Maintaining your home properly is vital to its upkeep and will save money in costly repairs down the line.
Breaking your home maintenance tasks down into monthly, quarterly, yearly, and seasonal checklists is an easy way to stay on top of them and get them completed efficiently. Print them off and keep them posted on your refrigerator as quick references!
1. Inspect the Roof
An inspection of your roof should be an integral component of regular home maintenance tasks, as it can help identify potential issues before they turn into bigger headaches – saving both money and stress in the process.
Step one is a walk around your house to inspect its exterior from ground level and look for signs of damage, sagging or age.
Check your gutters and downspouts regularly as these systems may become blocked with leaves and other debris that leads to water leakage issues.
Look at your roof from above as well, looking out for damaged shingles caused by strong winds that have been lifted or torn off by strong gusts of wind. Such damaged shingles may absorb water and rot over time, potentially causing serious weather damage to your home.
2. Check the Gutters
Gutters are an essential component of home health, protecting both siding and foundation from water damage and acting as a major selling point for prospective buyers.
If your gutters have been neglected for any reason, now is the time to check and repair them before winter arrives. Disrepair can lead to pools of water pooling around your house, leading to mold growth as well as health concerns such as asthma attacks.
As your first step, clear away any significant debris that has amassed. Do this safely by attaching a bucket securely to your ladder and clearing away leaves, dirt, sand, or sticks from your area.
Once the debris has been cleaned out of your gutters, be sure to examine them for signs of sagging. This could indicate an issue with slope or hanger/spike placement and could indicate water flow issues; perhaps reposition them so they are more steep and allow the flow of water easier.
3. Install Insulation
Insulation is one of the most essential home maintenance tasks, helping you save on energy costs while making your home more comfortable. Plus, insulation helps prevent mold growth and other potential health hazards!
Installing insulation yourself may be possible if you possess all of the required tools and experience, but for optimal results it is wiser to call in professional help.
Fiberglass insulation is one of the most popular choices, usually coming in batts or rolls that fit snugly between studs. Many batts feature an anti-moisture paper “face,” acting as a vapor barrier to stop moisture entering wall cavities and thus increasing energy efficiency.
Facings may be purchased separately or included with insulation products. No matter which one is chosen, it’s crucial that insulation includes an effective vapor retarder on its inner face in cold climates to reduce condensation that reduces R-value and promotes mold growth.
4. Clean the Crawl Space
Crawl spaces in homes often get neglected as they’re hidden from view. But this should not be overlooked as this area requires regular care and cleaning.
Left unattended, crawl spaces can become the home of pests, mold, standing water and fungus – which in turn threaten the air quality, insulation and foundation strength of any building in which they reside.
Your crawl space could become flooded and cause leaks into the home. To avoid this happening, ensure it’s kept clean by encasing it to prevent ground moisture build-up and mold growth.
Spending the time to clean out your crawl space can save you from expensive repairs down the line, while providing an indication of its integrity.
5. Store Outdoor Furniture
Home maintenance tasks must be performed regularly to keep homes in great shape, from changing out furnace filters every season to turning off water spigots before winter sets in. Unfortunately, however, there are also tasks not typically part of home maintenance checklists that may become an inconvenience in due time.
As such, we’re providing you with an effective year-long home maintenance checklist. No matter if your house is big or small, this list will assist in keeping all necessary home maintenance projects on schedule.
Outdoor furniture is an expensive investment, so it is wise to protect it from inclement weather by applying sealants that prevent moisture entry. Wood must be treated with sealants in order to seal against moisture intrusion.
6. Clean the Oven
Ovens can quickly become culinary crime scenes; quickly filling with pepperoni slices, steak drippings and crusty baked-on cheese crust. But a clean oven can make the cooking process faster, simpler and tastier!
Paul Bristow, executive director of built-in cooking at GE Appliances, advises cleaning your oven at least every three months – this is especially important for avid bakers and chefs who utilize their ovens on an almost weekly basis.
Start by taking care in cleaning your oven racks – giving them a thorough rinse in hot water with some dish soap will do just fine. Pour some Bar Keepers Friend (or whatever your preferred oven cleaner may be) into a spray bottle, and spritz all over the interior using it as directed – leaving for several minutes depending on its level of filth before wiping with damp rag.
7. Change the Air Filter
As a homeowner, you understand the significance of maintaining your property properly. Regular home maintenance checks will help avoid costly repairs and maintenance projects in the future.
An easy home maintenance task to tackle is changing the air filter on your HVAC system. Doing this regularly will have a dramatic impact on how efficiently it runs in your home.
When installing your new air filter, be sure to place it correctly so it can filter out dust and other pollutants from your home’s air efficiently and protect your family from breathing in unhealthy air while helping lower energy bills. This step can prevent breathing unhealthy air while helping save money on energy costs.
Once you’ve installed the new filter, use a multimeter to ensure your water heater is operating as planned.
8. Check the Water Heater
Your water heater is an integral component of your home, so maintaining its health can be crucial to its functionality. To prevent issues from developing, perform scheduled maintenance checks to maintain optimal functionality of the device.
Flushing your tank regularly will help ensure a longer lifespan for your water heater and lower heating costs.
Test Your Pressure Valve
One of the most critical parts of any water heater is the temperature and pressure relief valve, designed to open when sensing dangerously high levels of pressure or temperature inside its tank. This safety mechanism should open immediately should dangerous levels or temperatures occur inside its chambers.
An annual TPR valve check should include placing a bucket underneath its pipe connection to it and pulling back on its lever until an air or water flow passes through, followed by its release by pulling and pushing in on it. If the TPR doesn’t open then replace immediately.
9. Clean the Garage
Caretaking of your home is crucial to its safety and comfort for you and your loved ones. Scheduled maintenance checks can help avoid costly service calls while helping protect against damages that might otherwise occur.
As part of this process, it’s crucial that you consider what your family needs for its future needs. For example, if you have children they might require their own storage area.
Begin by clearing away all unnecessary items from your garage – tools and boxes in particular – this will make cleaning it up much simpler.
Take advantage of your empty floors to eliminate oil stains and other residue from your vehicles, using degreasers or grease-cutting dish soap to get rid of these spots.
Once your garage is cleared out, you can begin organizing and storing your stuff. Group similar items together before using shelving to keep them accessible.