Welcoming the New Year has always been a fun and festive celebration. Fireworks, New Year’s Resolutions, and the Times Square Ball Drop signal that another year has come to an end. As 2022 begins, it brings with it a promise of something better in store for those thinking about making a change. Starting afresh can be as symbolic and practical as keeping a home maintenance checklist.
Decluttering and deep cleaning can be a lot of work, but it is definitely worth your while. Owning a house is different from renting an apartment. With apartments, you have the privilege of depending on the landlord for maintenance. Meanwhile, if you have your own house, you’re responsible for cleaning and checking for repairs.
It may sound overwhelming at first, but everything will be a breeze if you have a home maintenance checklist. Here’s a guide on maintaining a home to start the year on the right track and inspire you all year round.
The Perks of Regular Home Maintenance
Home maintenance is a huge task that requires regularity. Many homeowners hire a cleaning crew or a home maintenance service to help with the repairs or cleaning the house in general. However, homeowners should do the cleaning because it can be highly therapeutic. Here are the other benefits of maintaining your home:
Increase In Property Value
A house is a significant investment. House hunters are very picky when buying a house, and it is understandable! You can pass it down to your children and grandchildren, or you can sell it for a reasonable price. Doing regular home maintenance can attract potential buyers and increase the property value.
Recent studies showed that a house complete with upgrades and maintained regularly is auctioned at higher prices.
Reduce Energy Consumption
A perfectly insulated and air-conditioned house uses energy throughout the year. However, sometimes we fail to realize that heat and cool air escape because of tiny cracks in windows and walls. Thorough home maintenance can be the best preventive measure in avoiding these instances and saving energy.
Improve Home Safety
Maintaining your home can save lives. It may not seem like it, but it can prevent fire breakouts and flooding. A recent study between 2014-2016 reported that fire caused by electrical failure killed 420 people, injured 1,320 people more, and resulted in property damage worth $1.4 billion.
A poorly-maintained house is also susceptible to molds and water leakage, leading to respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases.
Less Stress
If you do your home maintenance checklist now and start with spring cleaning as soon as the climate permits, it will take less time to organize and fix everything else. Starting a maintenance routine at the start of spring will ensure that everything is ready when winter arrives again.
Save Money
Regular maintenance minimizes repairs costs. You’ll only check for damages at least once a year and add the necessary upgrades to your house. It also extends the life of your furniture and appliances. Creating a home maintenance checklist is a preventive measure against massive damages and repairs costs.
Checklist for Home Maintenance 2022
Do you need ideas on starting your home maintenance checklist for the new year? Look no further. Here are the things you need to be mindful of when doing maintenance.
Spring Cleanup
Spring is when everything comes back to life, which usually means dealing with a lot of debris left by winter. You can start with the following tasks to maintain a home, prevent flooding, and ensure safety from fire and COVID-19 infections.
- Sweep the scattered leaves in the driveway. You can add them to the garden as mulch to enrich the soil and keep it moist. If you are not using them for your garden, dispose of the leaves properly to avoid fires. Cigarettes, for example, if not completely put out, can start a fire.
- Check if the grass is ready for mowing. Avoid letting the grass grow too high as it may damage the roots.
- Inspect trees for illnesses and rots. Call an arborist or your local gardener if you are unsure about your trees’ health. Be ready to do some pruning to prevent the branches from getting too high or wide.
- Prune the shrubs and hedges in your garden. By spring’s arrival, the hedges would have grown out and will be out of their orderly shape. A simple grass cutter can efficiently resolve this.
- Check your roof’s gutter. Even though most of the snow has melted by now, debris from late autumn can accumulate in the gutter. Clogged gutters can cause leakage and stagnant water where mosquitoes lay their eggs. Clean the debris before spring rains arrive.
- Clean the external parts of the house. During spring, the calm weather is the perfect opportunity to do some external cleaning and painting for the house. Scrub the outside walls with a brush and soap-based cleaner and rinse using a hose. Re-painting can come after.
Daily Cleaning
Since spring is around the corner, here are the maintenance activities you can do daily to ensure that your house remains squeaky clean throughout the season. These cleaning duties are pretty easy, and you don’t need to call a home maintenance company.
Before getting into the actual cleaning, some preparations are needed to minimize clutter and organize everything. The perfect way to do some organization is to prepare boxes and designate them according to stuff you plan on donating, the stuff that needs repairs, and stuff that must be put away. Designating boxes will help lessen distractions during the cleaning process. When it’s out of the way, you can start with the cleaning.
- Dusting – Take a broom or a feather duster and dust each corner of the house, including the corner walls where cobwebs are frequently found. Do not forget to dust under the items on a tabletop and even under the chairs and the cushions. Remember to wear protective gear or a mask when dusting to prevent allergens and dust mites from entering the body.
- Do some clothing inventory – Changing seasons means changing wardrobe. This is the best opportunity for you to wash your winter clothes and donate them if possible. It is best to organize the rest of your clothes according to season and place them in a storage box for a more organized closet. It is also important to look for clothes you haven’t used for years and either do some upcycling or donate them to thrift stores. If you have old clothes with holes, repurpose them as rags for your kitchen.
- Clean out the medicine cabinet – As a rule of thumb, you need to throw away any medicine stored for more than six months in the medicine cabinet. Carefully look at your medicine cabinet, check which medicine is still good, and dispose of empty bottles.
- Sort shoes – For sneakerheads and shoe collectors, it is advisable to create a mini inventory for shoes. Check each shoe for damage, look for old ones that can be donated to thrift stores, and throw away shoes already in dire condition.
- Clean kitchen appliances – For sure, there are appliances and kitchenware at home that are not frequently used. Clean these appliances and kitchenware to ensure the cleanliness of the kitchen. Because of lack of usage, it collects dust in the pantry.
- Clean the car – If you have enough resources, spring is the perfect time for car detailing. Detailing involves meticulous cleaning of both the car’s exterior and interior. Usually, car detailing takes a whole day, depending on how much the recent snowfall covered the vehicle.
- Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces – A household cleaner that contains soap or detergent can reduce germs and lower the chance of COVID-19 infection. Most viruses can be removed from surfaces by cleaning alone. If someone has become ill or if they have been exposed to COVID-19, disinfection reduces the spread of germs. If you or a member of your family gets sick, a COVID-19 decontamination procedure can help you feel like you’ve completed your recovery.
Monthly Cleaning
These are activities that you can do every month. It doesn’t need to be regularly checked but make sure that all the repairs are done correctly to avoid having to spend on a lot of repairs.
- HVAC filter inspection – Most HVAC systems nowadays contain filters to clear the air of animal dander, spores, and other minute particles that may cause allergic reactions to children and the elderly. Monthly cleaning of the filtration system can ensure that your air will remain clean and allergen-free. Filters that are dirty or wet trap mold spores and other contaminants. If you don’t change your filters regularly, typically once per month, these particles can contaminate your HVAC systems.
- Clean garbage disposal – Modern sinks include garbage disposal where food particles are ground into small, fine pieces to prevent clogging. Clean the garbage disposal to ensure that the blades are still in top condition and that huge chunks are not stuck.
- Check for broken pipes or pump leaks – Broken or damaged pipes can be difficult to spot. Many homeowners allow their pipes to deteriorate over time, which can lead to costly and lengthy repairs. Avoid water damage expenses by checking for signs of damage to your pipes before they get worse.
Annual Maintenance
You don’t have to stress yourself to maintain a home. There are maintenance checks done annually. For instance, changing the batteries to your smoke and carbon dioxide detectors or inspecting the water heater if the pressure valve is still intact.
If you are overwhelmed with everything in your home maintenance checklist, a home maintenance service can be a big help.
Deep Water Emergency Services and Restoration Can Aid You At Affordable Repairs Costs
If you’re looking for a home maintenance company with experience in water and fire damage restoration, Deep Water Emergency Services and Restoration is the right partner for you. Deep Water Emergency Services can help you with your annual maintenance at affordable repairs costs.
The professionals working in Deep Water Emergency Services can restore any water-logged area, repair the damages in your property, and sanitize the whole area to avoid COVID-19. Need a hand in Water Damage Restoration in Denver, CO? Call DWESR.
