When it comes to home maintenance, there are always tasks that need to be done. While some may be put down to the bottom of the to-do list, there are some necessary tasks that shouldn’t be avoided.
The reason for this is that these home maintenance tasks could result in some major damage to your home if ignored or left too late. From inspecting your roof and attic space for leaks to sorting out your HVAC maintenance and white good repairs.
A home maintenance to-do list is one that’s ongoing and therefore never really gets completed. Here are the top ten home maintenance tasks that you shouldn’t avoid going forward.
1. Clearing out your gutters
Clearing out your gutters is the first step when it comes to conducting vital home maintenance tasks. Your gutters are essential to your home, despite not perhaps remembering that it’s there and play a vital part in keeping your home dry and safe from the elements.
As rainfall falls onto your property, it collects in the gutters and moves down through the gutter system into drains that take the water away from your property. When these become blocked, the water can seep into the foundations of the home, causing structural damage.
Not only that but the weight of these blockages can also damage your gutters, which may need fully replacing if they fall off the property itself. That’s why it’s imperative that you clear out your gutters on a regular basis.
Ideally, you want to tackle the gutters every season or at least during the seasons when there’s a lot of rainfall and debris that’s being blown over from other properties. By clearing the gutters regularly, you’ll reduce the risk of any damage being done to your home or having pests making those gutters your home.
2. Plumbing maintenance
Plumbing maintenance is definitely something that you’ll want to stay on top of when it comes to taking care of your home.
There are certain pipes that might need checking as the property gets older so that you avoid any leaks or bursts that could cause damage to the home.
You should also be taking good care of your sinks and drains, ensuring that the only things going down them are water. When other food, debris, and waste go down these drains, it can often cause blockages, which can be a nightmare to fix.
A bit of plumbing maintenance, whether it’s declogging your drains yourself or getting out a plumber to assist, is a worthwhile task to check off your list every so often throughout the year. You can also add catchers to your sink drains in both bathrooms and kitchens to stop anything from going down the drain that shouldn’t.
3. Inspecting the roof
Inspecting the roof is definitely a worthwhile task to do because often enough, a lot of damage can be caused by gaps in the roof. If you’re not keeping on top of your inspections whether that be from the outside or internally through the attic, you might be missing some potential problems.
When you inspect the attic space, be on the lookout for any damage to the insulation or membrane/ceiling of the attic space. From the outside, you might not want to climb the dizzying heights on a ladder and instead get professionals in who can take a look at it for you.
Inspecting the roof doesn’t need to be as frequent as other home maintenance tasks, annually if that. However, when you’ve had bad bouts of weather, it’s certainly worth giving your roof a once-over visually so that you can cross it off your list.
4. Recaulking and sealing
There will be various points throughout your property where caulking will need removing and replacing. Sealing up parts of the home whether it be via your bathroom tiles or your windows, helps to keep things insulated and reduces the risk of damage.
If you don’t recaulk your bathroom or kitchen tiles, for example, you’ll like do damage to the walls behind them, which could lead to damp or mold spots.
There are obvious signs that the caulking has been damaged or fallen away and this is an indication that you need to replace that caulking quickly.
For sealants around windows and doors, look out for cold spots around the home and address this sooner, rather than later.
5. HVAC
HVACs are an essential part of the home come rain or shine. It helps keep your home cool during the summer months and your home warm during the colder ones.
An air conditioning repair might be required to keep it in good check, rather than just leaving it to do its thing, day in and day out. Take a good look at your HVAC and be mindful of filters that might need cleaning or replacing every so often.
It’s worth booking a repair during the low seasons where the engineers coming out to service your appliance, might not be so busy. The last thing you want is for it to break down during the most crucial time of year when it’s extremely hot or bitterly cold.
These appliances are an integral part of our home and when it comes to your home falling into disrepair, it’s better to get this sorted while the unit isn’t being used as much as it usually would.
6. Maintaining your landscape
It’s always good to keep on top of the maintenance around your home, which includes your exteriors. While curb appeal is something to be mindful of, you also want to keep pests away from your home and avoid any accidents that can happen due to rising paving slabs tripping up you and your household.
Maintaining your landscape should be a regular task but one that you can do bit by bit. Think about how you could do work to the outside spaces so that it’s clear and clean at all times. Make sure the lawn is mowed every so often so that you’ve not got too much wildlife roaming too closely to your doors.
Be aware of any pathways or siding that might need jet washing in order to keep it looking nice and avoid weather damage as a result of ignoring these areas of the home.
7. Pest proofing the home
Pest proofing is worth doing, especially when it comes to preventing said pests from coming into your home. There’s nothing worse than having your home invaded by one pest, let alone a whole infestation.
Whether you’ve spotted pests or you’re aware that your home might be encouraging pests to make a home on your property, take the necessary steps to pest-proof the home. Seal up any entry and exit around the home. Look to cut back any shrubs or areas in the garden that might make access to the property easier for pests to infiltrate too.
8. Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
One major home maintenance task that needs doing when it comes to looking after your home is to check and test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. These alarms are imperative to your safety and if you’re not getting them tested regularly, the batteries in them could run out. That could put you in danger, should a fire start or a gas leak occur.
Both are risky and therefore, every effort should be made to test those smoke and carbon monoxide alarms where possible. That way, you can keep your household safe. It offers peace of mind that you’ve done the checks to ensure everything is in good working order.
9. Declutter
Decluttering your home inside and out is worthwhile because there can often be a lot of clutter that builds up. You don’t realize just how much clutter you have until you stumble upon closets and drawers full of stuff you’d long forgotten about.
While some belongings are meaningful and not to be chucked out, you want to keep them on top of your storage areas, making sure to regularly chuck things when they’re no longer needed.
Try not to get tied to things that would otherwise be considered rubbish. These will often be the things that you need to get rid of in order to free up some space around the home for things that really matter.
10. Check your electrics
Finally, be sure to check your electrics, and that means every single switch and appliance. The reason for this is that electrical fires can happen when you least expect them, especially when it comes to appliances that may be old and therefore more prone to faults.
Checking your electrics is a good way of keeping on top of any potential problems or underlying concerns that could cause damage before you’re given the opportunity to fix them.
These top ten maintenance tasks are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to looking after your home. With that being said, do your due diligence around the home by ticking off as many home maintenance tasks as you can throughout the year. That way, you’ll have less hassle and financial expenditures for your home.