Whether your beach home is your favorite escape or your everyday sanctuary, it’s important to understand the effects the environment has on your home. Between the harsh salt air, powerful UV rays, and humid environment your home is susceptible to faster than usual deterioration.
The good news is that we have compiled some useful tips to preserve your beach home!
The salt air smells so fresh and crisp, it instantly relaxes your body. But that beautiful salt breeze is also wreaking havoc on your home. The salt air effects the paint on your home by layering on and eating away at your paint. The best way to prevent this is to make sure your home is painted with a paint that is meant for exposure to high UV and high humidity. You can find this at your local hardware store. If your home has not been painted with this special kind of paint the suggested time frame to maintain your homes paint is 15 to 20 years. There might be some mild chipping before then.
The intense sun rays can give more than just your skin a sunburn. The UV rays are known to bleach your porch and outdoor furniture. Furniture exposed to UV light fades and discolors 4 times faster than it does in visual light. To best preserve your outdoor furniture its best to store your cushions in a shaded area when you are not using them. This will help extend the lifetime use of your furniture. Covering your outdoor furniture is another alternative that does not require you to move anything. While this method is less effective than removing the colored or cloth pieces from your outdoor furniture it does help to extend the use of your furniture.
Humidity not just your hairs worst enemy… the humidity near the ocean is something we are willing to overlook due to the beautiful location.
However, it is important to know that humidity comes from a warm and moist environment which makes it the perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew.
Mold and mildew are very common in homes near the beach. Mold and mildew cause harm to your home and your health.
It is important to create airflow through your home to ventilate the moist air. If a surface in your home becomes damp make sure it thoroughly dries out. If your sink is leaking be sure to call and get it fixed. Mildew can be cleaned using a water and bleach mixture to kill any of the existing bacteria. Try to eliminate clutter in the corners of your home and your porch to prevent moisture build up. Run your extractor fan every time you shower or cook this will help to eliminate the moisture trapped in your home. Your AC unit is also affected by the humid salt air. The metal fins and coils in and around your AC unit will start to deteriorate in humidity, once you can see the copper coils on your AC unit this signifies that your unit is now losing more air than it is distributing to your home. To help maintain your AC unit you should clean the coils twice a year. If you suspect any of these elements to be the culprit of your homes less than pristine condition call a professional restoration service to bring your home back to tip top condition.