Spring has sprung, and the evidence is blooming all around us. After you take it all in, it’s time to get busy. Now is the perfect time to take care of some routine home maintenance to get your household organized for spring and keep it running smoothly and efficiently right through summer.
Winter weather can wreck your home’s exterior, potentially causing an assortment of damage. Now that it’s getting warmer, get outside and take a look around:
1. Clean all gutters.Poor or improper drainage can cause water damage to your home. Check for loose and leaky gutters and ensure downspouts are positioned to drain away from your home’s foundation. Clear debris from all gutters and downspouts.
2. Inspect the roof. Your roof is your home’s primary defense against the elements. Visually inspect the roof, looking for signs of warping, cracking and loose shingle or tiles. Examine flashing around chimneys, skylights and vents. Damaged covering and flashing should be replaced. For roof areas too high to inspect from the ground, hire a licensed roofer to perform the inspection and make necessary repairs.
3. Check seals around windows and doors. Cold weather can cause seals around windows and doors to loosen, harden and crack. Inspect these areas for damage and make repairs as needed. This will help reduce summer cooling costs and keep water out of your home.
While you’re at it, don’t forget to take a look around inside. Just because you have been indoors most of the winter doesn’t mean your home’s interior isn’t in need of a seasonal once-over. Here are a few areas that merit your attention:
4. Service your home’s cooling system. No one wants to be caught in the dog days of summer without air conditioning. It’s a good idea to have your home’s cooling system checked yearly, about one month prior to regular summer usage.
5. Check smoke detector batteries. This is an easy and potentially lifesaving task. Take time now to change the batteries in all your home’s smoke detectors. Better safe than sorry.
6. Spring cleaning for the disposal. When you think about everything that goes down the kitchen sink, a good yearly cleaning for the disposal is definitely in order. Simply feed a tray of ice cubes through it while running cold water.
