It’s that time of year again when most of us want to spend time enjoying outdoor spaces like patios, decks and yards. There may be some home and yard maintenance needed before you can really relax and enjoy the outdoor spaces around your home though, so use these spring home maintenance tips to get your home ready for the upcoming season.
Spring home maintenance tips can be grouped into three main areas: home exterior, home interior and outdoors. If you find problems in any of these areas, you may want to call a professional to take care of any maintenance issues.
Home Exterior
Do a general walk around your home and carefully inspect the foundation, walls and siding, windows and doors, roofing and chimney, and exterior HVAC unit.
- Foundation: Check for cracks and loose mortar and concrete. Clean leaves and debris away from foundation.
- Exterior Walls: Check for loose or damaged siding as well as water damage.
- Windows & Doors: Check caulking and weather stripping; look for condensation inside double- or triple-glazed windows representing a bad seal.
- Roofing & Chimney: Visually inspect roofing from ground or ladder. Check for loose and missing shingles as well as bumps in the roof representing loose nails. Check seal at chimney and roof as well as any walls that extend up above lower roof lines. Don’t forget to clean gutters and downspouts.
- Exterior HVAC: Clear any leaves, pine needles or branches from the exterior HVAC unit and look for oily deposits around the condenser coils which could indicate a coolant leak. Have your HVAC unit professionally serviced to keep it running efficiently through the summer months.
Home Interior
Spring is a great time to do a thorough deep cleaning of your home. Rent a carpet cleaner and thoroughly clean all the carpets in your home to remove settled dust, mites and allergens to make your home cleaner and healthier.
- General Cleaning: Clean areas such as blinds, cabinets (especially the tops), ceiling fans, window casings, baseboard, draperies, tile grout, furniture, and mattresses which normally don’t get cleaned very often.
- HVAC: Replace the HVAC filter and inspect your air handler and drain pan. This is one of the most expensive systems in your home to replace so don’t skip this important maintenance step.
- Plumbing: Check for leaky faucets, clogged drains. Check under cabinets for any leaking pipes or water stains. Check washing machine hoses for cracks, bulges or dampness. Check hot water heater for signs of leaks or corrosion.
- Attic:Inspect attic for water stains which could indicate a leaky roof. Check for insect infestation as well as mold.
Outdoors
Clean and maintain your outdoor areas such as lawn, decks and patios, outdoor furniture, grill, walkways and driveway so they are ready for use and entertaining.
- Lawn:Clean up any fallen branches and rake leaves and pine needles off of the grass to keep it healthy. You may want to use an organic herbicide to kill weeds before they start popping up in your lawn in the warmer weather. Make sure to check all faucets and sprinkler systems and take stock of your garden tools and lawn maintenance equipment. This is also a good time to prep garden beds for summer plants.
- Decks & Patios:Sweep and hose off decks and patios and look for damage. Concrete patios and composite decks can be pressure washed but wood decks should be cleaned with a hose and brush and resealed for the upcoming season.
- Outdoor Furniture:Uncover or bring out your outdoor furniture and rinse it off with a mild detergent. Check for peeling paint or rust and maintain as required.
- Grill:Uncover and clean gas and charcoal grills. Check gas hoses and connections and make sure you have propane in the tank. Also check burner jets for clogs and obstructions.
- Walkways and Driveways:Pressure wash driveways and walkways and check for cracks, especially against foundations. Seal any cracks or hire a foundation specialist who can employ a two-part epoxy injection system that will bond cracks chemically.
Once you’ve worked your way through these spring home maintenance tips it’s time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Your clean, healthy, beautiful home is now ready for entertaining and relaxing through the spring and summer months. If you need to spruce up your home’s interior for spring, read our article on 2017 Top Home Trends.
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