Some homes cause injury or illness. Mold and mildew have the potential to cause serious breathing problems. Unkept homes can cause electrical shorts which in turn can cause a house fire and injury or even death.
Taking the time to do just a few home maintenance tasks can keep your family safe. prevent illness and injury and in doing regular maintenance you also prevent further damage which could cost you more money. So, if you don’t already have a home maintenance checklist, it is time you got one, and in that list, you should put the things you often forget about or maybe don’t even know about.
Monthly Maintenance
It would be best if you did things every month as these can benefit your family’s health, prevent damage, and further repair. These tasks only require essential tools and don’t cost too much to do.
- Inspect the HVAC filters. You can clean some filters and reuse them, and others need to be replaced. You need to determine which type of filter your system has, but you need to clean or replace them every 30 to 60 days.
- Check for water leaks. Look for water around the toilet and sink. Signs of water mean there may be a leak, and even a small one could cost hundreds of dollars a year.
- Inspect the caulking. Look around the tub, shower, and sink. Touch up any cracks to keep the fixtures looking nice but, more importantly, to prevent water seepage or leaks.
- Inspect the area outside. Walk around the house’s exterior and check the drains and gutters to make sure they are clear. Look for cracks in foundations or drainpipes. Make sure spouts are clear of debris.
Winter Maintenance
Most people want to stay inside all the time during the cold season. But before you do that, you need to perform a few winter maintenance chores to make sure everything stays on the safe side.
- Look for ice ridges. An ice ridge may form along the bottom of the roof and trap ice and snow behind it. This causes water and snow to pool, which can cause water infiltration, mold, and other more severe issues.
- Check for drafts. While drafts may seem normal in winter, you don’t want to have them. Cold air coming in from under the door or window can bring higher heating bills. To find out whether your house is drafty, light a candle or a stick of incense and move it around the seams of the doors and windows. When the smoke or flame moves around, it means you have a draft. Apply caulk or a door guard to get rid of drafts.
Spring Maintenance
There are also a few things you should do every spring.
- Check your HVAC. Call in an expert to tune up the system before you start using it.
- Inspect the roof. Winter can be hard on the roof. Ice and snow damage could lead to leaks in the spring.
- Recheck the gutters. Ice and snow bring debris which can cause gutters to become clogged. You want to check them before the rainy season arrives.
- Check storm window drains. Older homes have small drains to prevent rain from puddling a rotting the window sills. Make sure rain is kept away and can flow away from the windows.
- Maintain your septic system. Septic tank maintenance should be scheduled every 3-5 years. The best times to perform maintenance is during the warmer seasons when the ground is soft. Always be sure to hire a reputable professional in order to minimize damages.
Summer Maintenance Tips
While summer is a great time to get outdoors, you also need to spend some time on home maintenance.
- Cut the grass. Pay special attention to the area around the HVAC unit and make sure the grass and weeds don’t overgrow here.
- Inspect and wash siding. Summer is a great time to pressure wash the siding. Inspect the siding as you go along and look for cracks or soft spots. When you see these areas, have them fixed or replaced.
- Inspect crawl spaces. Look for cracks that need repair, especially after the rainy season.
Fall Maintenance
Before you get enthralled with Halloween or fantastic fall mountain hikes, pay a little attention to your house.
- Shut off the water. Close the supply to exterior hose bibs or faucets you won’t use in the winter. Drain the lines to prevent pipe freezing in winter.
- Inspect the fireplace. If you plan on using the fireplace, have it inspected before you start a fire.
- Look for problems around the house. Fill in any dips near the foundation, so that water and snow can’t get trapped here in the winter.
More important than keeping your home clean and damage-free, maintenance also keeps your family safe. Water seepage in the home can cause breathing problems. HVAC issues have been known to cause fires, and frozen pipes can cause hygienic issues. Keeping up with basic maintenance is important. It prevents unnecessary and expensive repairs, but it also keeps your house safe and prevents home hazards that could cause serious injuries.
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)