Essential Home Maintenance Tasks for Every Season

Maintaining your home can be time-consuming and complicated work. But regular home maintenance will save you from costly issues like overflowing gutters, inoperable furnaces and water damage.

Home maintenance tasks vary seasonally or annually; by using a checklist for home care maintenance, homeownership becomes manageable.

Spring

With winter winding down, now is an opportune time to perform some essential indoor maintenance to avoid costly repairs down the line. Simply changing batteries in smoke detectors and replacing filters on heating/cooling systems could save energy and money in the future.

Cleaning windows both inside and outside can give a home an updated appearance. Furthermore, flushing rarely used toilets and running water in sinks, tubs and showers to flush away grime build-up that could otherwise lead to plumbing issues is another great way of making a house appear fresh.

Outside, spring yard and landscape care is key to protecting the value of any property. Trim back overgrown shrubs, rake the lawn and clean up debris accumulated over winter – keeping an eye out for branches hanging over power lines where serious injury or even death could result if these items remain. Also remember to test all GFCIs (ground fault circuit interrupters) and electrical panels within your home for optimal functioning.

Summer

As summer temperatures heat up, it is crucial to maintain interior maintenance tasks to prevent heat and moisture related issues in your home. Now is an opportune time to change or clean HVAC filters as well as check drains so summer storm water flows away from foundation of home. Furthermore, inspect and replace batteries in smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, home timers as soon as they detect malfunctioning components or batteries need replacing.

In areas with warm weather, now is an excellent time to touch up any paint that requires repainting, protecting your home’s exterior from UV radiation and increasing curb appeal. Pressure washing your deck, driveway and siding to remove dirt, mildew and mold is another great idea – replacing or repairing damaged siding can boost energy efficiency while eliminating air leaks, drafts and pests from entering through air leaks or drafts; while cleaning windows both inside and outside reduce energy bills while increasing natural lighting throughout your home.

Fall

As leaves turn color, homeowners must turn their focus toward fall preventative maintenance tasks. Gutters and downspouts must be cleaned out, inspected for damage, and addressed as necessary. In addition, now is a good time to reseal windows to increase energy efficiency and lower heating costs.

Cleaning and repairing crawl spaces can ensure that your home remains in peak condition. By eliminating moisture build-up and sealing cracks in these spaces, cleaning and repairing them may help ensure its overall condition remains optimal.

Cleaning furnace filters will remove dust build-ups, helping your home regulate temperature and reduce energy bills. Flushing the water heater to flush away accumulated sediment as well as testing smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and ground-fault circuit interrupters is recommended, while inspecting garbage disposals, drains and sinks for leaks or clogs is also wise as batteries in these devices need changing periodically as well as wiping down kitchen cupboards, cleaning fridge coils and replacing water filters is a worthwhile endeavor.

Winter

Homeowners should complete routine maintenance tasks on a regular basis to protect their property and ensure its optimal operation. Breaking these tasks down by season can help homeowners effectively organize their chores; using a checklist as a reminder can further simplify this task.

Wintertime is an ideal time to trim back bushes and shrubs, clean gutters and downspouts, and prepare your lawn for colder temperatures. Additionally, this is also an ideal opportunity to inspect your roof for any signs of damage and make any necessary repairs.

Before changing furnace and air filters, inspect smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, test batteries for them and replace as necessary, apply weather stripping to windows and doors, add sweeps/draft snakes for doors that open directly into the house from outside, check exposed plumbing for freezing damage and insulate as required – adding insulation can even save energy! Finally, add insulation to your water heater if applicable to save energy useage.