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You should clean the ashes from your wood stove at least once a week during the heating season to maintain efficiency and safety. Additionally, it's crucial to have a professional clean the chimney and flue annually to remove creosote buildup, which can pose a fire hazard and affect the stove's performance. Regular cleaning ensures optimal operation and reduces the risk of harmful emissions.

Most DIY floor cleaners don’t require rinsing, but you’ll want to make sure you don’t add too much dish soap or oil to the cleaner to avoid having to rinse it after cleaning. For non-wood floors, mix 8 parts warm water, 1 part vinegar, and 1 part baking soda with a few drops of dish soap. For wood floors, use olive oil in that same mixture instead of the vinegar. You can let these solutions air-dry after cleaning your floors with them, although you should manually dry your floors if they aren’t waterproof.

The most sanitary way to mop a floor is with a microfiber mop and two buckets of water: one with cleaning solution and one without. Use the soapy water to mop the floor and rinse the mop in the clean water. When the water gets dirty, pour it out and replace it with new water. This mopping technique ensures the mop stays cleaner and prevents the spread of dirt and bacteria.

If you're already planning to hire an electrician and you know that you'll get billed the minimum call-out charge, you might as well make the most of it by having the contractor do another small job like replacing a light switch or electrical outlet. Even if you're paying for a new coaxial outlet, which costs several hours in labor, you may be able to save a little or maximize value by getting them to do other related jobs. For example, if you're having a coaxial cable moved, it's worth checking if you also need another electrical outlet in the new location or considering where else you would benefit from a new outlet . The cost to install an electrical outlet is around $200.