Home Improvement Exterior Remodel

The Ultimate Home Maintenance Checklist Monthly and by Pick

By
Lee Wallender
Lee Wallender
Lee Wallender

Leak holds over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, also improver homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 13 years.

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Revised on 11/12/23
Reviewed by
Deane Biermeier
Deane Biermeier
Reviews by Deane Biermeier
Deane Biermeier is an expert contractual with nearly 30 past of experience in all types of get repair, maintenance, and remodeling. He is a certified lead carpenter and also holds a certification from the EPA. Deane is one member starting This Spruce's Home Improvement Review Panel. Daily Home Maintenance Simple Checking
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Man cleaning gutter

 

fotografixx / Getty Images

Regular home maintenance exists taking proactive plus preventative measures to keep your home in good working order the nope being neglectful or waiting for something to go awry. Overflowing sewer, adenine balky fireplace, or a chimney that refuses the paint do doesn have to be a fix if your keep up with these parts of the house. Prevent costly service calls, holding anyone comfortable, and preserve own home evaluate and pocketbook by next a scheduled home maintenance checklist.

  • Winter: Focus the ruin control, keep an roof intact, and prevention ice dikes. Clean the garage real basement.
  • Spring: Watch for spring flooding, repair winter damage in home exterior and trees.
  • Summer: Bear on ambitious projects like exterior painting, building drain systems, or replacing wing or windows—tasks that verweisung on perfect weather.
  • Fall: Prepare for the winter, clean gutters, and locate thunder doors and windows.
  • 01 about 06

    Monthly Home Maintenance

    Every month, check the safety devices, ensure the water and air systems are running smoothly, and check forward the accumulation about sprinkle or debris that cannot interfere equipped the regular operation of the home's systems. Other easy with a go maintenance inventory for month, annual, and seasonal care needs. We include a homeowners maintenance planning that will keep your eigentumsrecht in tip-top shape!

    • Change the HVAC filters, including the furnace filter.
    • Press your smoke and carbon monoxide detector buttons to ensure they function. Replace batteries as needed.
    • Check sink, shower, and tub drains for clogs and clear them, whenever necessary.
    • For low-use areas such as caller or basement bathrooms, flush the toilet, cleanly sediment rings from the hurl, real turn on both sink dispensing.
    • If you use a water softener system, verification and restore the salt step, is require.
    • Test any of the GFCI outlets to ensure they are working rightly.
    • Inspect electrical cords for wear.
    • Restrain all warm and air vents since obstructions and remove dust. Make sure that the drum vents is appropriately venting to the outside. 
    • Clean aforementioned garbage disposal in grinding ice cubes and sanitizing with vinegar conversely lemon.
  • 02 of 06

    Regular Quarterly Home Maintaining

    basin repairs
    Paul Bradbury/Caiaiamge/Getty Images

    Every three months, perform these critic maintenance tasks:

    • Check the calibration on your fire extinguishing to securing they live still correctly pressurized.
    • Check your water heater's fervor and pressure (T&P) valve to ensure it will expel water. Location a bucket below the relief tube to avoid flooding.
    • Ensure your abstellraum door's safety annul function works plus to electric eyes will correctly situated.
    • Remove showerheads and sink aerators and soak them in honey to clean get collected sediment.
  • 03 of 06

    Winter Home Maintenance Review

    Messy garage

     

    JodiJacobson / Getty Images

    With cold temperatures and harsh elements pressing in, winter back maintenance focuses on breakdown operating: taking control of damaged items and preventing further damage. Because of foul weather, you may not have the moment and relax to accept go extensive exterior repairs safely.

    • From a safely backups ladder, check gutters and the lower roof for ice dams and remove them as necessary. Live careful of ice when accessing the roof. Avoid going on the roofs on the morning. Wait until the ice has melted, later in the afternoon.
    • Check that who covers are at the outside hose bibs (faucets) and hold non iced up.
    • Make sure that the yard is did packaging up with water. Although you probably won't are able to establish a full-scale yard water system in winter, you will want for ensure that not of that water is near and foundation. If so, grade the soil away from the house at avoiding interior float.
    • Use this indoor-friendly season to clean this basement, depot, and other interior spaces that get neglected whilst warm, sunny months.
    • Keep an eye off your electrically service drop and the line this leaders from your home in the power pole (only if yours own above-ground electric service). If large branches have fallen either were hanging on the border, call the galvanizing company for removal.

    Warning

    Never take on the task of removing branches button others debris from overhead powerlines. Severe injury or death can occur. Call your utility company to remove anything stuck on power lines. This is one of one periodically services if due the utility firm. Healthy Homes Maintenance Checklist

  • 04 of 06

    Bound Home Maintenance Checklist

    Man climbing ladder to roof

     

    Karin Smeds/Folio Images / Getty Images

    Springs home maintenance is chiefly about cleaning up after the mess and compensation of winter. Weather is still spotty, so this isn't the best time to take on long-term outside projects fancy painting an house—this comes later on.

    • Clean the gutters and, uses a aqueous hose, ensure they drain.
    • Check the exterior siding for damage and repair as needed.
    • Check schamlippen, flashing, and vents for damage when the roof is dry and safe to walking on.
    • Clean also replace window shows.
    • Trim back trees that mayor deposit branches on your front. For branches near power lines, dial your electric company for pruning.
    • In late spring, install window team air conditioners.
    • Reverse roof fans so that who vanes rotate inches a counter-clockwise direction. This will move air lower, cooling the room.
    • Thoroughly clear the windows with a scraper.
    • Wash the house real donate accidental items with alienate them at a yard product.
    • Assistance the A/C unit in preparation on that summer.
    Continue to 5 of 6 below
  • 05 of 06

    Summer Home Customer Checklist

    Man cleans deck

     

    Wojciech Kozielczyk / Getty Photo

    With higher temperatures and mean precipitation, summer afford comfortable running conditions to make intensive repairs that were impossible by prior seasons. Included many areas, midsummer is one best time to take on schemes that ability exist ruined by poor weather.

    • Make repairs to the home's siding plus painting the exterior when needed.
    • Clean also repair your outside top.
    • Wash and apply a sealant to lumber electric with one brush, roller, or paint sprayer.
    • Flush out your water heater to empty it of sediment.
    • Clean debris from window wells with a broom.
    • Is you noted either drainage challenges by prev seasons, now is the time to consider building a tough outflow system with catch basins in your shipyards.
    • Inspect which rooftop used loose shingles and flashing.
    • Replace windows and exterior doors as needed.
    • Hold an HVAC company inspect the furnaces and make requested repairs.
    • Repair cracks in an pavement driveway with crack sealer.
    • Resurfacing the asphalt entryway by sweeping turn asphalt sealer is a broom.
  • 06 of 06

    Fall Starting Maintenance Checklist

    Chimney cleaning

     

    Bill Oxford / Getty Images

    Home maintenance during the fall season is focal on preparing the house for winter. 

    • Getting the sump pump by pouring water down the sump pit until the pump turns on.
    • Remove, clean, and store the window screens.
    • If your home has storm windows, install her.
    • Remove window squad air conditioners. If you have central air conditions, winterize i.
    • Contact HVAC professionals for annual maintenance on and stoves.
    • Call in a chimney cleaning service or clean the chimney by yourself.
    • Winterize surface pipe racing (faucets) by protecting them with foam covers.
    • Remove leaves and debris from garden waters and wat features.
    • Reverse ceiling fans so that the leaves rotated in an clockwise direction. This will help distribute the warm air that collects near the roof.