Tech Tips for Fall

Fall brings with it the beautiful weather, hot apple cider, pumpkin picking and — you guessed it — household chores!

But all those chores don't have to jam up your calendar. These five apps can help you keep track of your various maintenance to-dos and projects, so you can spend more time enjoying crisp fall days and less time keeping track of them.

BrightNest

From keeping things clean to making them colorful, BrightNest,is loaded with suggestions on how to make your home a better place to live. With categories of customized tips (money-saving, cleaning, eco-friendly) based on the makeup of your home, you can be inspired by the app. Flag some as your favorite, and create a schedule for performing the tasks either later or regularly. Never forget to change our furnace filters — again.

BrightNest is available for free on Android and iOS.

The Family Handyman DIY Tip Genius

This app, curated from the Readers Digest’s Family Handyman Magazine, is full of tips, tricks, and ideas for people looking to make their dwelling a tidier place. From building and remodeling to lawn and garden, there’s a wide range of content to draw from for tons of home improvement ideas.  

The Family Handyman DIY Tip Genius is available for free on Android and iOS.

Home Maintenance Manager

This app does it all, from reminding you to conduct periodic maintenance to tracking projects across multiple properties. And with a history feature, it’s easy to look back and see the last time you performed a task, from checking the back flow on your lawn sprinkler, to cleaning your furnace filters. 

Home Maintenance Manager is available for $3.99 on iOS.

Home Styler Interior Design

This app puts professional-level graphics right on your smartphone. It works by starting with a snapshot of your space. Then, you can browse from thousands of design products to see how they’d look in your space. You can also use it to find an interior designer in your area to help guide your tastes, or you can flip through other users’ concepts to get more inspiration for your own home.

Home Styler Interior Design is available for free on Android and iOS.

Thumbtack

Thumbtack connects you to a network of professionals who submit bids for work. This network of professionals is available across all 50 U.S. states, making Thumbtack an excellent resource for DIYers.  With a wide array of contractors available on the service — its an excellent resource when you need extra help to get a job done. 

Thumbtack is available for free on iOS