The Absolute Best Home Maintenance Checklist
Now that the weather is nice, it’s the perfect time to get your homeowner maintenance checklist updated. And while you’re at it, mark these chores on your calendar for the coming year. Keeping your home in great shape will not only bring you peace of mind, but make sure your home’s resale value is maximized.
Here are some handy maintenance tips that you should do monthly, quarterly and yearly.
Monthly
- Range Hood Cleaning: All you need to do this monthly task is a strong degreasing agent, hot water and a little bit of elbow grease. Let your filter sit for about ten minutes, wipe away any excess mess, rinse and you’re good to go.
- Garbage Disposal Duty: Does your kitchen smell a little funky? Your garbage disposal may be to blame. To eliminate those funny smells, flush your garbage disposal with hot water and baking soda on a monthly basis. This simple task will keep your kitchen smelling fresh.
- HVAC Updates: This task is often recommended to be done on a monthly basis, but this isn’t a hard rule. If you have a small family, no allergies or no pets, you can get away with doing this home maintenance task every two to three months instead. Simply check your filters to see if they are full of gunk and replace as needed.
Quarterly
- Smoke Detector Test: Are your smoke detectors doing their jobs? Checking these important aspects of your home is vital to your family’s safety. Make sure the batteries are in working order by testing your detectors and replacing the batteries if needed.
- Roof Repairs: About every six months or so head up to the roof to make sure everything looks good. Inspect the roof surface, eaves, flashing and soffits. If you are not comfortable climbing up to the roof on a ladder or if heights make you woozy, a local professional can do a quick inspection for a reasonable fee.
- Downspouts and Gutters: It’s a dirty job, but somebody has to do it. On a quarterly basis these parts of your home are due for a good cleaning and inspection. Clean them of any debris or consider installing a no-clean version. Inspect your gutters and downspouts for any weak areas, making repairs if needed. It’s also advised to check for proper drainage.
Yearly
- Pest Inspections: Annual pest inspections should be conducted on an annual basis to keep your home healthy, safe and stable. Pests like cockroaches can be a hazard to human health and are known to trigger allergies and worsen asthma. Termites are estimated to cause billions of dollars in structural damage each year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It’s not always easy to detect pests, so get the help of a skilled professional.
- Water Heater Checkup: The water heater is an essential part when it comes to making your home comfortable. Without it, you wouldn’t have those hot showers. Each year plan to give your water heater a routine checkup. Drain the water until it is clear of any sediment, test the temperature pressure release valve and clean the ports and burners if you have a gas water heater.
- HVAC Inspection: Each year your HVAC system should go through a routine inspection. A simple phone call to a local professional can do the trick. A professional has the tools and the know-how to tune up your air conditioning and heating, ensuring that you’re not only staying cool and warm but that you aren’t paying extra on your utility bills as well.