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Are you trying to create a home maintenance plan that will keep your house in order?
The average homeowner in the United States spends $1,105 on home maintenance each year. This amount varies based on the age of your home and where it’s located.
Whether your home is old or new, it’s a wise idea to plan for home maintenance and improvements – both expected and unexpected.
Read on to learn 5 tips for your home maintenance plan.
Read Also:
- An Essential Summer Seasonal Home Maintenance Checklist for Homeowners
- 10 Common Plumbing Problems Homeowners Will Experience
- 5 Tips for Designing Your Home as Environmentally Friendly
- Common Home Maintenance Mistakes You May Be Making
- Tips for Repairing the Residential HVAC System
- How to Make Outdoor Maintenance Look Easy
- Tips to Prevent Roof Leaks and Water Damage
- 5 Tips for Stunning Backyard Makeovers
Create a Checklist
The most important part of home maintenance is creating a checklist to keep you on schedule.
One of the best ways to organize your checklists is to list off weekly, quarterly, and annual maintenance tasks.
For example, weekly maintenance items are things such as lawn care, while annual maintenance tasks include pressure washing siding, driveways, and walkways.
Change Filters and Test Detectors
An often overlooked home maintenance task includes changing filters and testing smoke detectors.
Filters like your air conditioning filter should be changed every 30 to 90 days, depending on the kind and quality of the filter you choose.
Did you know that having working smoke detectors in your home can decrease the risk of smoke-related death by 50 percent?
To maximize the benefit of these smoke detectors you must ensure that they are working properly. By making the smoke detector testing part of your regular home maintenance plan, you will improve safety where you live.
Check Your Attic for Leaks
Your attic is for more than storing Christmas decorations and other keepsakes.
Attics are a great place for you to look to check for roof leaks and other damage. By making attic visits part of your semi-annual home maintenance plan, you can identify leaks and damage before they become a bigger issue.
While it’s a good idea to check for these issues at least twice a year, you should perform an extra inspection after a strong thunderstorm or other inclement weather.
Annual Pressure Washing
Annual pressure washing is one of those underrated tips for homeowners.
Pressure washing does more than help clean off the mold and other debris. It helps you maintain expensive surfaces and cut down on long-term maintenance costs.
For example, if you let mold continue to grow on your siding without pressure washing it away, it can damage stucco and aluminum siding, and make paint fade prematurely.
You should also pressure wash surfaces like your driveway and walkway to improve their appearance and to make them safer to walk on each day.
Clean Gutters and Downspouts
Gutters and downspouts should be cleared of debris at least twice a year to ensure they are working properly.
If gutters and downspouts are clogged, it causes other problems besides not pushing water away from your home. Since the water won’t flow correctly, it can cause water damage to your shingles and other roof materials.
Spending time cleaning your gutters is well spent because of the positive impact it will have on the exterior of your home.
Wrapping Up: Putting Your Home Maintenance Plan Into Action
After you make your checklists it is time to put your home maintenance plan into action.
While you may be tempted to perform many of these tasks yourself to save money, it’s worthwhile to seek the assistance of professionals for other items on your to-do list.
For example, hiring someone to pressure wash the exterior walls of your house can help prevent unwanted injuries if you try to do it yourself.
Are you interested in learning more about home improvement and design ideas?
Check out our blog posts for helpful tips and tricks to use at your home today.
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