Spring Maintenance Tips for the Home

Springtime seems to be the time that everything starts happening—the sun is up longer, the temperature starts heating up, and we start to be more active. It’s also a time for cleaning and maintenance around the home to recover from winter and look its best for the year.

Outside the Home:

• Examine your roof shingles to see if any were lost or damaged from winter storms. This is also a good time to inspect your roof for any signs of possible leaks and to decide if it’s time to start saving for a new roof.
• After checking out the roof shingles, check the exterior of your chimney for any damage, then remember to call a certified chimney sweep so they can inspect and clean out your chimney flue.
• While you have the ladder out, go ahead and clean out the gutters and check for any loose or leaking gutters. Ensure that downspouts drain away from the foundation of your home and are cleaned out as well.
• Clean out your dryer vent to avoid a house fire and save you money (it’ll help your dryer work more efficiently).
• Inspect the paint job on your house—if there’s any cracked or peeling paint, do a touchup (or consider repainting the house a new color).
• Call Air Specialist and take advantage of their Spring Tune-Up Special to have your air conditioning unit serviced. Routine maintenance will help your air conditioning perform at its optimum, more efficiently, and can save you money in the long run.

The Yard:

• Check for any low laying areas in your yard that might need to be filled in with compacted soil.
• Check any hoses kept outside for dry rot and any faucets for freeze damage. Smart tip from HGTV: Turn the water on and place your thumb or finger over the opening—if you can stop the flow of water, there could be a pipe inside the home that is damaged and will need to be replaced.
• Warped, loose or splintered boards on your deck/patio can be a safety issue, so check that all of your boards are still intact and attached, then consider sweeping and/or power washing your deck. If you have a few dry days, consider staining and resealing the wood (or if it is composite decking, follow the manufacturers’ recommendations).

Inside the Home:

• Vacuum your refrigerator coils with the vacuum hose and a brush to remove dust from the coils—that dust coats the coils and makes your refrigerator work harder to keep cool.
• Replace the batteries in your smoke detectors. A good way to remember to do this routinely is to do so when you change your clocks twice a year—for daylight savings time.
• Bob Vila recommends checking your attic for any new colonies of insects or critters, as well as any mold that might have formed. (If you see any gray or black blotches, that might be mold that needs to be removed.
• If you’re using a standard thermostat, consider a programmable thermostat to help keep your home comfortable while saving energy and money this summer. Talk with a specialist at Air Specialist about the benefits of a thermostat from Honeywell.

Taking the time now will allow you to enjoy your home and yard throughout the warmer months!