaky ceilings tend to have one of two culprits: a plumbing problem or a roof issue. According to Forbes Home, the former is likely if the leak occurs through the ceiling below a shower or toilet, and the latter if the leak follows heavy bouts of rain. If you see a bulging ceiling, falling drywall or hear the ceiling straining, the website encourages clearing the area and calling a professional — either a roofer or plumber — immediately.
Otherwise, Forbes Home’s website suggests it’s imperative to first catch the water with a large bucket to prevent furniture or flooring damage. The next step is controlling the water flow; if there is a plumbing problem, either prohibit water use in the particular area of the leak or turn off the main water line and open a faucet on your home’s lowest level to drain residual water. If there is a roofing issue causing leaks from multiple spots, a sharp tool should be used to create a hole in the ceiling and force water out through one source.
The Family Handyman’s website offers thorough instructions for fixing a variety of plumbing issues, such as shower, sink rim, toilet or tile leaks. For roof-related leaks, Today’s Homeowner similarly provides a step-by-step guide to fixing a damaged roof via its website.
