A Seasonal Home Maintenance Guide to Keep Your House in Check

By
Karen Saunders
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2630

Have you noticed how your house maintenance needs change as the seasons rotate? That’s because the weather has a major influence on the way we are required to maintain our home, inside and outside. For anyone that chooses to stick to the same house maintenance routine for every season, the results are bound to be less than satisfactory. Moreover, they are likely to overlook some very crucial tasks which aid in maintaining a home during a particular season. While it may take a bit of time and effort, seasonal home maintenance is a must if you want to keep your house in tiptop condition.

The quality of one’s home should be a top priority because it ensures that you and your family are living in a safe and sanitary environment. For this reason, it is extremely important to have a handy, seasonal home maintenance guide that you can follow throughout the year! Luckily, we’ve got one right here to help you keep your home in check!

SUMMER

  1. Remove Mould and Mildew. It’s a known fact that mould thrives in humid conditions. During the summer, rooms like the basement, attic, garage and bathrooms become increasingly humid, leading to mould or mildew buildup. Inspect these rooms and other areas that are prone to mould growth; remove the fungus immediately.
  2. Clean and Service Air Conditioners. Your ACs will require regular cleaning and maintenance in the summer owing to excessive use of these units during the hot weather. Make sure that you have a professionally trained HVAC technician come in and do this to ensure that your cooling systems will run smoothly throughout the summer.
  3. Clean Air Vents. With more dust and dried up debris in the air, your vents are sure to get clogged quickly, if not cleaned regularly. Moreover, air vents are great hiding places for vermin and insects when it’s hot outside so be sure to clean them out when warmer days come around.
  4. Service Your Refrigerator. A thorough servicing of your refrigerator is necessary to maintain the appliance’s overall condition. Along with this, a regular deep clean is advised. If you find that your refrigerator is underperforming even after it is serviced, adjust the settings as needed.
  5. Inspect Your Smoke Detectors. Assuming that your smoke detectors haven’t been triggered recently (or at all), it’s wise to check that they are in working condition. The batteries may require replacing, especially if they have been in there over a long period of time.
  6. Deep Clean Your Washing Machine. Summer typically means twice the amount of dirty laundry! With your washing machine running several cycles every week, it is bound to collect more dirt and bacteria than usual.  Deep cleaning your washer is definitely advised, along with servicing of the unit.
  7. Clean Your Home Exteriors. Because there is more dust and debris in the air, your home exteriors will accumulate dirt rather quickly. A wash or wipe down, at the very least, is much needed to clean the outside of your home and reduce the amount of dust and debris coming in.

AUTUMN

  1. Yard Maintenance. From raking up leaves, to trimming the hedges; autumn yard maintenance is a must. One of the reasons why it’s important to keep your yard in check is because apart from the aesthetic appeal, an unkept garden/yard will attract insects, vermin and the likes. So, if you don’t want any creepy crawlies around your yard, carry out maintenance as and when needed.
  2. Clean out Rain Gutters. It’s common to find rain gutters clogged with leaves and other debris during autumn; again, this can attract unwanted little critters which is why you need to clean them out every now and then. More importantly, cleaning is a must as your rain gutters should always be unclogged and ready for a sudden downpour.
  3. Deep Clean Your Garbage Disposal. We often forget to clean anything that is used to dispose of garbage because, after all, it’s rubbish! However, it’s absolutely imperative to deep clean your garbage disposal as the buildup of bacteria makes for a very unsanitary environment. The use of baking soda and white vinegar is advised for a natural, deep clean of your garbage disposal.
  4. Service Your Gas Range/Stove. In order to avoid leaks and blockages in your gas pipes, regular servicing is a must. While carrying out the necessary servicing, the professional will inspect each component of your gas range/stove to ensure that everything is working in a safe and effective manner. Remember, it is critically important to take care of appliances that run on gas as it can be hazardous if unmaintained.
  5. Service Your Water Heater. There are many benefits of having a hot shower; therefore, it’s good to have your water heater in proper running order. Moreover, we often use hot water for other purposes such as cleaning, which is why a water heater tends to be used frequently. Owing to this, servicing of the unit must be carried out so that it doesn’t burn out or encounter any problems.
  6. Clean Your Fireplace. It’s wise to clean and cap your fireplace to avoid bird nests or little critters coming down your chimney. This also ensures that it is ready to be used when colder months come around. Cleaning your fireplace is relatively easy; however, you can enlist the help of a professional for this.

WINTER

  1. Look for Dampness in or Around Your Home. During the winter, your walls and ceiling may encounter dampness due to potential cracks in the foundation, broken pipes or clogged gutters. It’s important to do a thorough inspection of your home’s interiors and exteriors to ensure that there isn’t, in fact, any dampness weakening your home’s foundation. You can also call in a professional to do the inspection just to be on the safe side.
  2. Clean Your Rain Gutters. We’ve already mentioned some of the risks that come with clogged rain gutters; to add to this, during winter, snow or rain can lodge large debris into your downspout, making it harder to clean. Therefore, regular cleaning of your gutters, as well as the downspout, is necessary during the winter months.
  3. Keep a Check on Your Water Pipes. Harsh winters can damage your water pipes and lead to costly repairs. If there are any cracks or leaks in the pipes, immediate action is highly advised to avoid pipes bursting (due to the water pressure). If your home is going to be locked up for a couple of days while you vacation, it’s a good idea to have your neighbours (or someone trustworthy) come in and make sure that your water pipes are alright.
  4. Increase Your Home’s Ventilation. Owing to the damp, stale air trapped in your house, ventilation is very important. Not just to ensure that bad, moist air is removed, but also to keep your home fresh and smelling better. Be sure to do this for your bathrooms, attic, basement, and garage.
  5. Maintain Your Property. When it’s cold outside, most of us prefer to stay indoors, leaving our yards and surrounding property rather messy. Remember, it’s always better to tackle small, outdoor maintenance tasks as opposed to allowing them to accumulate to the extent where you need to call in a professional!

SPRING

  1. Deep Clean Your Dishwasher. Many homeowners believe that a dishwasher cleans itself; however, some food bits and bacteria will not magically disappear unless manually removed. Considering the fact that we place our food in dishes and plates, it’s important that they be washed thoroughly, in a sanitary environment.
  2. Clean and Service Air Conditioners. It’s time to get your cooling systems cleaned and serviced again. Spring time can get a bit warm (depending on where you live); hence, you’re likely to be using your air conditioners more often.
  3. Maintain Your Yard. Spring brings about a new set of tasks to maintain your yard or garden; therefore, it’s best to get ahead of them. A gardener can help you with this; however, if you’re up for it, some of the tasks will include mowing your lawn, trimming hedges, and raking leaves.
  4. Deep Clean Your Garbage Disposal. As we mentioned earlier, regular cleaning of your garbage disposal is important for sanitary reasons. Use this season (when spring cleaning is in full motion) to give the appliance another deep clean.
  5. Check for Mould/Mildew. Do a thorough house inspection to ensure that your home is mould-free from the last time you checked. Be sure to move furniture around to make sure that the fungus isn’t growing in any hidden areas in or around your house.
  6. Service Your Dehumidifiers. When these units are used for long periods of time, the filters require cleaning or replacing regularly. Moreover, dust and debris accumulates inside the unit which can be cleaned when serviced.

Remember, keeping your house in check throughout the year means having to maintain it as per the season’s requirements. So, use this seasonal home maintenance guide from here on out to keep your house in the best possible condition!

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