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Home Maintenance Must-Do’s

What is the first thing you consider when purchasing a home? 

For most of us, we quickly answer this question with one word: money.

The financial responsibilities that come with buying a home often overshadow the importance of other key homeowner responsibilities like regular maintenance and general upkeep.  

Just as you car needs proper gas and sufficient oil to operate, your home needs adequate attention and sufficient servicing to protect your investment. Thanks to these 7 quick tips, keeping up with proper home maintenance tasks just got a lot easier.

1)     Filter the Filters

Tackle those nasty allergies and congestions issues by cleaning your HVAC filters every one to three months. Big families or families with pets should consider changing filters on a monthly basis, whereas smaller families without pets can complete this task every two or three months, depending on dirtiness.

While you’re at it, also consider cleaning the filter in your stove’s range hood. Mix an auto degreaser with hot water, let the substance sit for a minute, and rinse clean – you will notice a difference.

2)     Stop Sink Stink

Notice an unwavering, rotten smell in your kitchen that doesn’t dissipate when you take out the trash or clean like crazy? Probably because the smell is radiating from your disposal. Freeze vinegar in your ice trays and dump

the ice down the disposal. You’ll fix the smell, clean the gunk, and sharpen the blades.  This should be done at least once a month.

3)     Ensure Effective Extinguishers

First of all, if your home does not have a fire extinguisher, go purchase one immediately. If you do have an extinguisher, be sure to check it monthly to ensure it’s still effective. It should be in good condition with adequate gauge pressure and located in an accessible location.

4)     Test the Detectors

Invite the family in on this task and assign each member to a smoke/carbon detector test. Have everyone push the “test” button and report back if an alarm sounded or not. If no sound is heard, check the detector for corrosion on the batter terminal, dead batteries, or a faulty system. Do this once a month.

5)     Garage Door Guarantee

As of 1993, all garage doors must be equipped with an auto-reverse feature that automatically raises the door if an object (like a small child) is stuck underneath. Test your door by placing a 2x4 where the door typically closes. If the door doesn’t automatically rise within 2 to 3 seconds of hitting the wood, you’ve got garage door drama. Complete this task once every month.

6)     Hit the Heater

No, don’t physically hit it, but test your water heater’s pressure relief valve to ensure it’s clean and free of mineral buildup or corrosion. This will help to prevent any future leaks and it helps your heater run more efficiently, ultimately saving you money.

7)     Clean the Cracks

Take a day every four to six months to give your home a deep clean. Wash windows, dust nooks and crannies, vacuum, mop, sweep, bleach, etc. Keeping your home spick-and-span is one of the single best ways to protect your investment. Not only does it keep things tidy, but you can also use this deep clean as a chance to make a list of Fix-Its for later on.

Protect Your Investment

As we mentioned before, being a homeowner has a wealth of responsibilities that go along with simply “owning a home.” By working hard to ensure your home is as well maintained as possible you can protect and improve on this big life-investment. With proper homeowners insurance, you can rest easy knowing you and your home are covered. Visit The Best Insurance Services to start protecting your investment, today. 


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