The spring season brings with it a feeling of renewal and new beginnings. Warmer weather and longer days provide a boost of energy, so now is the best time to think about cleaning, organizing, and home maintenance. Being proactive and doing home maintenance now is the best defense against keeping unexpected (and often expensive), repairs from happening in the future. There are a few key places that are often overlooked by homeowners, and with spring around the corner, we thought we would share a Homeowner’s Spring Maintenance To-Do List to get you started.
Interior Maintenance
Before the weather is warm enough to begin working on your bigger outdoor projects, you can start cleaning and maintenance projects in the interior of your home now. The following is a list you can begin right away.
Air Filters:
Replacing your HVAC filters every spring is one of the most important things you can do during your seasonal maintenance. Not only will it prevent most high-cost repairs from occurring, it also improves the air quality in your home. Yet, this is often something that is overlooked by homeowners.
Fire Extinguishers, Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors:
Replacing the batteries in your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors is quick and low-cost task that can literally save your life. If any of your detectors are more than 10 years old, consider replacing them completely.
Check your fire extinguishers to ensure that the gauge is in the green zone. If you don’t have a fire extinguisher in your home, now is time to get one! Having and maintaining these devices can save you thousands of dollars in damage to your home, and even more important, they can save the lives of you and your loved ones.
Laundry Room:
Inspect your washing machine’s water hoses and connections. If one of the hoses ruptures, it will likely flood your laundry room. Repairing a small leak or faulty connection ahead of time can save you hundreds, and maybe even thousands of dollars.
Did you know that dryers are the #1 cause of house fires? According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), washers and dryers are the cause of almost 16,000 fires every year! In fact, 92% of fires involve dryers.
To help prevent this, be sure to clean your dryer vents. Even if you’re diligent about cleaning your lint filter after every load of laundry, lint can build up in the vents over time. You can find a cost friendly dryer brush kit at any home improvement store. Also check outside your home to ensure that the vent is not being blocked by anything such as tree branches or shrubs. Taking both of these steps will help you prevent a fire caused by your clothes dryer.
Basement and Sump Pumps:
April showers bring May flowers, but they can also bring water into your home and basement. Warmer temperatures cause the ground to thaw, and that paired with the rain showers leave the potential for flooding. Check your basement floor for any wet areas. If you have a sump pump, check to make sure that it is in working condition.
Windows, Screens, and Doors:
Inspect your doors, windows, and sills for any leaks. Caulking is a quick and easy way to seal around your windows and doors to keep water and insects out, and to keep the cool air-conditioned air in. Check window screens for any damage, holes, or tears. You can find inexpensive screen repair kits at any hardware store. If a screen is in bad shape, replacing it completely is also fairly inexpensive.
Again, being proactive is always better than waiting for something catastrophic to happen, and peace of mind as a homeowner goes a long way. You won’t ever regret taking care of possible issues before they become huge, expensive ones.
This list will be enough to keep you busy until our next blog coming soon – our Outdoor Spring To-Do List for Homeowners. See you then!
