Summertime’s here. Get your chores done before you play.

Wow. If there ever was a title that was the opposite of “clickbait” it’s that one. Congratulations to you, dear reader, if you actually chose to read this article despite that shambolic mess of a title. I’ll try to make it worth your while. 

Some folks call Memorial Day the start of the summer. For purists, it’s June 21. But now that Independence Day is past us, there’s simply no denying it. It’s summertime. While you’ve earned the right to have some fun this summer, it’s also a good time to get some much-needed chores done. You’ll feel better frolicking once you know you’ve taken care of the little bits of maintenance that keep your home theater running right. Here are some things you really ought to look at this summer.

Prune those streaming subscriptions

Hey, remember when we all thought streaming would save us money? Remember when we thought that Netflix and Hulu were all we’d need? Chances are you’re subscribed to half a dozen services… maybe more. I bet you’re paying $75 a month for the privilege of streaming and you’re not even using half those services.

Here’s my advice. Cancel all your streaming services. All of them. At least at first. Most services make it super easy to cancel service and restart it at a later time. So say bye-bye to Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, ESPN… whatever you have. If you decide to use them, turn them back on. Those services you actually use daily will rise up to the top and the ones you never touch will stop costing you money.

Toss those old cables

I’ve recently gotten on a cleaning kick with my home theater stuff. 16 months indoors has left me with a pretty good idea what I’ll need and what I won’t. And, there’s a lot of stuff I just don’t need. I haven’t touched an RCA cable in years. Optical? Who needs it. I think I even have a parallel printer cable sitting around somewhere.

You’ll feel good when you package up all those unused cables and get rid of them. You have my permission to be a little harsh in your choices. Most cables don’t cost a lot, and if you haven’t needed it in two years, chances are you don’t need it. You can replace it if you’re wrong, but you’re probably not.

Change the batteries

It’s time to change out the batteries in the things you have. If you can, replace old alkaline batteries with rechargeable ones. They’re better for the environment. Even if you can’t, think about the last time you changed a battery. If it’s been a while, you really don’t know how good that battery is or when it will either die or pop. Both are possible.

Take a good look around outside

This is something I recommend that you do every three months. Look at all the connection points outside. Are the cables nice and snug, and free of corrosion? Is everything properly attached to the house? Is your antenna level? Is your dish free of rust? It’s easy to let these things go year after year, but you really shouldn’t. If you see something that needs to be replaced, it’s a lot better to replace it in the summer instead of in the winter when you could hurt yourself more easily.

And of course…

once you’re done with your chores, go enjoy yourself! But first, take a look at the great selection you’ll find when you shop at Solid Signal. You’ll find all the accessories you need to get your home ready for the future!

 

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.