Nothing is more frustrating than unexpected issues with your home, but you can often circumvent those issues altogether with proactive maintenance. Simple checkups and tasks can save you both money and time in the long run, preventing your homeownership from turning into a nightmare. Take stock of your home and keep things pristine with this annual home maintenance checklist.
Inspect your trees
To the untrained eye, dead trees can often look completely fine on the outside. Dead trees or branches aren’t just bad news for the tree itself—they’re also potentially dangerous for you and your neighbors. They could easily fall and damage your home or property or even injure a person. Nip that risk in the bud by getting your trees inspected once springtime rolls around.
Check your gutters
“Out of sight, out of mind” is unfortunately a mentality that applies for many people when it comes to their gutters. Gutters aren’t something people regularly see, so forgetting to maintain them can be easy. However, few things produce as much of a headache as water damage, and clogged gutters can cause just that. Be sure to inspect your gutters at least once a year and clear out any unwanted debris that may be causing buildup, and you’ll be in the clear.
Replace or repair broken screens
If your home’s doors and windows have any screening, don’t let the screens fall into disrepair. Make sure you know when to repair or replace your screens; telltale signs that they need a pick-me-up are if they wave, turn white, or have rips or tears. A quick, simple service will get them back into tip-top shape in no time and ensure they work properly.
Scrub your home’s exterior
We all know about scrubbing the interior of our home, but taking care of your home’s exterior is just as important. Do your house and yourself a favor by giving the exterior a thorough cleaning. It’s best to avoid using a power scrubber and to do the job by hand; that way, you’ll minimize the chance of causing unnecessary damage.
Test your sump pump
You last thing you want to deal with is a flooded basement, and if your sump pump isn’t up to snuff, that could very well happen. Just one expected bout of torrential rain could spell disaster for your home if your sump pump isn’t working. Unfortunately, it’s hard to know if your sump pump is faulty until damage occurs, so make sure you regularly check it for proper drainage. This is a step that should be on everyone’s annual home maintenance checklist.
Check up on your smoke detector
This step is essential for the safety of you and your family, so don’t neglect it. Make sure your smoke detectors are in great shape, and be sure to change their batteries once a year. This is one task you can’t forget, so make sure to set regular reminders, whether they’re in the form of alerts on your phone or sticky notes around your home.
