These handy tips for new homeowners are for your convenience. If you have any tips for homeowners that are not up here, please feel free to submit your own. Simply send us an email with "home owner tips" in the subject line. We hope you find these useful.

Carly writes:

Vinegar and water is a great solution for cleaning, and is environmentally friendly as well. Mix one part vinegar, with three parts hot water. For stubborn stains, more vinegar can be used. When cleaning windows, old newspapers are great. They don't leave streaks or lint like other materials, but watch out for black hands afterwards!"

Alison writes:

"Always keep bad weather supplies on hand in case of an emergency. Assemble supplies such as candles, flashlights, extra batteries, snow shovels and ice melting salt."

Eden writes:

"In order to heat your house efficiently, operate the system to check for performance and to make sure that heat is being delivered to all outlets. Check the condition of the filter and change it if necessary. Make sure to have extras on hand so that they can be changed as the season progresses. Consult with a qualified furnace service company to eastablish annual cleaning and maintenance."