Home maintenance
10 crucial tips to keep your home and your investment in the best possible shape
inside:
1. change the furnace filter often
This is something that you should do at least 4 times a year or every 3 months. Changing the furnace filter is a lot cheaper than replacing the entire furnace. Good furnace maintenance is not only good for the life of the unit but great for the resale value. Not many things will scare a potential home buyer away like the threat of a bad furnace.
A little pro tip for you, keep a record of when you change the filter to show your regularly scheduled maintenance.
2. spring cleaning
This is already a known phrase but a lot of people don’t put it in their home maintenance category so let me break it down for you. Yes tossing your ab roller and getting rid of old t-shirts are more than great, but you also should take the time to do a deep clean. I’m sure your register vents could use a cleaning (that dust is getting into your lunges) and there’s stuff just thrown under your kitchen or bathroom sink. While your busy cleaning the clutter you also give yourself an appreciated opportunity to check the spaces you don’t look at, and those spaces could have some issues that you didn’t know about aka a leaky faucet.
3. check your smoke alarm
It’s one thing to try to avoid your smoke alarm when your busy burning a pizza in the oven but “more than one-third (38 percent) of home fire deaths result from fires in which no smoke alarms are present.” - U.S. Fire Administration
I know they’re annoying when being an at-home chef goes wrong but you should check our smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors at least once a year, not just when the low battery beep wakes you up in the middle of the night.
4. clean air conditioners
Whether you have central air or window units you should clean out your air conditioner(s). They will extend the life of the unit and will keep the cold air colder. I know Chicago is thought of as a snowy windy city but the summers cant get hot here too!
5. protect against bugs & pests
No one likes but everyone gets them. There are a couple of ways to prevent this, one is to do a yearly evaluation of your home and make sure there are no holes or entry points that should not be there. Along with plugging up these holes do a consistent job or keep garbage away from your home. If it’s trash toss it down the trash shoot or take it out to the curb. Garbage left sitting on porches, patios, or in the alleyway against the side of the building do nothing but attract unwanted visitors.
outside:
6. check the exterior
Winter is over and spring is finally here! The snow has melted and you can finally start to see some green grass and some leaves on the trees. So get outside and walk the perimeter of your home. The winter can be a tough season for your home. There could be cracks in the masonry or it could have caused your balcony (or any metal surface) to rust. You cant always stop it from happening but you can prevent it from getting worse and let’s be honest, it’s usually best to catch it in the beginning then wait for it to get worse at the end.
7. clean & check your windows
The cleaning part of this is self-explanatory, clean windows give more and the best views. While your cleaning do a little inspecting, check the window sill, see if there are any cracks, notice if there is any air getting in around the frame. Checking your windows can save you a lot in window replacement as well as your heating bill.
8. touch up some paint
The window shutters, the patio, the fence, whatever needs it. When you maintain the looks of the home you maintain its value. This isn’t just a place that you sleep it’s a place that you’ve invested a lot of money and in the end, you plan to sell it for more than you paid.
9. what’s up with the roof
If the furnace is the biggest concern for the inside then the roof is the biggest concern for the outside. Or the whole house, as a matter of fact, it is covering the whole entire building. Check the roof yearly, if it’s starting to look a little questionable have a specialist come out. Not all roofs need major work sometimes they just need a patch in a certain spot. You’ll be happy to catch that one spot instead of having to replace the entire thing.
10. prep your plumbing for winter
If it’s fall then you know winter is next and winter usually brings snow and ice. Prep your outdoor pipes by shutting off outdoor faucets, disconnecting water hoses, insulate the pipes, and check the seal around hose heads.
bonus tip: during a cold spell keep the kitchen faucet running
You know when the winter gets cold, I mean really cold. Let the faucet trickle just a little bit of water overnight or while you are away for a long weekend. The constant flow of water will keep the water from freezing and your pipes from bursting.
