Spring Maintenance Checklist

 

Spring Maintenance Checklist

Remember all that you did in the Fall to check on your house and prepare it for Winter? Well now it’s time to check things for the Summer.
Once again, check on your roof for any missing shingles or tiles. Also, check to see if the shingles are turning up or down as they may need to be replaced. If you see any dark streaks, you probably have an algae problem. You can hire someone to pressure wash your roof to get rid of that.
Check the masonry for any places where you might need to repair the mortar. If you’re noticing that water is seeping in, look into getting sealer for the bricks.
Check your fireplace to ensure the spark arrestor is still in place, and that there are no cracks around it. You may not be using your fireplace, but the summer is a good time to do any repair work. Also if you used your fireplace a lot this winter, now is a good time to have it professionally cleaned.
Walk around your home looking for any cracks in the foundation.
Clean out your gutters and downspouts. Look for any leaks so you can get it repaired during the summer.
Check your attic for ventilation or any nests that may have been formed. You may want to consider getting a quote from an exterminator if you have squirrels, rats or mice nesting. You will need a professional if you have bats.
If you haven’t yet, change batteries in your detectors, and if you have battery backups for your sprinkler system. Test your sprinklers to ensure that they’re all clean with no nesting earwigs. Test the timing for your sprinklers. You won’t need as much watering during the spring as you will during the summer, so now is a good time to remind yourself how to program the sprinklers.
Replace filters in your heating and air conditioning units. Clean out any debris from the air conditioner. If you’ve had it under cover, take off the cover, clean it and store it somewhere dry and safe.
Prune your landscaping away from your house. Check how things are draining. They should drain away from the house so you don’t have standing water up against your foundation.
Power wash your concrete patios and driveways. Look into any repair work needed for your driveway, and look into giving it a good sealant whether it’s concrete or asphalt.
If you live where you need storm windows and doors, now is the time to take them down, clean them and store them safely.
Check the wood around windows and doors gently with a screwdriver. You may need to replace wood, or just hammer it down tighter. If there is a gap in your window or door larger than a nickel, it’s time to pull out the caulk and seal it up. Check weatherproofing strips for any holes or leaks. If there are, it’s time to replace them.
Wash those windows well and clean out the tracks using a vacuum cleaner and a soft brush.
Re-seal your basement and your wood deck if you have them.
If you do your own lawn maintenance, now is the time to sharpen the blades on your mower. And give it a little love with some well placed oil. Also, if it’s gas powered, follow your manufacturer’s directions for a tune up including changing out the spark plug.
Clean out the vents in your dryer. Hopefully you’re cleaning the lint out of the lint trap, but twice a year, it’s time to do some deep cleaning. You can hire someone to come in and vacuum it all up, or you can buy a kit to help you get rid of the big ball of yuck. To minimize the lint trapped, run your dryer for 20 minutes on air dry or no heat after every load. The moist duct is a magnet for trapping lint, and running on air helps dry it out so the lint can be blown through.