9 Things Homeowners Should Consider Before Asking For House Maintenance Service During The Pandemic

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 worldwide, the world has turned dismal. This unfortunate turn of events has heavily shaken us all. Lives of all aspects have been terribly affected & household chores are not immune to its effect, either. 

Homeowners rely mostly on people who perform work in our homes. From a broken heater to clogging commodes, we almost always need outside help to fix the problem, but the current situation doesn’t put us in a great position to ask for help from others. 

What should you do? Should you just sit around when your commode stops flushing suddenly? That is considered a crisis too. 

In order to tackle these unwanted situations, even in this pandemic, we should act decisively. To continue living peacefully in the middle of this global pandemic, facing troubles in your home will be the last thing you want to worry about.

As we have to remain confined in the walls of our homes for our general health and well-being, we need to make sure we have proper arrangements in case we do need outside support. 

For this reason, we would like to help you with some tips that you should keep in mind while managing household problems in this pandemic: 

1. Consider Online Consultation

If you have an issue in your home that requires fixing immediately, you should probably consider online help. People are getting used to the lockdown situation and are focusing more on online-based services. Your plumber or electrician may have signed up for online services that you didn’t know about.

For instance, Burlington offers online services where you can hire plumbers, so it’s easy to find the best plumber in Burlington. You will be able to get help by consulting with them. Most of the online services provide personal service over video calling. That is a great option to consider. This way, you won’t raise the risk of getting infected by others. Overall, the safety of your family will be ensured and you can get the job done. 

2. Calling Your Service Provider over the Phone

If you have a local service provider, use this option. If you have someone who’s been working for you for quite a while, then this option might just turn out to be perfect. 

Before you get started, you need some basic skills regarding how maintenance works because you will only get directions from your provider and you will have to act accordingly with it. If you have no general knowledge regarding the topic whatsoever, this option won’t work for you. Also, you need to make sure that you have all the necessary tools in hand. 

These options will work as long as you handle the situation with guidance from others, but if you are not susceptible to these kinds of things, there’s no other alternative than having the service provider come to your home. 

But obviously you have to be careful about your family’s safety. To ensure so, consider the measures below.

3. Be Aware of Your State’s Rules

Before calling in a service provider, make sure that you are allowed to do so. Many states follow the lockdown protocol strictly. Though emergency services are always spared, in some states, calling for house maintenance is not regarded as an emergency. 

If that is the case where you live, you have to solve the issue on your own.  

4. Follow the Basic Rules of Safety

The last thing you will ever want is to endanger your family. To avoid it, you have to take proper precautions. First, you need to know about your service provider’s safety precautions. If he doesn’t wear a PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), you should avoid taking his service. 

In any case, you can’t compromise with the safety issues. Make sure your service provider stays at least six feet away from everyone. Make sure that he uses gloves & lots of coverings. Remind him of using hand sanitizer. 

5. Clear the Pathway Before His Arrival 

If the business is about treating the ventilators, then he won’t have to come inside of your house much. But if the problem is with the kitchen or maybe the washroom, you will have no choice but to let him come inside. 

In that case, make sure that he doesn’t touch the doorknobs or other furniture much. Before his arrival, clear the pathway for him so that he takes less time to conduct his work. Also, after he’s done repairing, let him leave as quickly as you can. 

6. Avoid Paperwork

Though conducting business in your own home depends entirely on paperwork, judging the current situation, try to avoid it at all costs. Doing paperwork will only increase your chance of getting infected through the papers, so try to conduct all dealings online or face to face. 

7. No Handshakes

It’s pretty common to shake hands upon arrival or departure. But remember, this is not an ordinary situation. It’s about life & death, so don’t shake hands at all. Say sorry if needed, but avoid any unnecessary physical contact. 

8. Be Completely Sure about Your Service Provider’s Condition

Anyone can be infected now. It shouldn’t be seen as a crime. But it should be a crime to hide it. And for your own safety, you need to make sure that your service provider has tested negative for COVID-19.

Before hiring someone, if he’s from a service providing company, be sure to check his background thoroughly. Your negligence may turn out to be the cause of your demise. 

9. Ensure Proper Cleaning

There are 2 important things that we often overlook. We think just washing your hands is enough, but it really is not. He needs to wash his face & arms with soap & water within 20 seconds of removing his PPE. This point should be remembered carefully. 

Also, when the worker departs, wipe the whole floor with disinfectants. Spray disinfectant to whatever he touched during his stay.

Final Thoughts

Following these rules will make you more careful about the situation you are dealing with, but the most important thing is doing household maintenance should be your least priority in this unprecedented pandemic because lives matter more. If you must call in the maintenance guy, make sure you are safe & have provided all the facilities to ensure the further safety of you, your family, and the respected worker who has come to your aid even in times like these.