It’s time to shake off the cold weather and enjoy the warm months ahead. Spring is a great time to inspect and repair your home. Taking the time now to do cleaning and maintenance chores will let you enjoy the summer months with fewer hassles.
With the cold of winter, your home doesn’t get the same attention as it does during warmer months. Now is the time to tackle those neglected chores and get routine maintenance completed before you run into any bigger problems.
“In the majority of cases, regular maintenance takes minimal time and expense. But left unchecked, minor tasks quickly turn into major headaches that could be avoided with a little regular attention,” explains home improvement expert Danny Lipford.
With more pleasant weather in spring, you finally have a chance to inspect your home inside and out and make any needed repairs. Lipford says, “April is the perfect window during the year to tackle many home projects, because most areas of the country have moved past harsh winter conditions, but not yet welcomed the heat of summer, which can really make maintenance tasks feel like chores.”
Tackling spring home maintenance, both inside and out of your home, is best done with a systematic checklist so that you don’t miss anything crucial. Tackle these chores based on the weather.
If there are April showers, move your activities indoors and work on those tasks. Then take advantage of warm and dry spring days by working on the outside of your home. This spring home maintenance checklist will keep you on track as you work your way from outdoors to indoors and top to bottom.
Over the winter, your roof can become damaged by ice, wind, and hail. Warmer spring weather gives you the chance to get up on your roof to inspect it. Look for signs of a leak, inspect for missing shingles, and look over the flashing.
If you find areas that need repair, do this as one of your first chores. Leaks into your home can cause significant damage if not taken care of quickly. This is one home maintenance tip that shouldn't be glossed over.
Winter storms and ice can cause damage to your gutters over the winter. There could also be a build-up of twigs, leaves, and other debris.
While you are on your roof, clean gutters of any debris. This will prevent mold and mildew from growing in your gutter when the spring rains begin. Replace your gutters if they are too damaged to repair.
Grime and dust build up over the winter months. Before you inspect and make repairs on the exterior siding and surfaces of your home, give it a good power washing. Not only does this get rid of dirt, it also removes pollen and other allergens.
Power washing will make your home’s surfaces look new and clean. In fact, for homeowners looking to sell their home, power washing the outside can add $10,000 to the sales price, according to the National Association of Realtors.
There are several areas of your home with exposed woodwork, including the trim along your roof, your deck, a pergola, trellises, fences, and porch roof supports. Examine these areas closely for any sign of damage, decay, or loose boards and make any needed repairs. Reseal your woodwork with a good weather-proof finish to protect it from the strong sunshine of summer.
As you check your home’s exterior woodwork, look closely for any signs of termites, especially mud tubes along the foundation of your home. Termites love damp areas, so carefully examine those areas.
If the wood is damaged or crumbling, this could be a sign that termites are entering your home. Interior evidence of termites includes mounds of very small pellets, discarded wings, blistering wood, or other signs of wood damage. If you find any sign of termites, call in a professional right away.
Winter can be hard on your home’s exterior paint. Examine your home’s siding and trim, looking for any signs of chipping, cracking, or missing paint. Touch up all the problem areas. If there is extensive weathering or peeling, consider having your whole home painted.
Let the sunshine in with clean windows. Wash your windows both inside and out. If you enjoy leaving your windows open, you should have screens installed. Your window and door screens are your first defense against flying insects during the summer months.
Before these pests start showing up, do an inspection of your screens. A hole in the screen mesh can be repaired using glue and pre-manufactured screen patches. If the screen has several holes or the holes are large, it is better to replace the whole screen.
When power washing the exterior of your home, include your wood deck and other hard surfaces. Of course, move any outdoor furniture on your deck before cleaning. After these surfaces are clean, check for any deterioration or damaged areas. If you need to refinish your deck, spring is the best time to tackle this job. It will be more difficult to do this job under a hot summer sun.
Check your stone paths or patio surface for uneven surfaces. In many cases, you can just level a section of your stone walkway. But if there is extensive buckling, remove and reset all the stones.
Even if you raked up all the leaves in your yard in the fall, winter can still blow in more. Rake your lawn and garden beds to remove any leaves, twigs, and blown-in trash. If you have any large overgrown shrubs, trim them back after spring blooming has finished.
Spring is also a great time to aerate and fertilize your lawn. Add mulch to your flower beds to keep them neat-looking and conserve moisture in the soil. Remove any pots or containers that have standing water in them. As the weather warms up, these puddles become perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
On a warm day, turn on your sprinkler system to test it. It should be in good working order with no leaks. To flush your irrigation systems, remove the nozzles from the last sprinkler heads in each line. Run the sprinklers to flush out any debris and then replace the heads.
Watch for any broken nozzles, cracked pipes, or leaks. If you find any problems, you can repair them yourself or call in a professional for more help.
Take a walk around the foundation of your home. Cracks in your foundation can let in water and termites. This can also pose risks to plumbing systems. Small cracks can be fixed with an epoxy sealer. If there is extensive cracking or if any of your foundation is sinking, you should call in a pro to inspect the area and suggest the best way to repair the problem.
You’ll be mowing your lawn in no time. Spring is the best time to do a tune-up on your lawn mower and weed eater. Wash your mower well, including the underside to remove any caked-on grass clippings or dirt.
Change the spark plug in your mower, inspect the belts for cracks or tears, change the oil, and get the blades sharpened. If you have a riding lawn mower, inspect the tire pressure.
The hot summer months are just around the corner. Get your air conditioning system inspected by a qualified HVAC technician before the summer rush begins. If you are doing maintenance yourself, change out the air filter and check the air flow.
Be sure to get the right type and size of filter and choose one with a high Filter Performance Rating (FPR). Doing this inspection and maintenance will keep your cooling system running smoothly in the months to come.
Experts recommend that the batteries in your smoke detector be changed twice a year. A good way to remember to do this is to coordinate this task with the annual time change in spring.
After working hard all winter, your furnace is ready for a break. Clean out your furnace and change the filter. You may be wondering if you can turn your furnace off. In some cases, this is fine.
However, if your furnace or boiler assists your hot water heater or works to power your outdoor central air compressor or the evaporator coil, you’ll need to leave it running during the summer months.
Freezing pipes in the winter can cause leaks inside your home. As part of your spring-cleaning chores, inspect under each sink and in your basement or crawl space for any signs of leaks. If there is a problem, you should make these repairs as soon as possible.
Your water heater should be drained and flushed twice a year. This will remove the minerals and sediment that accumulate. These materials make the water heater less efficient and cause corrosion that can weaken the structural integrity of the unit.
Your ceiling fans can be set to rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. In winter, your fan should run clockwise. In the spring, change the rotation to a counterclockwise direction. This allows the fan to create a cooling breeze downward.
If you’ve used your wood-burning fireplace during the winter, it should be cleaned when you are finished with it for the season. Without a good cleaning, it can cause unpleasant odors in the hot summer months when your air conditioner pulls air through the chimney. A chimney sweep will clean out your fireplace and sweep the creosote build-up from the inside of your chimney.
While inspection of home fire extinguishers isn’t required by law as in commercial operations, it is a good habit to have. Check that the top gauge is in the green zone and that there is no damage to the unit. If the expiration date has passed, consider replacing it.
Spring home maintenance chores and repairs can generate a lot of trash. From roofing repairs to window screen replacements to tidying up your landscaping, you’ll have lots of waste. A small dumpster gives you a quick and convenient place to dump all your trash without having it pile up waiting on a pickup.
Spring home maintenance not only makes your home look better. It can also prevent costly repairs down the road. While most homeowners are able to complete these chores and repairs on their own, some home maintenance chores are better left to a professionals.
If you need professional repairs done, remember that spring is a busy home repair season. Schedule in advance as much as possible so that you don’t have to wait too long for service.
Table of Contents Complications of Medical Waste Disposal How to Dispose of Medical Waste 1. Segregation 2. Storage 3. Transportation 4. Treatment 5. Disposal 6. Documentation Recycling Efforts for Medical Waste From blood draws to throat swabs to surgeries, many medical procedures result in medical waste. Healthcare providers know the risks involved with improper handling […]
Table of Contents Why You Need Storage for the Big Move? Security Organization Convenience Flexibility Cost-effectiveness The Best Storage Containers for Moving 1. 1-800-PACK-RAT 2. PODS (Portable On-Demand Storage) 3. U-Haul U-Box 4. SMARTBOX 5. Zippy Shell Storage Containers are Useful for Big Moves Moving can be a daunting task, especially when dealing with the […]