Four Must-Know Home Maintenance Tips to Avoid Costly Repairs

Creating a dream home for your family comes with challenges. Pests, gas leaks, cracked walls, and clogged toilets are just some of the common problems most homeowners must face.

Ensuring that every house problem is addressed immediately would reduce exposure to risks and an unhealthy environment while minimizing the cost of repairs. To help you get started in doing these tasks with efficiency, here are some essential home maintenance tips.

Create a List of Regular and Seasonal Chores

Divide the tasks that need to be done monthly, quarterly, biannually, and seasonally. There isn’t a de jure standard in creating this kind of list as everything depends on how and when you want to accomplish these things. Here’s a sample schedule that might work for you:

Monthly

• Inspect fire extinguishers
• Clean or replace the HVAC system
• Clean and disinfect kitchen sink

Quarterly

• Test or replace smoke detectors
• Flush toilet of unused bathroom/s

• Check the salt level of a water softener (if you own a brine tank)

Biannually

• Inspect temperature-pressure valve and water heater
• Clean your entire house
• Vacuum refrigerator condenser coils

Spring

• Check and clean your gutters
• Inspect damaged windows, roofs, chipped paint, brick holes, and cracks in the foundation.
• Regular maintenance of air conditioning system
• Start gardening, lawn mowing, etc.

Summer

• Repair bathroom and kitchen tiles
• Check any leaks from the faucets
• Clean the garage

Fall

• Inspect heating system for winter
• Clean the chimney

Winter

• Deep clean the basement
• Check all your outlets. Be careful with electricity works.
• Fix broken or loose screws in doorknobs, racks, cabinets, etc.

Evaluate your Home Exterior

Part of your home maintenance checklist is to inspect the house exterior. You can hire a professional inspector for a thorough analysis of the house’s overall structure. This will also help you know if the property is worth the asking price.

If you don’t want to seek the help of a professional, the other option is to watch video tutorials and reviews related to real estate. Here are some house parts you should pay attention to:

• Roof – Ask what the roof material is and when it was installed
• Gutters – Know their maintenance practice/s and check missing portions if there’s any
• Foundation – Request a list of the construction materials used and research about it.

Observe Household Hazards

Learn the safety hazards in your home to prevent mundane accidents. Once you’ve figured out the potential problems around your residence, you can easily look for solutions before they cause injury to someone.

Here are some areas you need to check out for precautions:

• Adequate lighting
• Fire exit
• Fire alarms
• Safety gates
• Safe area for bikes or skateboards
• Slippery stairs
• Solid staircase and handrails
• Wet floors

If you notice some changes in the texture and colors of the floor or wall, it might indicate concrete issues in that area.

Practice Orderly Cleaning

No matter how many times you clean, dust is an inevitable part of our house. These tiny particles will always be out there on top of furniture, windows, and in corner of the room. That’s why it’s important to control dust as part of your home maintenance especially if you live with someone who suffers from allergies.

When cleaning, start from the top to bottom to control the dust and make its way down to the floor. Here are some of the basic cleaning practices for household dust:

• Organize and streamline the most cluttered areas in your home
• Use air filter products to achieve good air quality within your house
• Use microfiber cloths or microfiber cleaning tools to remove dirt, pollen, fibers, and even mites
• Vacuum your room two to three times per week
• Wash bed linens weekly