Now I know this is nobody’s favorite topic, but homes require maintenance to stay in good shape long-term. And not just during spring cleaning, either! Here are some essential home maintenance tasks you should be performing to keep your home nice for you and your family.
Contents
Check Your Alarms and Detectors
Frequency: Monthly
This one is a safety issue, y’all! Check your detectors each month to make sure they’re working properly. This includes both the carbon monoxide detector and the smoke alarms. Test them out, make sure they’re working, and replace the batteries if needed.
Dust Your Air Vents
Frequency: Monthly
Any guests with allergies will appreciate you for this one. Turn off your HVAC system once a month and dust your vents. It’s also a good idea to change out the filters so that your air conditioner isn’t spewing dust around your house.
This is extra important if you have pets, as animal dander and fuzz can blow around by the vents as well.
Clear Out Your Gutters
Frequency: Every Six Months
It’s a good idea to clear out your gutters and downspouts every six months to get rid of any clogs. If you leave your drains clogged, water will back up and drain where it shouldn’t. This can cause water damage to your trim or walls!
Clean Your Dryer Vent
Frequency: Yearly
About once a year, thoroughly clean out your dryer vent and lint trap. Excess lint is the main culprit when it comes to dryer fires, meaning forgetting to clean out the vent could cause your house to catch fire!
That’s a whole lot of damage from some dryer lint. Use a brush or narrow vacuum attachment to clean out the dryer vent and lint trap, and you won’t have anything to worry about.
Have Your Roof Inspected
Frequency: Yearly
Neglecting to have your roof inspected for years on end can result in leaks and water damage from issues you aren’t aware of, such as missing shingles or hail damage. Once a year, it’s a good idea to have a professional take a quick look.
You may need to have metal roofs inspected less often, so keep that in mind if your home has one!
I hope this gave y’all some good insight into the kinds of essential home maintenance you should be performing. Of course, there are all kinds of other household tasks to do, like organizing your pantry, that would make this list too long. But I hope this list gave you a good place to start.
Comment below if y’all can think of any I missed, or share some hacks to make these boring tasks more manageable!
