No one likes doing home maintenance, but, in most cases, the benefits greatly outweigh the work involved. Doing proper home maintenance regularly not only helps maintain or increase your home’s property value, but also saves you time and money later by catching problems early. Let’s take a look at several effective tips and tricks that make house maintenance faster, easier, and more effective:
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1. Clean your gutters
Gutters are one of those things that are easy to forget until something goes wrong. Cleaning your gutters regularly can keep them working properly and help prevent an infestation of unwanted pests and other disease-causing organisms. While you can cut down on how often you need to clean your gutters using gutter guards, you should still check on them regularly and remove any debris that gets past the guards.
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2. Inspect your roof
Inspecting your roof regularly is also an essential task. This is because small problems with your roof can lead to other problems, such as leaks that cause structural damage or pests getting into your attic and walls. Fix any breaches or damage as soon as possible and remove the build-up of leaves, moss, and other materials every so often.
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3. Tune-up your furnace and change the furnace filter
Tuning up your furnace isn’t only about maintaining your home’s property value; it’s also about maintaining safety. A malfunctioning furnace can lead to deadly carbon monoxide leaks and fires. It can also lead to increased heating bills. Be sure to also change the furnace filter regularly, since a dirty filter can lead to overheating and health problems, such as respiratory illness, cancer, and heart disease.
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4. Fix leaky faucets
Leaky faucets may not seem like a big deal, but they can waste water and cause higher water bills. On top of this, the extra moisture from the leaky faucet can lead to mold and mildew forming within your home. Left unchecked, the mold and mildew can even get into your walls, making it that much harder to detect and get rid of. Considering these potential consequences, the inconvenience of fixing the faucet is well worth the time and effort.
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5. Caulk and seal leaky doors and windows
A huge part of making your home more energy-efficient and reducing your power bill is ensuring that all windows and doors are properly sealed. If you have windows and doors that are letting air in or out, you’re probably running up your power bill with excess heating and cooling. To counter this, you should check for leaky doors and windows and use caulk to seal them. Please note: if you are doing a binge-spring-clean, be sure to wait at least a day before washing newly sealed windows and doors—especially if you plan to use a power washer—to ensure that the caulk sets properly.
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6. Clean your dryer vents
Your dryer vents can become clogged even if you change your dryer filter regularly, so it is important to check and clean them regularly. Clogged dryer vents are a major safety hazard that can lead to fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. It can also waste energy by making your dryer less efficient. When cleaning your dryer vent, wear a mask to prevent inhalation of potentially harmful debris.
