Owning a home can be a lot of work.
Between having to repair or replace various parts, keeping up with general maintenance, and dealing with the little “surprises”, home-ownership can seem like a hassle. Fortunately, it doesn’t always take a lot of time to make a big impact on your home’s maintenance checklist. These tasks will take under two hours total or you can do one a day to get a week closer to finishing your home’s spring maintenance.
Monday: Test the Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Time Needed: 30 seconds to 5 minutes
Let’s start the week with something easy. These meters are typically battery powered or wired into the home’s electric circuit and have a simple button on the exterior to test for power. This quick test should be performed on all units twice a year to ensure they are working correctly.
Tuesday: Change the Furnace Filter
Time Needed: 30 seconds to 2 minutes
Filters should be changed quarterly or as recommended by the manufacturer. People who suffer from seasonal and indoor allergies may find relief by changing this filter more often, as these filters can improve indoor air quality. Replacing the filter on your furnace system is also an easy way to improve your system’s efficiency meaning savings for you!
Wednesday: Clean Refrigerator Coils
Time Needed: 1 minute to 5 minutes
Refrigerators need airflow to work at maximum efficiency, but the vents often get clogged with dust and dirt. Use a vacuum cleaner hose or brush to remove debris from the coils at the bottom front and on the back side of your refrigerator and you’ll improve efficiency.
Thursday: Tighten Knobs, Handles, and Pulls
Time Needed: 5 minutes to 15 minutes
Door knobs, drawer pulls, and other handles around the house are loosened by use. Take a screwdriver around the house and if something wiggles or wobbles, tighten it up! This will prevent damage and increase the life of these objects.
Friday: Repair the Windows
Time Needed: 10 minutes to 30 minutes
If you put plastic over your windows this winter, you already know which ones are drafty. These drafts don’t seal up in the warmer months and will allow your conditioned air to escape. Adding additional weatherstripping around the window sashes and adding additional insulation around the frame (under the trim pieces) will help stop most drafts and air leakage. If you didn’t put plastic the windows, you’ll still want to check the windows to make sure they are still weathertight.
Saturday: Check for Toilet Tank Leaks
Time Needed: 30 seconds of work, 1 hour to diagnose
A leaking toilet tank costs you more on water and can lead to bigger issues down the road. To find out if your tank is leaking, put a few drops of food coloring in the tank. Check your toilet bowl in an hour to see if the water is tinted. If it is, your toilet is leaking from the tank to the bowl and the flapper should be replaced.
Sunday: Clean the Dryer Vent
Time Needed: 1 minutes to 2 minutes
Cleaning the outside dryer vent is essential to a well-performing dryer. Lint and debris can build up limiting the air that can exit the dryer hose and impede function or create a fire risk. To clean this, find the vent exit location outside your home and clean all visible debris from the vent. If there is a filter or screen, remove and clean that as well.
