Home Maintenance Checklist – With the winter freeze still upon us, you might forget that spring is coming soon. And in just a few months, the warm breeze of spring will turn into a hot and humid summer. It seems like each seasonal change comes before we’re ready to face it. Our home, like us, can also be unprepared to handle these sudden weather changes.
As the seasons change, there are specific home maintenance tasks that every homeowner needs to complete. This ensures that our house’s indoors and outdoors can be ready to maintain their overall structure. Perhaps you’re looking at more energy-efficient insulation or fitting your windows with internal blinds. Whatever the case, here are home maintenance projects and home inspection checklist to complete before each season that will help any homeowner get through their list.
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Spring Home Maintenance Checklist
As spring approaches, you’ll first want to clear out debris from areas such as your roof gutters and vents in your foundation. These are areas that likely accumulated excess leaves and other bits of gunk over the winter. While doing this, you’ll also want to examine your roof to see if any shingles were lost or cracked during those severe winter storms. Make sure that you also check to see if your foundation is damaged as well. If so, it might need a re-caulking.
Spring is known for spring cleaning, so this may also be a perfect time to clean parts of your house that haven’t been scrubbed in a while. Giving windows a proper wash on both sides–with window cleaner and a soft microfiber cloth–helps get rid of built-up residue and adds an extra layer of shine.
Ensure that your air conditioning system is working correctly and that you’ve changed its filter in time to handle spring’s warmer weather. If you need to, you can clean up any large bits of dust on your air conditioning unit with a vacuum. Also, regular maintenance of all cooling and heating appliances is advised. Analyzing and addressing more serious repairs should be a priority. In both cases, consider calling in experienced technicians like Magnolia Heating and Cooling for the more demanding tasks. Also, make sure that you’ve checked your attic for mold, and that it is adequately insulated.
Summer Home Maintenance Checklist
For summer weather, you’ll generally be focusing on giving your outdoors a more presentable, welcoming look. This will make your pool, garden, patio, or other exteriors ready for family gatherings or other summer occasions. Ensure that you wash your porch and deck to maintain a clean look of your house’s surroundings. Also, get those trees and other shrubs trimmed around your home’s exterior–especially if you’re planning on hanging lights on them for a friendly hangout in the evening.
If you have a grill, you’ll definitely want to have it cleaned before that first summer cookout. Whether you have a charcoal grill or a gas grill, make sure you wipe away any excess residue before cleaning it.
For a charcoal grill, make sure that you:
- Clean out as much dry ash as possible with a vacuum or brush.
- Use a hose to rinse out the remaining ash.
- Take a scour sponge, water, and dish soap, and scrub the interior.
- Rinse it out with hot water.
- Let it dry before its next use.
If you have a gas grill, you’ll want to:
- Turn the grill temperature on high for 20-30 minutes.
- Let the grill cool.
- Sweep the grill grates down with a steel brush.
- Clean the outside with a scour sponge, water, and dish soap.
And last (but certainly not least): make sure that your A/C is working properly by replacing the air filter if needed.
Fall Home Maintenance Checklist
With the humidity drying up and temperatures getting cooler, fall is another season where you can complete a large number of home maintenance tasks. You’ll need to rake up those patches of leaves on your driveway and lawn, as well as bits of tree limbs. (You trimmed your trees before, right?) Ensure that you also get those leaves out of your gutters and remove any possible clutter. And remember to store the outdoor furniture that you used over the summer.
Fall is also the critical time when you need to change the batteries on your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. You’ll also want to test them to make sure that they are running correctly. Autumn has numerous possible fire hazards, including clogged chimneys and burning leaves. Ensuring that your detectors are working properly leads to better safety for you and your family.
Speaking of chimneys, your fireplace (if you have one) should also be thoroughly cleaned and inspected. This will allow for better usage, as well as prevent possible fire hazards.
Winter Home Maintenance Checklist
Gearing up for next year’s winter may seem like a task that’s light years ahead, but it’ll be here sooner than you think. This is where it’s essential to have a home interior that is warm and welcoming while keeping your outdoor structures carefully prepared for the wintry weather conditions.
You’ll want to inspect your exposed piping to make sure they aren’t frozen. If necessary, you insulate your hot water pipes with pipe wrap. Ensure that you also test your sump pump for any potential clogs, and remove excess dirt and debris.
You’ll want to take a closer look at your dryer vents, and clean off any extra lint buildup. In addition, checking your windows to see if there is any airflow can be critical to your family’s comfort. Look for any seal gaps after you close the door. If necessary, weatherstripping might be a useful option. There are numerous types with different formats, such as:
- Felt strip
- Foam tape
- V-strip (silicone seal)
- Gasket
- Tension strip
- Door sweep
- Bronze
In addition, you’ll want to test your heating system to see if it’s functioning correctly. If necessary, call a professional to inspect your HVAC or furnace.
Getting your home ready for a seasonal change is never an easy transition. There are always tasks that we, as homeowners, need to be aware of before we can settle into a change in weather. But with these tips, and with your effort and knowledge, you’ll be able to adapt your house properly and complete each home maintenance project before each season.
About the Author
Jennifer Bell is a freelance writer, blogger, dog-enthusiast, and avid beachgoer operating out of Southern New Jersey. She frequently works with home services companies like Leading Integral Blinds, a UK based company specializing in windows with internal blinds.- Home Maintenance Checklist