The Seasonal Home Maintenance Checklist Every Homeowner Needs

Performing regular home maintenance is of the utmost importance as a homeowner in order to avoid much larger issues down the road.

Have you ever been stuck in a bind with a home issue that could have been avoided if you performed regular maintenance?

Thankfully, you can now rest easy as we have compiled an essential seasonal home maintenance checklist that everyone should be performing.

Each home is unique in their own right. You may be able to skirt by not performing some of these home maintenance tasks every season due to your home being newer and built more efficiently. Some homes may have extremely old bones and may require extra care and even more specialized care.

Take note of recurring issues you see on a regular basis and customize your list based on your home’s needs. Use this guide to create your own home’s seasonal home maintenance checklist.

Seasonal Home Maintenance Checklist

You may have a monthly home maintenance checklist that you reference regularly that include the items that you and your family need to stay on top of. These things may include changing your HVAC filter, vacuuming the carpets, cleaning out your dishwasher, and more.

The real concern is the larger home maintenance needs that don’t need to be monitored all the time but need to be checked in on throughout the year. That is the focus of these seasonal home maintenance tasks.

Spring

In preparation for the summer months, and cleaning out the “stuffiness” from the winter months, most immediately jump to spring cleaning. You can also use this time to squeeze in some regular home maintenance issues to check in on.

A quick and easy way to maintain your garbage disposal is to simply pour boiling water down your drain and then follow that with a half cup of baking soda. After about three minutes, pour a mixture of one cup of vinegar with one cup of hot water. Finish your maintenance off with pouring another pot of boiling water down the drain after 15 minutes has passed and then check of any screws need tightening.

Draining out your hot water heater completely can actually prolong the life of your hot water heater. It removes any types of debris and sediments that settle over time and wear down your hot water heater.

If you like to err on the side of caution, you may want to test your smoke and carbon monoxide detector every month. This isn’t necessary though. Testing this each quarter is more than suitable to ensure you are living safely.

Inspecting your windows and doors after the winter is a great time to make sure they are being properly maintained. The changing of the seasons will show signs of wear and tear. Check each window and door to remove any weather stripping and see if any panes need to be replaced.

If you have a basement, make sure their conditions are in good shape. Be sure to investigate if there are any leaks or if you notice unusually damp areas in your basement and be sure to call for repairs. This is also a perfect time to clean your dehumidifier.

Check to see if your HVAC needs to be serviced. Type of issues you want to make note of when looking at your HVAC includes that it is properly cooling your home and if the air ducts need to be cleaned out. We aren’t all technicians, so it may be a good idea to have a pro come and inspect your HVAC.

Summer

The summertime is for family outings, vacations, and barbeques. You most certainly don’t want any of that tainted with a home maintenance issue that could have been avoided. Take a look at these common maintenance routines that you can incorporate to your seasonal home maintenance.

Check out the plumbing throughout the house. Dealing with the summer heat is hard enough and you don’t want to deal with a massive plumbing issue when your whole family is in town having a barbeque. Investigate all aspects of your plumbing like the faucets and showerheads and see if any washers need to be replaced or mineral deposits need to be cleaned out or if you need to redo some caulking.

Vacuum the refrigerator coils during the summer. This can save you a lot of money on electricity by preventing your fridge from overheating.

You probably aren’t planning on using your fireplace and chimney during the summer, so this is a great time to clean it all out so that it is ready to go by the fall and winter seasons. Be sure to schedule an inspection first to make sure there are no damages to the fireplace and chimney and then have a pro clean it out.

Your fire extinguishers have an expiration date, so make sure you are replacing them each year. Summer is a great time to do this in case you end up with an unruly set of hot dogs that cause a barbeque fire or you left that Fourth of July cake in the oven for too long.

Cleaning out your dryer vent will prevent any fires that may occur from lint buildup. You should have a manual from the dryer manufacturer that can walk you through this. However, you may also call a professional to clean the vents out for you to make sure there is no stone left unturned.

Hopefully, you are cleaning your windows in doors slightly throughout the year, but now is a good time to break out the pressure cleaner and give those windows and hard to reach spots a deep clean to have your summer home looking as bright and sunny as the weather.

Summer is around the time when termite season starts so it would be a very good idea to stay proactive and inspect your home for termites, even if you don’t see them. If you have seen a swarm of termites already, call a professional the exterminate your home.

With summer season also being bug season, this is a perfect time to maintain your yard and garden for bugs and other issues like weeds.

Fall

This is another great time to clean out that garbage disposal again. Perform the same task as stated during the Spring to keep your garbage disposal working as efficiently as possible.

Discover more about increasing the efficiency of your home here.

Now is the time for all those beautiful leaves to fall. While they may be pretty to look at, it is essential to remove them to prevent any home issues like a gutter blockage.

With the cooler temperatures quickly approaching, get a head start on ensuring your furnace or heater is working properly. Have a pro inspect these appliances to make sure there are no issues that may affect the heating of your home when it gets really cold.

When it gets cold outside, rodents are looking for a nice warm place to stay. Don’t let that be your home. Get proactive and safeguard your home against any rodent invasion.

Test all your kitchen appliances like your stovetop and range to make sure they are working properly. You don’t want to get to Thanksgiving only to send your family away because you can’t roast the turkey!

Get your chimney capped, if you have one, to prevent any animals from getting into your chimney and possibly your home.

Winter

Winter tends to be the one season where maintenance is limited due to the extreme temperatures. Be sure to get a head start on taking care of any outlying issues with your home before it gets too cold, and fix any outstanding issues your home may already have.

This is the second time of the year where you should be sure to check out your vacuum refrigerator coils. Make sure everything is clean so your fridge is working efficiently.

Have your hot water heater service again during the winter as well. Be sure to test the temperature and the pressure relief values.

Before things get too cold, check out the basement one more time to ensure there is no leakage or very humid condition.

The most important thing to check during the winter is the possibility of frozen pipes. If you are traveling, be sure to set your faucets to a low drip and also keep your thermostat at 55 Fahrenheit or higher.

What Are the Next Steps?

You know your home better than anyone else. There may be more unique factors that you know you need to keep an eye out for in your home.

Also, keep in mind to never take on a project that is outside of your expertise. Your pride is never worth a much larger bill from a contractor to fix your mistakes.

Take this seasonal home maintenance checklist as a starter kit to keep your home in tip-top shape! Property Talk has a wide range of unique home maintenance tips that you may have not even thought of. Feel free to add in more of your home’s unique needs and even expand on this checklist to add a separate monthly routine home maintenance section to include those regular maintenance issues you may need to work on regularly.