Owning a home is a significant investment; regular maintenance is essential to keeping your property in excellent condition. Proper upkeep ensures the longevity of your appliances and systems and enhances your home’s safety and value.
Below are some best practices for maintaining your home, covering everything from HVAC systems to the roof.
Let’s get straight to the point.
Regular home maintenance ensures your property’s longevity, safety, and value. Key tasks include:
- HVAC Maintenance: Replace air filters regularly to improve energy efficiency.
- Smoke/CO Detector Checks: Test detectors monthly and replace batteries annually.
- Furnace/Boiler Care: Get annual professional inspections to keep systems running efficiently.
- Water Heater Check: Inspect for leaks and corrosion annually to avoid sudden breakdowns.
- Fix Leaks: Check toilets and faucets for leaks every six months.
- Roof Maintenance: Inspect annually, clear gutters, and look for leaks.
- Front Door Care: Keep doors polished or painted for curb appeal.
- Refrigerator Coils: Clean every six months for better efficiency.
- Exhaust Hood: Regularly clean filters to prevent grease build-up.
- Garage Door: Lubricate moving parts and test safety features regularly.
- Prevention: Stick to a regular maintenance schedule to avoid costly repairs.
These practices ensure your home remains in excellent condition, saving you money and stress in the long run.
1. Inspect And Maintain Your Roof
The roof is one of the most critical components of your home, protecting it from the elements. Regular roof maintenance can prevent costly repairs and extend its lifespan.
- Annual roof inspection: Check the roof once a year or after significant weather events for damaged or missing shingles, cracks, or signs of wear.
- Clear gutters and downspouts: Ensure that gutters and downspouts are free from debris to allow water to flow freely and avoid water damage or leaks.
- Look for leaks: Inside your home, inspect ceilings and attic spaces for signs of leaks or water stains, which could indicate roof damage.
By performing routine roof maintenance, you can safeguard your home from water damage and other structural issues caused by a compromised roof.
2. Maintain Your HVAC Filters
Your heating and cooling systems are key to keeping your home comfortable year-round. However, they require regular attention to function efficiently. One of the most straightforward yet essential tasks is replacing the air filters regularly.
- How often to change filters: Some filters require monthly replacement, while others have a longer lifespan. Check your system’s manual for guidance.
- Energy efficiency: Using high-quality filters helps maintain the system’s efficiency, ensuring that your energy bills stay manageable and your home stays comfortable.
By staying on top of this task, you’ll also reduce the wear and tear on your HVAC system, prolonging its life and saving you money in the long run.
3. Replace Batteries In Smoke And Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Your smoke and CO detectors are crucial for your family’s safety. These devices require regular maintenance to function correctly in an emergency.
- Monthly checks: Test the detectors once a month to ensure they are operational.
- Annual battery replacement: Replace the batteries at least once a year or whenever the low battery indicator sounds.
Failing to maintain these detectors can have severe consequences, making this a critical maintenance task. Additionally, operational smoke and CO detectors are legal in some regions, which enforces this rule to prevent avoidable injuries and deaths.
4. Inspect And Clean Your Furnace Or Boiler
Your furnace or boiler keeps your home warm but needs annual inspections to run efficiently. Over time, dust and moisture can cause blockages or inefficiencies that strain the system.
- Annual professional inspections: Hire a professional to inspect and clean the system at least once a year.
- Oil vs. gas systems: Oil-burning furnaces may require more frequent cleaning due to dirtier combustion than gas systems.
Regular inspections ensure your system runs efficiently, extends lifespan, and reduces the risk of expensive repairs or replacement.
5. Check Your Water Heater
Your water heater continuously provides hot water for your household, but it won’t last forever. Regular maintenance can help catch potential issues before they turn into significant problems.
- Annual inspections: Check the water heater for leaks, corrosion, or scale build-up once a year. This should be done more frequently in areas with hard water.
- Pipe fittings: Inspect all fittings for signs of wear and replace any leaks or corrosion.
Ignoring your water heater could result in a sudden breakdown and possible flooding, so staying on top of this maintenance task is essential for preventing future headaches.
6. Examine Toilets And Faucets For Leaks
If left unattended, small leaks in toilets and faucets can lead to bigger problems. These fixtures should be inspected every six months to avoid water damage and high water bills.
- Signs of leaks: Look for drips, water stains, or moisture around toilets and under sinks.
- Simple fixes: Many leaks can be fixed by replacing worn seals or washers, but it may be wise to consult a plumber for more significant issues.
By addressing leaks promptly, you’ll prevent damage to your home’s structure and avoid wasting water.
7. Spruce Up Your Front Door
Your front door is the focal point of your home’s entrance and plays a big role in kerb appeal. Keeping it in good condition will enhance its appearance.
- Polish or repaint: Wooden doors should be polished regularly, and painted doors may need a fresh coat of paint to keep them looking their best.
- Replace hardware: If the door handle is old or worn, consider replacing it with a more modern, secure option.
A well-maintained front door can make a strong first impression, especially if you plan to sell your home.
8. Vacuum Refrigerator Condenser Coils
Your refrigerator is essential in your kitchen, but many homeowners overlook maintaining its condenser coils. These coils can accumulate dust and debris, which reduces the refrigerator’s efficiency.
- Clean every six months: Vacuum or brush the coils to remove any build-up and improve the appliance’s performance.
- Energy efficiency: Clean coils allow the refrigerator to function efficiently, potentially lowering your energy bills.
Keeping your refrigerator’s condenser coils clean will extend its lifespan and ensure it runs as efficiently as possible.
9. Clean Your Exhaust Hood
The exhaust hood above your stove helps remove smoke, grease, and odours from your kitchen, but it can become clogged over time.
- Filter maintenance: Clean the hood’s filter regularly to avoid grease build-up, which can reduce its effectiveness and even pose a fire risk.
- Regular cleaning: Wipe the exhaust hood frequently to avoid grease and grime.
Regular maintenance of your kitchen exhaust hood will keep your kitchen safe and odour-free.
10. Maintain Your Garage Door
Your garage door is another important home feature that requires regular attention to ensure it operates safely and smoothly.
- Lubricate moving parts: Apply lubrication to the door’s chains, rollers, and tracks to prevent friction and ensure smooth operation.
- Test safety features: Modern garage doors have motion sensors that stop the door if something or someone is in its path. Test these sensors regularly to ensure they’re functioning correctly.
A well-maintained garage door ensures safety and prevents unnecessary wear on the opener, extending its life.
11. An Ounce Of Prevention Saves A Pound Of Cure
Maintaining your home can sometimes feel overwhelming, but breaking it into regular tasks makes it more manageable. Adhering to a regular maintenance schedule can prevent minor issues from turning into major problems.
- Seasonal tasks: Schedule certain tasks, such as checking the roof and cleaning the refrigerator coils, to coincide with the changing seasons.
- Regular inspections: Set reminders to perform annual inspections on your HVAC system, water heater, and other key systems to avoid unexpected breakdowns.
These simple maintenance steps will save money, reduce the likelihood of major repairs, and ensure your home stays in top shape for years.
Conclusion
Regular home maintenance is essential for protecting investment and ensuring a safe, comfortable living environment. From replacing HVAC filters to inspecting the roof and monitoring plumbing fixtures, consistent upkeep can help you avoid costly repairs.
Whether you plan to stay in your home for years or are preparing it for sale, these maintenance tasks will ensure your property stays in excellent condition.
FAQs On Home Repair
What Are Basic Handyman Skills?
Common skills include appliance installation, carpentry, basic plumbing, minor electrical wiring, maintenance and renovation. Over time, handypersons can improve these skills and gain new ones through vocational training, apprenticing, self-directed study and continued work experience.
When Should You Walk Away From Foundation Issues?
The most glaring issue concerns the foundation. When should you walk away from foundation issues? Horizontal or diagonal cracks measuring more than 1/4 of an inch are a good reason to walk away.
Is Painting Considered Maintenance Or Repair?
Repainting the exterior of your residential rental property: The cost of painting the exterior of a building is generally a currently deductible repair expense because merely painting isn’t an improvement under the capitalisation rules.
What Is The Difference Between Repair And Maintenance?
However, the difference between repair and maintenance work is that repairs aim to restore functionality while maintenance looks to preserve functionality. Put another way, repairs are done after downtime to minimise losses, while maintenance is done to prevent unexpected asset downtime.
How Often Should I Perform House Maintenance?
House maintenance should be done regularly to prevent costly repairs and ensure everything runs smoothly. Tasks like cleaning gutters, inspecting HVAC systems, and checking for leaks should be done seasonally, while deep cleaning and exterior maintenance can be done annually. Keeping a maintenance schedule ensures your home stays in great condition year-round.
