Home Maintenance Checklist
Winter is well upon us now and even though that means a few days of 50 degree weather in SoCal, some of you have second homes in the mountains and in other places that deal with harsher conditions. I’ve put together a checklist of some easy to-do and just as easy not-to-do home maintenance items, to keep your home protected and efficient through the winter and into warmer weather.
Caulking your windows and weatherstripping your doors will help keep your home properly insulated through the winter.
Check your windows and doors - Areas and gaps may cause a draft. Use weatherstripping and caulk to seal them and keep the heat inside and the cold out.
Clean your dryer hose - Lint buildup in your dryer hose can gather over an extended period of time and, if never checked, can cause a number of serious dangers such as clothes dryer fires, carbon monoxide buildup, and shortened dryer lifespan. Cleaning your lint filter regularly is common sense to most, but your filters may not be catching all the lint that you think they are.
Prevent pipes from cracking - It may not be cold when you leave town for the holidays but the weather can turn quickly, and it’s best to be prepared. When heading out of town, first, leave your heating on a minimum setting to ensure heating kicks in if a sudden freeze comes on. Second, leave your faucets dripping to help prevent pipes from freezing.
Reverse your fans - Get the most out of the heating you’re paying for. Reversing your fans will help prevent the warm air from rising and keep it down where you want it. Most fans have a simple switch on them that will change the rotation for you.
Clean out your gutters - Prevent damage to your gutters and keep them clear. It’s best to do this before the weather gets harsh.
Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors - When the cold weather arrives, and there are more bodies huddled inside, there also tends to be much less natural air flow. With less air flow and the heaters pumping, your home is more vulnerable to buildup of dangerous gasses like carbon monoxide. This shouldn’t scare you, but instead should motivate you to test your alarm systems so that you can rest easy. Most up-to-date systems have a simple test button on the front that can pressed to test.
Inspect your insulation - This might mean climbing up into an attic you haven’t checked on in years, but doing so can save you money in the winter and summer. Keeping your home properly insulated will help keep your home warm and prevent your heater from working overtime. The same insulation will also help keep your home cool in the summer.
Trim your trees - It doesn’t hurt to take a look at the trees surrounding your house and make sure there are no dead branches that could potentially fall and damage your house once the weather turns. It’s also always a good idea to make sure there are no branches actively touching your home as this will help prevent easy access to rodents getting into your home.