Housing expo offers tips, guidance

Published April 25, 2013
By Airman 1st Class Briana Jones
31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy -- More than 135 people attended Aviano's first ever housing expo April 22 to learn about a variety of housing issues including maintenance and repair, "how to" demonstrations, government furnishings, legal assistance, landlord and property management, gardening and recycling.

The purpose of the event was to inform individuals on the Italian way of life and how Italian housing differs from housing in the U.S. Housing office employees were also present to answer any questions that attendees may have had.

"People really need to be educated on how to live in these houses," said Tammy Hardt, 31st Civil Engineer Squadron housing manager, who hopes to make the expo a semi-annual event. "We wanted to be here to educate attendees on how to live a little bit more comfortably in Italian homes."

A plumber, an electrician and a craftsman were also on hand to discuss how to set and reset a breaker, fix doors and shutters and how to use energy efficient light bulbs.

"We should take advantage of everything that is offered and things like this make living in a foreign country easier," said Kasey Whitaker, spouse of Staff Sgt. Mark Whitaker, 31st Communications Squadron airfield systems supervisor.

Cinzia De Anna, 31st CES housing assistant, helped man the "tips and takeaway" booth, where she showed attendees how to prevent mold from growing in the house, how to clean marble flooring and easy ways to solve maintenance problems.

Italian housing tips:

Do not turn down the radiator or furnace during the winter. Not only does it help save on utilities, it helps prevent damage to the radiators and boilers.
Mold conditions worsen in cold rooms of the house. The housing office also recommends lifting the blinds during the day to let the daylight help keep the mold away.
Products that say "flushable" are not actually flushable; in Italy, flushing such items down the toilet will cause septic and plumbing issues.
Immediately fix water leaks or water infiltrations in the homes without delay. Condensation or moisture collecting on windows or pipes should be dried immediately.
Open the windows in the kitchen, laundry, bed and bathrooms for at least two hours each day especially during the summer and for ten mintues during the winter a couple times a day.
Use de-humidifiers or a moisture absorber to reduce the humidity.
To minimize mold spores, dust often and vacuum the home regularly.
Using a damp cloth is sufficient to clean terracotta floors.
For ceramic floors, baking soda can be used to remove grease marks and scratches.
To polish and brighten marble floors and remove scuff marks, wash them with water and a small quantity of cleaning detergent.

For more tips and advice on managing an Italian household, tenants can visit the housing office.

"I would like for people to understand that the housing counselors are here for them to support them," De Anna said. "We understand that being far from home is tough and we try to do our best to help them out."

The housing office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call 632-2272.