Your Home Maintenance Checklist

Your Home Maintenance Checklist

Your home is one of the most valuable assets you own. Don’t let neglect eat away at your investment. Follow this yearly home maintenance schedule to keep it in tip-top shape.
Home Maintenance: January – March

Winter is a good time to work on the inside of your home. However, there are a couple of important tasks you need to do outside to prevent costly damage from occurring. (source)

• Disconnect all garden hoses, just in case there is a long, hard freeze.
• Close any crawl space vents and store window air conditioners.
• Put away lawn furniture or cover it with protectors.

Inside your home, you need to remember to change out your furnace filters about once a month. This increases the efficiency of your heater.
You should also clean off your refrigerator coils and purge your drains with baking soda and vinegar. This prevents grease buildup and possible clogs.
Keep a close eye out for rodents that have moved inside where it’s warm. At the first sign of droppings or gnawing, put out traps or call your pest control company

Home Maintenance: April – June

During the spring, you should focus on protecting your property outside against wind and rain and hitting the indoors with a good “spring cleaning.”
Maintaining the Exterior of Your Home

• Clean winter refuses from gutters and downspouts.
• Inspect your roof for missing tiles or worn ventilation seals.
• Touch up exterior paint or repaint if needed.
• Wash all of your windows and screens, inside and out.
• Service your lawn mower.
• Apply pre-emergent weed control and fertilize the lawn.
• Have a pest control company inspect for bug infestations before they get out of control.

Spring Cleaning Inside Your Home

• Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when you set clocks forward.
• Check your sump pump to make sure it is operational and service if necessary.
• Remove dust and cobwebs from the ceiling and corners (check the attic). If you notice any sign of vermin in your home, call a pest control company.
• Clean blinds and wash curtains.
• Vacuum mattresses and furniture to remove dust mites.
• Sort through all closets and cabinets and purge old food, cosmetics, and clothing.

Home Maintenance: July – September

Summer home maintenance mostly involves lawn maintenance and other outdoor projects.

Outdoor Tasks:

• Prune your trees and shrubs. Plant flowers and gardens.
• Remove lint from the dryer exhaust vent.
• Clean the air conditioning unit, removing any plants that have grown up around the area.
• Re-install window air conditioners.

Home Maintenance: October – December

In the fall, you need prepare for cooler temperatures and falling leaves. You need to get both your home and yard ready for winter.

Outside the Home:

• Clean your gutters and downspouts.
• Rake your leaves and compost them if possible.
• Inspect storm doors and windows.
• Drain your lawnmower and store it for the winter.
• Seed your yard and prepare flower beds for spring planting.

Inside Your House:

• Replace batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when you set clocks back in the fall.
• Install weather stripping around doors and windows if they are leaking air.
• Call an HVAC professional to service and inspect your furnace.
• Have your pest control company inspect your house for evidence of infestations. Plug any gaps where rodents might enter your home.

Remember that an ounce of prevention is often worth a pound of cure. By following this home maintenance checklist, you can hopefully stop some of the more costly issues faced by homeowners before they cause irreversible damage.