Home Maintenance Tips for Tri-Cities Homes and More!

Home maintenance is a necessary part of being a home owner. Don’t look at it as a chore; look at it as a privilege. You have your own home. Congratulations!! Take pride in maintaining it. One way to help you achieve your maintenance goals is to buy a cheap calendar or get a free one from your bank, credit union, etc. Take the below information and schedule it into your calendar. This will help you to keep track of the items that have been completed and what you will be looking to do in the upcoming months.

Preventive home maintenance will keep your family safer, Improve the home’s appearance, maintain the home’s value, keep your lifestyle from being disrupted by unexpected system failures AND can save future hundreds to thousands of dollars in repair/replacement work.

SPRING:

It is not called “spring cleaning” for no reason…. You’ve spent the last few months primarily indoors (unless you live in the southern states) and are ready to get outside and dispose of items that you no longer wish to keep indoors and have that excited ‘let’s change things up a bit’ feeling. Where do you start? One of the first places that you are going to want to inspect is the outside of your home. It has also endured potentially long winter months and may need some TLC. Now is the time to take of these items and prepare for the summer months. Things you should check are:

• The gutters, drains and downspouts. Clean them of any debris that has accumulated over the winter and fall. Check for loose connections and any damaged areas.
• Will the rain water and lawn sprinkler water flow away from the house? If there is standing water or the water flows towards the home, this could be damaging to your foundation, basement or crawlspace.
• Inspect the crawlspace/basement for moisture.
• Inspect the exterior of your home; is there any paint that is chipping, holes in brick, cracks in stucco? How about the foundation, any cracks that need to be sealed?
• Get your air conditioning system serviced, have it ready for summer. Regular maintenance by a professional will only be around $100, but ignoring your unit, could be a future costly situation.
• Repair or replace and damaged window screens.
• Check the inside of the windows, is there any caulking that is needed around the frame of the window? Also, now is a good time to wash the windows inside and outside.
• Check your doors; same as the windows, these may also need new caulking around them.
• Clean up the yard and garden removing dead plants and shrubs. Also, check to see if any plants are too close to the house…. These little innocent plants can do massive damage if the roots decide that they are going to penetrate the foundation or vines that want to move through the siding and/or roofing.
• Now is also a good time to fertilize the lawn and garden.
• Prune any trees, shrubs and rosebushes.
• Any trees that are close to the home, septic, driveway or electrical lines? Tree roots will cause cracking in driveways and foundation, they can penetrate septic and sewer systems. If the tree(s) have overgrown and are near electrical lines, have them trimmed.

SUMMER:

Focusing on the exterior of your home, lawn and garden will be mainly on your mind. But now is also a good time to take care of indoor projects that would be more difficult to do during the winter months.

• Check the grout in the kitchen, bathrooms and any floor tiles. This will prolong the life of the surfaces and helps to maintain a nice look to your tile.
• Inspect the plumbing for any leaks, clean around the faucet spouts, check the toilets for any leaks. If you have poor water pressure, the aerator could be the problem. This is an easy fix.
• Check for insects and rodents inside and outside. Ant nests, Wasps, spiders, etc., all can try to make their way into your home. Take the necessary steps and precautions when eliminating these pests. Remember if you have small children or pets, poisons or traps could be life threatening to them. Please take caution when eliminating pests.
• The deck and/or patio should be inspected and repaired, painted or stained if necessary. Start with a good washing and go from there.
• Keep all window wells cleaned. Animals and insects will take advantage of hiding in the debris or garbage that may gather in the wells.
• Check all vents that lead to the exterior of the home. Is there fresh air coming out of the dryer vent? If not, it may be clogged. Are there screens in front of vents? Are there any holes in them? Small rodents or birds can enter the home through the vents.
• Clean out the garage. Check the garage door—is it working properly?

FALL:

This is the season that you will want to wrap up the summer projects and start preparing your home for the winter.

• Winterize the air conditioning systems… Cover or remove and store window units. For central air, cover the outside unit with a tarp or plastic sheeting and secure it with a bungee cord(s).
• Flush the hot water heater and remove the sediment. This will help to prolong the life of your water heater.
• Have your HVAC serviced and make sure the heating vents are open and also not blocked by furniture.
• If you have a wood burning fireplace or woodstove, have the chimney cleaned.
• Check for any leaks in the windows or doors, caulk where necessary.
• Clean gutters and downspouts.
• Remove hoses from the outdoor water spigots, drain and store… Water inside the hose will freeze, causing the faucet to cracks and or pipes leading to the faucet.
• If you have automatic sprinklers, now is the time to have them blown out.
• Check the driveway, sidewalks and patios for cracks. Have them re-sealed before winter when the water will pool in the cracks, freeze and expand. This causes larger cracks.
• Prepare for snow; buy your snow shovel and sidewalk salt.
• If you have a swimming pool, perform all necessary maintenance and shut down items.

WINTER:

Winter is a good time to check around the interior of your home and see if there are little things that have been overlooked.

• Deep clean the home. Not only does it look nice, but it helps to maintain your home.
• Keep a watch on any outside icicles or ice pools that are close to the home. The icicles can be dangerous to people & animals, whereas the ice pools, if too close to the home, can crack the foundation.
• Check all locks and deadbolts. Tighten any handles, knobs, racks/shelves…anything that could have a screw come loose.
• Check the bathroom caulking around the tubs, showers, sinks.

MONTHLY, QUARTERLY, BI-ANNUALLY/ANNUALLY TO DO’S:

MONTHLY:

• Inspect and change HVAC filters if they are dirty. This helps the furnace to stay in top condition, removes dust/pollens from the air you breathe and just makes the home smell much better.
• Clean the kitchen sink garbage disposal. There are several commercial brands available in the store, but plain white vinegar works great. Fill the sink with water and add 2 cups of white vinegar to it. Unplug the drain and turn on the garbage disposal as the water goes down. This will help keep your sink smelling good.
• Clean the range hood filters. Let it soak in warm soapy water or in a degreaser (one from an auto parts store works good). Use a brush (one that is made for the kitchen) and lightly scrub off the debris and rinse thoroughly.
• Inspect fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, etc. Make sure they are proper working order.
• Clean ceiling fan blades as dust will gather on these year around.
• If you have a hot tub, clean and inspect it. Check for leaks, cracks, wiring that may need replacing.
• Breaker Box – Trip circuit breakers and ground fault interrupters monthly to insure proper protection.

QUARTERLY:

• Test the garage door auto-reverse feature. Put a 2×4 on the ground where the door would close. It should automatically return to the open position once it hits the 2×4. Also text the automatic sensors by placing something in front of them, and see if the door returns to the open position. Keeping your garage door working properly could save a child or animals life.
• Run the water and flush toilets in bathroom that are not used frequently.
• Check the water softener and add salt if needed.
• Clean your stove, oven, refrigerator, dishwasher and any other major household appliance. This will help to maintain their life expectancy.
• If you have firearms or other weapons, make sure that they are not accessible to children.
• Check all sink drains; make sure there is no dripping/pooling water.

BI-ANNUALLY TO ANNUALLY

• Clothes Washer – clean water inlet filters; check hoses and replace them if they are leaking.
• Clothes Dryer – Vacuum lint from the ducts and surrounding areas.
• If there is a septic system, have the tank inspected and pumped if necessary.