5 Minor Signs That Mean There Might Be A Bigger Issue In Your Home

Home maintenance needs and repair jobs often make themselves known long before we get the tools out! Minor signs hide around the house and get bigger and bigger over time. And by the point where they become noticeable, it’s usually too late to get anything done cheaply and quickly! 

So it’s key to try and spot a problem before it really turns into one. And to do that, you’re going to need to know the small, minute signs of trouble that deserve a bit of time and attention. As such, here’s a quick list of a few that could be happening in your home even right now.

A Leaky Faucet

A leaky faucet can be a problem with the faucet itself, or it could be a sign that there’s a bigger leak or weakness further down the system.  The former is a small issue you can DIY a repair for. The washer might need replacing, for example, or you might need to simply remove the current faucet and install a new one. 

The latter is the kind of problem you want to see to ASAP, as leaks quickly lead to water damage, and when that builds up, all kinds of things can go wrong.  Darkening of your walls and ceiling, a musty odor in the air, surfaces are damp to the touch, and by the time you’re thinking something must be wrong, the ceiling is days away from collapsing. 

Always get a leaky faucet double checked, whether you can do this yourself or need to call a plumber. The earlier you get the leak investigated, the cheaper it’ll be to get the plumbing repaired (if it’s even needed), and that’ll save your budget for another day.

One or Two Bugs

There’s a spider up in the ceiling corner. Fine, it’s quite common to see spiders up there! But all of a sudden, you’re noticing quite a few spiders around the house. Some are big and a bit scary, some are small and hardly noticeable. But either way, you’re seeing spiders all over the place. 

Or you might have noticed quite a few fruit flies coming out of nowhere recently. You’re just sitting there on the sofa, at your desk, or you’re tucked up in bed, and just a tiny fly whirls past your head. It’s annoying, they fly into open mugs of coffee or around your food, and it’s getting weird how many there seem to be.

But seeing as neither of these bugs seem to be causing that much of a problem, you think nothing more of it. However, one or two bugs might not seem like a problem, but they could also be a sign of a larger infestation somewhere in your home.

It’s difficult to gauge, but you can always call a pest control company and double check with them. You don’t have to get a full extermination done until you’re sure there really is a problem, but it’s good to have a professional investigate and let you know the potential scale.

Washed Laundry Has an Odour

When washing comes fresh out of the machine, you expect it to smell clean. However, there may have been times when you unloaded the washing machine and noticed that your clothes had a bit of a musty smell to them. 

So you loaded them back in and gave them another spin, and that seemed to do the trick. Must have just been an issue with that one wash, right? Maybe you didn’t put enough fabric softener in the compartment? And yes, both of these things could be true. 

However, musty smelling laundry is also a sign that your washing machine has something nasty growing in it. Washing machines tend to be sodden places, and if they’re never given the chance to dry out after use, mold can start growing. 

So next time you do a wash, take a good whiff of your clothes. If they don’t smell quite right, you might need to run a treatment through the machine.

It’s a Bit Cooler Near the Window

This isn’t just because you’re standing next to glass, which is naturally thinner than brick and plaster. It’s a sign that the window isn’t quite doing its job properly – assuming you’ve closed it properly, of course.  The window might not be sealed into the wall properly. And if it isn’t, you’re going to feel the air when you’re standing next to it. 

Not only that, but any heating or cooling you pay for is going to leak out of these gaps as well. That’s double the problem, and all because a bit of caulking has fallen out of place!

You Don’t Have an Emergency Budget

When was the last time you put anything into your emergency budget? Maybe last week, maybe 3 months ago, maybe even before that! But when you’re living without an emergency budget, you’re putting both yourself and your home at risk.  There needs to be a bit of a safety net in place to make sure you’re covered in case of a breakdown, flood, or other maintenance issue. Try to always have around a month’s income spare in the bank, just in case something goes wrong in your home and you need to pay for an emergency callout. Those don’t come cheap.

Watch Out for the Small Things

The devil really is in the details! Watch out for the small things in your home; they could be signs that something bigger and more problematic is going on.  From a simple leak in the kitchen sink to slightly smelly washing that’s just come out of the machine, there’s a chance you’ve got a real repair job on the way.  And remember, it’s best to have an emergency budget at all times – so try not to spend it all on redecoration projects or just the one fix. You could need that money for a pretty major job at some point, and you’re going to wish you saved it!