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Home > Consumer Focus Archive > Spring Home Maintenance > Indoor Home Improvement
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Consumer Focus: Indoor Home Improvement
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Indoor Home Improvement

In addition to a standard "spring cleaning," here are some other maintenance tasks you may wish to perform in your home.


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Improve The Look Of Your Home

  • Did winter snow and ice cause water damage on your walls or ceilings? Use a primer - sealer, before attempting to paint over it.
  • You can clean your home inexpensively by using products you already have around the house. These items are also more kind to the earth than chemicals.
  • Controlling clutter will go a long way toward helping your home look clean.

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Adding On To Your Home

  • Spring is an ideal time to plan and build an addition to your home. Follow these six steps to get the best results.
  • Here are some helpful hints on how to hire an architect to design that addition, or a remodeler to revamp existing rooms.
  • The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can also help you shop wisely for home products and services. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them.

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Be Safe!

  • Since it is warm enough to open windows, spring is a good time to paint wood furniture and walls. When using paint strippers on furniture, be sure to do so safely.
  • Protect yourself from paint fumes by following these tips. For example, you should avoid freshly painted rooms for two or three days.
  • New carpeting may also give off fumes. You may wish to leave your home for several hours after installation.

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Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

  • New windows can greatly improve the energy efficiency of your home. Consider these five points while shopping.
  • If you have a service contract to have your heating and air conditioning systems each inspected once a year, be sure to make your appointment now. This way, you can repair any problems before it gets too hot (and contractors get too busy!)
  • Clean or replace your air conditioner filter, to further get your unit ready for the cooling season.
  • Consider moving lamps or TV sets away from your air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.

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Other Resources

This is just a brief overview. For more information, check out these resources:

Read these publications online or order them from FCIC:

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* Names of resources and organizations included in this online article are provided as examples only, and their inclusion does not mean that they are endorsed by the Federal Citizen Information Center or any other Government agency. Also, if a particular resource or organization is not mentioned, this does not mean or imply that it is unsatisfactory.

*If you click on these links, you are leaving FCIC's website. Please bookmark us before you leave so you can return easily. FCIC is not responsible for the content of these websites.

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For more information on other popular consumer issues check out FCIC's Consumer Focus Archive.

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