Do you lay awake at night worrying about potential costly repairs around your property? Are you wondering if there is a way to prevent or delay those expenses? If so, then you need to look into making a preventative maintenance checklist.
Doing so can help you stay on top of all residential tasks. You can take extra care of things like your HVAC unit, windows, kitchen, and electrical system to save yourself money down the line.
See below for several things that you’ll want to include on your home maintenance checklist moving forward. Be sure not to skip over any of them.
Switch Out Air Filters
Imagine the horror of waking up one day in sweat, realizing that your air conditioner has stopped working smackdab in the middle of summer.
Not only are you worried about the health and safety of your family, but whether or not your unit can be fixed. It will either lead to a costly repair or an even pricier replacement of the entire AC unit.
Many homeowners struggle to remember the importance of regularly switching out your air filter. Doing so can help improve the air quality in your home, as well as the performance of your air conditioning.
If the same one is left on for too long, it will become harder for the air conditioning unit to keep the same amount of airflow. The dirtier the air filter, the harder that your AC unit is working to keep your home at your preferred temperature.
Be sure to prioritize switching out your air filter on your preventative maintenance checklist. Ideally, you should change it once a month. A helpful exercise is to switch it out after you pay your rent/mortgage each month to help you remember!
Reach out to Schneider Mechanical any time your HVAC system is acting up. Visit their website Schneidermechanical.com for more information.
Clean Your Tubs and Sinks Regularly
Along with the HVAC system, your drains might be the most neglected part of your entire house. If they’re performing as they should, you’ll never know that they’re there.
However, don’t let them escape your priority list. You must take the time to clean them every so often to prevent a major clog in the plumbing system.
If a clog were to occur in your drain, you might not find out about it until after water damage has been done. A clogged drain can easily lead to leaks and burst pipes, which are a time-consuming and expensive repair.
You can prevent all of this by setting aside time to regularly clean out your tubs and sinks. Make sure they’re cleared of all debris and use a drain cleaning product (such as Drano) if you suspect that there’s a potential clog of hair, food, and so on.
To make sure your garbage disposal stays up to snuff, be sure to clean it by grinding ice cubes for a few seconds. After that, turn on the hot water and pour a bit of baking soda down with it.
Lastly, be sure to look out for the signs of a clogged drain and reach out to a plumbing service before the issue gets out of hand.
Mind Your Gutters
Gutters are the unsung heroes of your home’s exterior. They help direct water from rain and melting snow down and away from your property to prevent damage.
The results of a compromised gutter can be catastrophic. It can cause your basement to flood, sabotage the foundation of your house, cause mold growth, or cause roof leaks. All of which are costly repairs both inside and outside of your home.
If left uncared for (as most gutters are), the build-up of debris could either cause a clog and send water pouring over the side or weigh down your gutters so much that they start to sag and, eventually, fall off.
Fortunately, gutter maintenance doesn’t require frequent surveillance. Simply taking the time twice a year (once in the spring and fall), to clear the gutters will get the job done.
You will also want to keep an eye out for severe storms. Anytime you notice a significant amount of debris on your property after a storm, you can bet there’s some in your gutters as well.
Not only can the falling debris clog your gutters, but it can also cause damage. Take a walk around your home every so often to ensure the gutters are in tip-top shape.
Show Your Deck Some Love
As with any other exterior aspect of your home, your patio/deck is bound to go through some wear and tear during its life. However, consistent cleaning can help it keep its youth and stay formidable against the year-round elements.
A neglected deck can undergo such issues as dry rot, mold, pests, color fading, warping materials, and stairs that are unsafe to use.
Remember, your deck gets rained on often, so it’s going to need all the protection it can get. Every year, you should take the time to power wash it and give it a fresh coating.
Start by sweeping the deck with a broom and getting as much debris off the surface. Next, take the power washer and thoroughly clean the floor, rails, and stairs. Be sure to rent a power washer with the proper PSI for the type of wood it’s made of.
Make sure that the deck is completely dry (usually takes a day) before you give it a new coat. Doing this every year will extend the lifetime of your deck/patio.
Thoroughly Clean the House
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. If you want to ensure that the inside of your house stays in tip-top shape, you’ll need to go above and beyond the average Saturday cleaning routine.
Be sure to dedicate time each spring and fall for you and your family to give your home a thorough clean. That includes things like dusting, vacuuming, disinfecting, sweeping, mopping, and de-cluttering.
Spray down all your windows and mirrors with glass cleaner. Take surface cleaner to all your counters, tables, desks, and nightstands. Rid yourself of any unused clothing, toys, decor, etc.
Pay special attention to the bathrooms by scrubbing the toilets, tubs, and sinks with a disinfectant. Be sure to flush the toilets of any infrequently-used bathrooms as well.
Neglecting regular cleaning will make your family more prone to illnesses and lead to the inevitable deterioration of your home.
If you lack confidence in you and your family’s cleaning ability, you could consider hiring a professional cleaning service to come in twice a year to perform “the works” on your home.
Perform Proper Landscape Duty
Of course, you should already be keeping up with mowing your lawn every week or two. But how often are you going above and beyond for your landscaping?
It plays one of the biggest roles in your home’s curb appeal, so you’ll want to keep it fresh and crisp.
Be sure to invest in a string trimmer to create definitive lines between your grass and driveway. Take the time every so often to hedge your bushes and trim off the branches of your trees.
Rake up and dispose of any debris such as dead tree branches, old toys, or trash that found its way into your yard.
You’ll also want to schedule a maintenance check on your trees to inspect for signs of tree rot or pests. These are both signs of a dying tree, which could potentially lead to a tree branch (or the entire tree) falling on the side of your house.
Your lawn needs to get 1 to 2 inches of water each week, so be sure to keep an eye on that each week. If it hasn’t rained much that week, be sure to set out a sprinkler or hand water it with your hose.
Performing these yardwork duties will help you keep up with the exterior aesthetic of your home. That way, when you go to sell it, you’ll already have some interested buyers who have been envying it from afar!
Use This Preventative Maintenance Checklist to Your Advantage
Now that you have seen several key things to add to your preventative maintenance checklist, be sure to use it to your advantage.
Take the time to organize your preventative home maintenance checklist by weekly, monthly, biannually, and yearly duties to make it easier to keep track of.
Be sure to browse our website for more articles on home maintenance, as well as many other helpful topics that you will enjoy.