The fun and most enjoyable part of owning a home for most is adding home decor and working on curb appeal. But all of that will be like putting lipstick on a pig if you neglect regular home maintenance. Cleaning out gutters is not glamourous. Spraying for insects isn’t something anyone will see to appreciate. But if you don’t take care of the dirty parts of of your home, your home will lose value and become unsafe.

Let’s talk about a few home maintenance tasks you should not neglect.

Make sure your home is water tight

Water is about the biggest enemy of a home. A leaky faucet is the likely the smallest water issue you’ll encounter. Even that can cost hundreds of dollars in wasted water dripping down the drain. Windows with broken seals or old and cracked caulk can allow water to seep into the sills. Once that happens, mold and mildew start to grow; not to mention swelling, damaged wood on the interior of your home. If you notice your curtains blowing when the windows are closed is a good indication of broken seals.

If you have a basement then you will want to check for any leaks; especially during heavy rain. Your foundation can cause ground leaks. Over time general wear and tear, soil conditions, or tree roots could cause damage to the foundation of your home. This is when you will need to get in contact with a foundation repair contractor if a problem emerges. Finding problems as soon as they occur is the key. 

Keep gutters clear

Having gutters in good working condition is so important. Gutters around your house ensure water will be carried away from your foundation. This is help keep erosion around your foundation to a minimum. Gutters that are clogged with debris do not allow water to flow to the downspout. This in turn causes water to back up and can work it’s way under shingles causing leaks inside the home.

Keep your gutters clean to keep a flood of water from damaging the area around your home.

Maintain your appliances

Keeping your appliances in top running condition extends their lives and helps keep expenses down. Be sure you keep your dryer filters clear of lint to keep it drying efficiently. High efficiency washers also need to have a clean cycle run every so often to keep your clothes smelling fresh when they come out.

Changing the water filters in your refrigerator gives you the freshest tasting water and ice cubes. Those filters are another layer of protection from any impurities that may be in your city water system. If you own older freezers, you may need periodically to defrost it to be sure it’s cooling efficiently. A large build up of ice in your freezer will guarantee that it will not be cooling to the temperature you want.

Keep fresh batteries in your smoke detectors

The easiest but one of the most important things you can do around your home is to be sure your smoke detectors have fresh batteries. Test your smoke detectors once a month to be sure the batteries are working. Almost all fatalities in home fires are because there were no working detectors in the home to warn the homeowner of a fire. Don’t take that chance.

Oil door locks

Over time the friction of using your door locks can wear down and damage the tumbler inside your lock. To prevent this from happening, once a year you may want to oil the lock and hinges. This will also help keep the lock parts from rusting over time.

Regular home maintenance is made up of several small tasks. Even though they are small in scope; if neglected you can encounter long term and expensive damage in the future.

 

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