Spring is here! Well, it says so anyways on the calendar.
Let’s be honest, being a homeowner can be tough at times! It seems like there is always a laundry list of things that need to get done. Before you know it, the weekend comes and goes, and it’s hard to find time to conquer the lengthy to-do list.
Spring Maintenance Tips for Your Home
Spring is here! Well, it says so anyways on the calendar.
Let’s be honest, being a homeowner can be tough at times! It seems like there is always a laundry list of things that need to get done. Before you know it, the weekend comes and goes, and it’s hard to find time to conquer the lengthy to-do list.
With the warm temperatures of spring around the corner and the days getting longer – now is a great time to finally get caught up with some of these common household chores.
To help get you started, we gathered a list of a few spring home maintenance tips you can tackle before the spring season hits.
Replacing Your HVAC Filter
Replacing your filter for your HVAC is one tip that should be done on a year-round regular basis. Experts recommend that this should be done every four to six weeks. Staying on top of this throughout the year can drastically help prolong the life of your unit and also help your HVAC run more efficiently. So, if you haven’t done it in a while – now is a good time to get it done.
Clean Gutters & Downspouts
April showers bring May flowers. This time of year, tends to have more rainfall than any other season. If you have a poor gutter system, it is important that you have this corrected to make sure the rain coming off the roof is being properly directed away from the house and your foundation. Cleaning out your gutters and downspouts is a super easy home maintenance tip for you to complete this spring.
Repair Chipping/Peeling Paint
Over time the paint around the exterior of your home tends to flake and peel away. When that happens, it leaves bare wood exposed. Typically, you see this around the exterior trim of windows and doors.
Prepping the surface correctly and repainting the areas can help protect the woods from being exposed to the outside elements and save it from being damaged or rotting.
Re-Caulk around Windows
Over time, old caulking can dry out and become hard. Causing drafty windows that make it difficult to cool your home over a hot summer. Also, poorly caulked windows can cause other issues such as water intrusion. If it has been ages since the last time you caulked your windows and doors, now is a good time to do so.
Replace Batteries Smoke Detector
Making sure all of the smoke detectors in your home are working is extremely important. Most recommend testing each smoke alarm at least once a month to make sure that they are working properly. It is also suggested that you replace the smoke alarms or replace the batteries every time change. Once in the spring and again in the fall.
Vacuum Behind Refrigerator
Replacing a refrigerator can be a large and unexpected expense. The good news is that usually, preventative maintenance can help prevent from a premature lifespan on appliances. Before getting started on any kind of routine maintenance on your appliances, you can usually check the owner’s manual to learn more about how to properly care for the unit.
One of the easiest ways to improve the efficiency of a refrigerator, besides simply cleaning out old leftovers on the inside, is by pulling the refrigerator away from the wall and gently vacuuming behind it so it is getting enough air circulation and the coils are not running too hot.
Prepare Your Lawn Equipment
Cutting the grass is right around the corner and will be here before you know it. Now is an ideal time to pull out all the lawn equipment out of the garage or shed and start getting them ready for the spring and summer months.
Simply unplugging the old spark plug, draining old gas and oil and removing the old air filter from the year before and then replacing it all with new – is an easy way to prep your lawn equipment. You may also consider taking the lawnmower blades to a local shop to have them sharpened or even replaced if needed.
Service Your Air Conditioning
Preventative maintenance is always a valuable approach to making sure that all of your units and appliances are running efficiently and correctly. Making sure you HVAC is properly serviced before the warm temperatures is a great way to prolong the lifespan of your unit.
Flush Out Your Water Heater
Depending on the water in your area may determine how often this may need to be done. Some recommend flushing out your water heater once a year – or even once every few years. Doing this is a great way to improve and extend the life of the tank and the water heater itself.
There are plenty tutorials available online to learn how to properly do it step-by-step. Or check your owner’s manual to learn how to service your hot water heater appropriately. If you do not feel comfortable doing so, you can always contact a local licensed plumber to come out to service the water heater if it is an older unit.
Stain Your Deck
Another great tip if you are thinking about selling your home this spring is to enhance the look of your deck. If the weather and the temperature is just right you can simply prepare your deck for all the different elements throughout the. Of course, this project can be time-consuming for a homeowner but it is a great home maintenance tip that produces great results.
Clean Siding
Improve the look of your home by giving your siding a good cleaning. Typically, we see that the north side of a home starts to form a green algae film where there is less sunlight hitting the home.
Depending on how much of an area that is affected, this can be easily cleaned off. A garden hose and a brush with a little bit of detergent can restore your siding so it looks like new again.
Replace or Clean Your Dryer Vent
Known as one of the leading causes of fires. Replacing or cleaning your dryer vent is a great spring maintenance tip that every homeowner should not neglect. You would be surprised the amount of lint build up that can gather inside a dryer vent. Don’t put off this home maintenance tip any longer.
Direction of Ceiling Fans
Now that the temperatures are starting to get warmer you will probably be turning on the ceiling fans around the house. A lot of homeowners change the direction of their ceiling fan in the winter to better circulate the warm air. Now is a good time to change the direction of the fan to help cool down your house this summer.
Plumbing Deferred Maintenance
Do you have a dripping faucet or caulking that needs to be replaced around the bathtub? Either reach out to your local plumber or tackle these on your own. Neglecting the caulking around a bathtub can cause issues that you may not notice until it becomes a larger concern down the road.
Chimney Maintenance
After a rough winter and the fluctuation of temperatures, your chimney may be in need of a little TLC. Sometimes, brick chimneys will need to have damaged mortar removed and have new mortar put in. This is called tuck pointing and can usually be accomplished by a local handyman or bricklayer if you do not have the proper tools to do so yourself.
Sometimes as a homeowner, it may seem like there is always something to do around the house. By making a checklist of things to do and break it up over a few weekends to more easily get them done.
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