Learn the best home maintenance tips to keep your property safe, efficient, and beautiful. From seasonal tasks to DIY repairs, we’ve got you covered!

Ultimate Home Maintenance Guide: Tips for Every Season

Basic home maintenance checklist

Prevent problems from arising with a complete checklist of home maintenance. Following is the bare minimum to keep everything in working order:

• Hammer: A general tool for most jobs
• Screwdriver Set: A flathead and Philips head for various screw styles
• Ladder: To get on top or over gutters.
• Utility Knife: Rip through drywall or insulation
• Duct Tape: to make a quick, temporary repair on almost anything
• Wrench Set: handy for tightening bolts and plumbing fixtures
• Pliers: suitable for gripping, twisting, or cutting wires and pipes.

A maintenance budget is essential for planning unexpected repairs. Allocate a percentage of your home’s value for repairs and improvements so you’re prepared when an issue arises. A good rule of thumb is to have an emergency fund of around 1-3% of your home’s value.

Seasonal Maintenance Tips

Winter house maintenance tips

Winter can get quite harsh for your house, especially with cold weather coming in. There’s what you need to consider in such seasons:

• Check your heating system: Hire a technician to check your furnace or heating system to see if they are operating efficiently
• Check insulation: Make sure your attic and walls are well-insulated so that energy will not be wasted
• Clean and inspect gutters: Clean up the gutters of leaves and debris and see if there are ice dams.
• Draft check: Check for drafts in windows and doors and weatherstrip them to keep warmth inside.
• Prep pipes for freezing: Insulate pipes in unheated areas so they do not freeze and burst.

Summer House maintenance tips

Summer means warm weather and potential moisture-related issues. The following need to be addressed:

• Maintenance of your air conditioner: Have your A/C checked and cleaned, and replace filters when necessary.
• Home: Check the roof: Check the shingles for missing or torn so that water could leak, starting as early as the fall season.
• Clean your outdoors: Clean your deck patio. Or yard. Also, the irrigation system was evaluated to see if it was functioning well.
• Paint touch-ups and sealant: Areas exposed to sunlight and rain will have to be repainted or resealed so that degradation does not happen.

Spring Home Maintainance Tips

Spring is a great time of year to get back out in the house and catch up on anything that was not dealt with during the winter months.

• Window cleaning and screens: Clean the window from both sides and replace or mend the screens.
• Clean the chimney: If you have a fireplace, consider hiring a chimney sweep or doing it yourself for safe usage.
• Get your lawnmower serviced: Lawnmowers and other equipment need to be prepared before you can enjoy your garden in the fall.
• Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors: make sure that all your devices in your home are proper.

Fall home maintenance tips.

Fall is the kind of season between summer and winter. It’s that time one should prepare their home for the upcoming winter. You have to do this thing:

• Clean gutters. Make sure that the gutter and the downspouts are free from the fall leaves so they do not clog.
• Check the roof: Check if some issues might leak before the cold weather comes.
• Furnace check-up: Check your furnace to make sure everything is in good working condition and that the heating system is ready for the frigid months.
• Seal all cracks and gaps surrounding windows and doors before temperatures begin to drop to save your home from being unreasonably energy-consuming.
• Prepare your lawn: Pick fallen leaves and fertilize the lawn to protect it throughout the winter.

Monthly Home Maintenance Checklist

Regular home maintenance prevents minor issues from turning into major, expensive repairs. Here’s a checklist of checks to make every month:

1. Check HVAC Filters: Check your air filters and replace them if they look dirty. This helps improve the quality of air and keeps your system running smoothly.

2. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector Test: Each test button will prove the workability of each alarm. Smoked and carbon monoxide detector batteries will need replacement at the most once a year.

3. Clean out all the coils on your refrigerator. Also, clean the oven, stove, and microwave appliances in the kitchen. Look inside the dishwasher to identify blockages.

4. Leaks Check: Check plumbing under sinks and around toilets for leaks or drips. This may catch minor leaks before they turn into big ones.

5. Exterior Lighting Check: All exterior lights must be operational. Replace any burnt bulbs, clean the fixtures, etc.

6. Roof Inspection: Check all the roofs to see if any shingles are worn out or debris is piling up. Areas around those places are identified and checked after each storm.

Annual Home Maintenance Checklist

Some things are best to check annually for maximum optimal, long-term health in your home. Here is the checklist of annual checks for you:

1. Roof Inspection: Get your roof inspected by a professional roofer for damaged shingles, leaks, and others. Have the problem fixed before it leads to damaging water.

2. Service the Furnace or Air Conditioning Unit: Hire a professional to inspect your HVAC system to ensure it is operating at its best.

3. Clean gutters: Clear all leaves, twigs, and other debris from your gutters and downspouts to prevent clogging and water damage to your foundation.

4. Check chimneys: Hire a professional chimney sweep when you use a fireplace as frequently as possible, as regular cleaning and inspections are useful. 

5. Test and Check Plumbing:. Test the pressure of your water and clean faucet aerators.

6. Seal Windows and Doors: Apply fresh weather strips and sealant around the doors and windows to make your house energy-efficient and draft-proof.

DIY Home Maintenance Tips

DIY home maintenance is a great way to ensure that your home stays in its best condition without having to seek professional help. Here are a few easy-to-follow tips:

1. Leaky Faucets: Replace the worn-out washers or cartridges inside a faucet to get it working again.

2. Unclog Drains: Unclog sink and tub drains with a plunger or snake drain.

3. Re-grout Bathroom Tiles: If the grout between your bathroom tiles is cracked or stained, remove the old grout and replace it with fresh grout to prevent water damage and mould growth.

4. Patch Small Holes in Walls: Apply spackle to holes or cracks in drywall, let it dry, then sand it down and paint over it for a clean finish.

5. Caulk windows and doors: The caulking around windows and doors does erode with time. 

Outdoor Maintenance List

Outdoor care is just as important as indoor care, as the exterior of your property will be exposed to the elements. Here are a few tips to keep your outdoor areas in top shape:

1. Keep Your Lawn: Mow your lawn and cut overgrown bushes or hedges. 
2. Power Wash Decks and Patios: Clean up your deck, patio, or driveway using a power washer and prevent them from decaying.
3. Trimming Trees and Shrubs: Remove dead and broken limbs from trees and shrubs for them to look and be healthy. 
4. Inspect Outdoor Faucets: Check the outdoor faucets for dripping or leakage. 
5. Inspect Fencing and Gates: Check your fencing for good condition without much rust or rot. 

When to Call a Professional

Most home maintenance can be done by DIY, but situations sometimes need experts. For example, if there is an electrical problem that has to be fixed, if major plumbing is involved, or if the HVAC system has gone bad, then experts would be much better at handling the situation. These are the critical systems well set and maintained by Propchk’s services, which include plumbing, HVAC maintenance, electrical inspections, and roofing services. Any complicated requirement for home repair has to be reported to experts to avoid further damage and ensure security.

FAQ:

How can I prevent plumbing pipes from freezing in winter?

Insulate all exposed pipes and leave cabinet doors open to allow warm air to circulate. Let the faucets drip slowly to keep water moving at extreme temperatures.

How do I know if my HVAC system needs servicing?

In many cases, you can notice changes or oddities by some noisiness in performance, uneven heating issues, or increased energy consumption.

What are common DIY tools needed for home maintenance?

Some of the common ones include a hammer, screwdriver set, utility knife, wrench set, pliers, and tape measure. Those would usually cover most basic repairs.

How can I improve my home’s energy efficiency?

Seal leaks, add insulation, use energy-efficient appliances, service your HVAC, use LED lights, and install a programmable thermostat.