A Handy Seasonal Home Maintenance Checklist
Spring cleaning may only come once a year, but home maintenance is a continual, year-long process. When it comes to effectively maintaining your home, it’s crucial to have a plan and stick to it. However, there’s no point in executing a home maintenance plan if it’s not the right plan! While some tasks can be completed any time of the year, there are also home maintenance tasks that are season-specific (or at least optimally performed during certain seasons). To break these tasks down, I’ve outlined some handy house maintenance checklists for every season of the year. Use these checklists to guide you through maintaining your home all year long!
spring home maintenance
After the harsh weather that winter brings, you may be in store for some extra cleanup, but with proper preparation early on, spring home maintenance is a breeze! Use the spring season to start fresh and clean up or repair some messes that winter left behind.
Indoor maintenance
Spring cleaning. Now’s your chance to do a deep cleaning of your entire home! Also, use this time to declutter and reorganize any messy rooms. To avoid being overwhelmed, take it room-by-room, cleaning one room at a time. You’ll thank yourself later!
Chimney cleaning. After months of use during the winter, it’s time to clean out that chimney. Chimney cleaning can get messy, so be sure to lay a canvas tarp over the hearth and surrounding areas before beginning your cleaning.
Dryer vents. Check your clothes dryer vent for lint and dirt obstruction. If not cleaned out properly, these obstructions could cause a fire. Be sure to clean thoroughly with a vacuum and a long brush to reach deep inside.
Outdoor maintenance
Gutters and downspouts. Gutter inefficiency can be one of the most major causes of water damage to the exterior of your home. Be sure to clean them out in order to ensure a free-flow of water to avoid clogging that causes overflowing, staining, rot and decay.
Hoses and water pipes. Turn your faucets back on and check your hoses and water pipes for freezing from the winter months. If you find frozen pipes, you can try using a hairdryer, heat lamp or hot towels to thaw them out.
Weeding and mulching. Remove weeds from your front lawn and backyard. Now is also a great time to mulch as this prevents weeds from growing back.
Lawn and hedges. Mow the lawn and trim your hedges. Also, inspect your property for dead/loose tree limbs close to your house and remove them before they become more of an issue.
summer home maintenance
With the summer heat, comes troubles like bugs, mold and mildew. These will be a big focus on your summer home maintenance checklist so that you can enjoy the summer months both indoors and out!
Indoor maintenance
Termites and other pests. Check for signs of termites or other pests in your home. Start at your front door and work your way around the house. Shine a flashlight on the base of your floors all around the house, checking for pellets which may be signs of termites. Look up and down your walls checking for holes.
Sump pump. Sump pumps can go for months without use, so it’s crucial to inspect it annually to ensure it functions properly when needed. Inspect your sump pump by removing the pump and cleaning debris from the exterior. Oil the pump bearings if necessary, then replace the pump making sure it’s plugged in properly and standing upright.
Mold. Inspect your home for mold or signs of mold including visible growth in the form of gray or black markings, water leaks and water intrusion. Dry any wet or damp surfaces and repair the source of the leaks. Pay particular attention to walls and crevasses in your attic and basement.
Outdoor maintenance
Sprinkler system. Inspect your sprinkler system for leaks, broken lines or misdirected sprinkler heads. Repair or replace any damaged or clogged sprinkler heads and clear any sprinkler heads that are obstructed or overgrown.
Plants. Spring showers are over, so now it’s time to tend to your plants on your own. Be sure to water them regularly if your sprinklers cannot reach them.
Doors and windows. Check your weather stripping for any loose ends to ensure that AC is not escaping and warm air is not being let in.
Screen doors and windows. Check your screens for tears, holes or other damage to ensure that bugs are kept out. Repair or replace screens as necessary.
fall home maintenance
Fall is all about prepping for the incoming frigid weather that winter brings. Now’s the time to store things away safely and get your home ready for a cozy, comfortable, trouble-free winter.
Indoor maintenance
Hot water heater. Drain your hot water heater and remove sediment from the bottom of the tank. Test the pressure-relief valve by placing a bucket below the discharge pipe and lifting the lever. Replace the valve if it doesn’t release water when the lever is lifted.
HVAC. Service your heating system/gas furnace to prepare for the cooler weather. Remember to turn off the power and gas valve and ensure that there are no combustibles around it before inspecting it. Change the furnace filters, check for dust/dirt build-up in the gas burners, check for broken wires and check for rust on the vents.
Insulation. Check that your weatherstripping is intact. If it’s not, replace it ASAP. Not only does this keep out cold weather, but it also keeps out pests and rodents looking for a warm place to reside during the colder months!
Outdoor maintenance
Lawn. Rake the leaves and reseed your lawn. Also, consider reseeding your lawn since early fall is the best time to reseed. Along with this, divide and trim your perennials so that they’re beautiful in the spring.
Gutters and downspouts. Inspect and clean as you did in the spring! In the fall, there may be dead leaves that clog the gutters.
Sprinkler system, hoses and faucets. Shut down your sprinkler system, store away outdoor hoses and drain the lines of your pipes before the first freeze. This will prevent faucets from freezing in the winter (saving you a headache in the spring)!
Pressure washing. The hot, humid weather of the summer months may leave your home dirty with mold or mildew growth, so fall is the perfect time to pressure wash the outside of your home.
winter home maintenance
Because of the harsher weather, outdoor home maintenance won’t be as heavy in the winter, but it’s important to take preventative measures to reduce your workload in the spring. Follow this winter home maintenance checklist for an easier time with maintenance tasks in the spring.
Indoor maintenance
Fireplace/chimney. Inspect your fireplace for any bricks or stones that may have cracked, fallen out or become misaligned. Also, check for white staining due to efflorescence which can be removed through power washing or chemical cleaning.
Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors ensuring that they work properly. If needed, replace the batteries.
Electrical system. During a snowstorm, the last thing you want is a power outage. Inspect electrical wires and cords for wear and tear and replace them as necessary.
Outdoor maintenance
Ice dams. Use a roof rake after heavy snowfalls to prevent snow damage and ice dams from building up on your roof.
Snow removal. Clear your sidewalks and driveway of ice and snow. (Tip: Test your snowblower to ensure it’s working before the first snow-fall)!
Electrical system. Just like the indoors, you need to inspect your outdoor electrical system for wear and tear. Check to ensure that snow or ice has not damaged any wires. Repair any broken or frayed wires as soon as possible.
have home maintenance services help with your home maintenance plan
Now that you have a home maintenance checklist for every season of the year, it’s time to execute it! Your home is your biggest investment, so you need to invest time into caring for it. It will save you time, money and headaches in the long run.
With that said, there’s no denying that home maintenance can be incredibly overwhelming, time-consuming and potentially expensive if you’re not using the right equipment or hiring experienced professionals. If you need assistance in managing your new home maintenance schedule, it’s worth investing in hiring a company that offers concierge home maintenance services. Look for companies that take care of hiring the contractors and vendors for your specific home needs so that you don’t need to worry about sourcing and finding all the contractors yourself.
Happy home-maintaining!